Overall rating and opinion of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley

Use this forum to discuss the January 2021 Book of the month, "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley
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Pereira6
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Re: Overall rating and opinion of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley

Post by Pereira6 »

I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to others to read. My children are adopted from South Korea and I, therefore, take a special interest in the historical background of this country. Although I did appreciate the historical background given this novel left me wanting a more detailed historical background that could have been achieved with a more lengthy novel. This was the reason I only gave it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
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Post by Joy Phill »

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I loved the the way the characters were developed. It was eye opening to discover the real reason why Embon's father behaved as badly as he did.
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Sara Barnes Cottingham
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Post by Sara Barnes Cottingham »

I did really enjoy the book. I studied Japanese history, so I'd read about the history of Japanese and Korea, but only from the Japanese side. I liked reading from a different perspective. I also thought that having a story told from different castes in the Korean culture highlighted how the royal class seemed to be to blame for the downfall of the Korean empire.

I wish that the novel had been a bit longer so that we had more time to get really in depth with the characters, but I think that the novel did a good job of doing what it ultimately set out to do, and that was to show how the Korean culture and way of life vanished under Japanese rule.
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topdan30
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Post by topdan30 »

This book was a great read for me as it mentioneed so many histories of various places which got me excited. Historical fictions like this are fun to read.
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Post by Anthony__ »

What made the book enjoyable was its richness in Korean culture, tradition, and the belief in the omen following a baby’s birth. The Yangbans would rather die than do decent work because of their proud ancestral status and beliefs. However, I rated the book 3 out of 4 starts because of the grammatical errors that I noticed.
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Post by TempleOz123 »

To be honest, The Vanished was not what I expected, and I mean that in a good way. It was excellent detailed, and as a huge fan of historical fiction, the writing style touched a deep part of me. Aside from the female characters who seem to have no backbone, this book was everything.
I highly recommend!
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Post by Mutai Marshal »

This book portrays the struggles that Korea and other nations went through to gain independence. My favorite aspect was how fearless the likes of Yangwoo snd Embon were. Their desire of attaining independence was not shaken at all by the deaths of their friends or countrymen. However, the only negative throughout the book was the lack of a hero. I believe Embon was the supposed hero but he felt short of the threshold. His contributions were quite limited. I would recommend this book to those who love history. Through this read, they'll get a glimpse of how the clamor for independence was rocky and deadly.
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Post by Lalit_kendre14 »

I think its an excellent novel since it augments the hindrance of information since it addresses very well the underestimated in Korean culture. I would prescribe this book to any individual who needs to peruse it thought particularly the. I discover this book clarifies the apprehensions, the indignation of sexual orientation segregation and what it changes and means for individuals
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Post by Ngelani R »

I rate this great book 4 out 4. What I liked most about this book is that it has several themes— which are not only interesting but also educative. For example, that of cultural practices will be of great help to historians. I recommend it to all those who find great pleasure while reading historical fiction books.
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Post by Ochieng Omuodo »

This is a very well written, informative book for anyone wanting to learn the basics about korean people culture, recent history, and modern identity as two states.

What i like most is the accurate rendition of key historical events such as ancient wars with Japan, proselytisation by French Catholics, and political pro-independence events. However, the absence of a glossary is the major problem I have with it for there are unexplained non-English words.

Nevertheless, I recommend this book to history buffs - for its faithfulness to facts - and to writers interested in learning how to weave together history and fiction seamlessly without compromising the value of either. If you like happy endings, though, steer clear of this one.
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Post by cjl1995 »

To my surprise, I really enjoyed this book. I don't really stray too much from the fantasy genre but I was intrigued throughout the whole book. Growing up in the American school system I did not really learn much about history outside the "America is the best" sort of viewpoint. I had no idea that Japan had occupied Korea. Almost everything I learned in this book was something new. My favorite part of reading this book was being able to see how the Japanese occupation affected Korea from the different viewpoints of different generations. I guess I will have to start reading more non-fiction!
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Post by shirakersz »

I don't know. Honestly, I don't think that it was written great. Don't get me wrong- the story was good. It was very amusing to learn about the history of China, Japan, and Korea. Even if it's fictional. I definitely think the author could do better. Maybe add some more details, add some more cliffhangers, and made it a little bit more modern. I do recommend this if you want to take your time reading.
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Post by shirakersz »

I I genuinely enjoyed reading the book because it touched on different topics, ranging from the far-reaching implications of foreign occupation to personal and social freedom. The author did a great job of portraying the condition of the marginalized in traditional Korean society. For example, gender inequality affects women from all walks of life, including those belonging to the upper classes or the aristocratic circles.

There was nothing I disliked about the novel. On the contrary, I would warmly recommend it to all fans of historical fiction and the development of international relations at the turn of the 20th century. Those who like reading stories of self-discovery will also be drawn to Embon's quest and evolution.



I agree so much!
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Post by kalgaonkarsnehal »

I gave the book 3 out of 4 stars. I liked the book because it touched upon genuine events and matched the historic timelines, making it into a very interesting read. I had to deduct a point because the characters were not given the depth they could have enjoyed in such a rich context.
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Post by jaym_tan »

As a fan of historical fiction, I absolutely adore this book! It tells a good story about how Korea was like in the early parts of the 20th century. The author did a fantastic job in creating such an interesting plot mixed with a good amount of historical facts and politics. The writing got me hooked on learning more about the conflict between Korea and Japan .
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