Review by jeanmtdb -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
Posted: 13 Jan 2021, 21:33
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]
In the early 1900s and Japan annexed Korea. The Korean culture was vanishing. In 1912 Kim Embon was born into this state of affairs. Pejay Bradley, a Korean author now living in the United States, faithfully relates life for Koreans at the beginning of the rebellion against Japan in the historical fiction, The Vanished. The Korean way of life was disappearing under Japan's rule. The Japanese banned assembly and the press. Korean names were to be changed to the Japanese style and only Japanese would be spoken. Most Koreans lived in the old ways. They studied Confucianism, worshipped their ancestors, obeyed male family members, and adhered to the customary behavioral codes and rituals. They didn't educate their children in schools outside Korea and didn't learn anything about politics or the western world as the Japanese had done.
Kim Embon was born into a noble family. He was a very spoiled child but grew into an intelligent and wonderful teenager. He was accepted to Hokkaido Imperial University in Japan. At the university, Embon met other students who began to talk about rebelling against Japan. Embon was arrested and interrogated by the Japanese. He was released when they discovered who his family was. Embon faced health problems, a growing lethargy, and an arranged marriage. During this time, he was transformed into a rebel fighting for Korean independence.
I enjoyed Ms. Bradley's descriptive writing style. She drew you into the story as you are acquainted with each character. The customs became apparent without an obvious explanation. The author raised many of the issues that Koreans faced under their archaic traditions – arranged marriages, a caste system, owning slaves, and the preference for having male children.
I found the beginning of the book to be very slow but still enjoyed the history and culture as Pejay Bradley introduced us to the people and the conflicts. If I had to choose something I disliked about this book, I would have to say that it could have been longer. This story was so engaging that it was over too soon. The book ends in a cliffhanger and, hopefully, there will be another book.
I believe this book to be professionally edited. I didn't find any grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. There was no sexual content and no profane language. There were violent passages but the author handled them without dwelling on all the brutality. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
Who would be interested in this book? Young adults and people who enjoy historical fiction should read The Vanished. Due to the nature of war and rebellion, I would not recommend this book to young readers.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In the early 1900s and Japan annexed Korea. The Korean culture was vanishing. In 1912 Kim Embon was born into this state of affairs. Pejay Bradley, a Korean author now living in the United States, faithfully relates life for Koreans at the beginning of the rebellion against Japan in the historical fiction, The Vanished. The Korean way of life was disappearing under Japan's rule. The Japanese banned assembly and the press. Korean names were to be changed to the Japanese style and only Japanese would be spoken. Most Koreans lived in the old ways. They studied Confucianism, worshipped their ancestors, obeyed male family members, and adhered to the customary behavioral codes and rituals. They didn't educate their children in schools outside Korea and didn't learn anything about politics or the western world as the Japanese had done.
Kim Embon was born into a noble family. He was a very spoiled child but grew into an intelligent and wonderful teenager. He was accepted to Hokkaido Imperial University in Japan. At the university, Embon met other students who began to talk about rebelling against Japan. Embon was arrested and interrogated by the Japanese. He was released when they discovered who his family was. Embon faced health problems, a growing lethargy, and an arranged marriage. During this time, he was transformed into a rebel fighting for Korean independence.
I enjoyed Ms. Bradley's descriptive writing style. She drew you into the story as you are acquainted with each character. The customs became apparent without an obvious explanation. The author raised many of the issues that Koreans faced under their archaic traditions – arranged marriages, a caste system, owning slaves, and the preference for having male children.
I found the beginning of the book to be very slow but still enjoyed the history and culture as Pejay Bradley introduced us to the people and the conflicts. If I had to choose something I disliked about this book, I would have to say that it could have been longer. This story was so engaging that it was over too soon. The book ends in a cliffhanger and, hopefully, there will be another book.
I believe this book to be professionally edited. I didn't find any grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. There was no sexual content and no profane language. There were violent passages but the author handled them without dwelling on all the brutality. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
Who would be interested in this book? Young adults and people who enjoy historical fiction should read The Vanished. Due to the nature of war and rebellion, I would not recommend this book to young readers.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon