Review by thend157 -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
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thend157
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Review by thend157 -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]
The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is an epic novel about Korea at the beginning of the 20th Century. It begins with the birth of Embron to Lady Souyin, a relative of the Korean Emperor. As he grows into a kind and dutiful Korean teenager he begins to see the effects of the Japanese subjugation of his Korean homeland. He ends up getting tuberculosis, and then is forced into an arranged marriage by his mother. Seeking a way to escape his now indolent life he goes to China to visit with his estranged father and school friends. He quickly gets caught up in the fight to rid Korea of the Japanese invaders. This leads him into a world where he must learn to overcome his privileged background and to fight for his country.
I found that this was an entertaining and engaging novel to read. I especially loved learning more about the history of Korea. I found that this was one of the most fascinating parts of the novel. I also liked the novel's use of setting to describe the world of the Korean aristocracy. I found that this description provided an interesting backdrop from which to add to the characterization. This characterization is especially true of the character of Lady Souyin, as it is easy to see, in the novel, how the setting has contributed to her characterization as a modern Korean woman.
Finally, I liked the author’s use of narration in the novel. This is because I appreciated the way that the author included many details about the customs and history of Korea. This, I felt, helped me to understand the significance of the events in the novel. I also liked how the author used the narration to talk about women’s lives in Korea at the time.
What I found that I did not like so much about this novel was how it ended. It has a very inconclusive ending, I found. This left me wondering what happens next, and if there would be a later novel in which to explain all this. I also found the details of the customs and history of Korea to be a little overwhelming in the early part of the novel. This is because part of me was wondering how all this information about Korea related to the story.
Despite the occasionally overwhelming details and the cliff-hanger ending, I found that I enjoyed reading this novel. I found it very engaging and well written. I noticed no spelling errors and I found only a couple of grammatical errors. This makes me think this novel has been professionally edited. I would give it four out of four stars because I found that this novel is a fascinating look at life in Korea at the turn of the century with many interesting characters and an exciting plot. I would recommend it to readers of historical fiction and those who are curious about life in Korea.
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The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is an epic novel about Korea at the beginning of the 20th Century. It begins with the birth of Embron to Lady Souyin, a relative of the Korean Emperor. As he grows into a kind and dutiful Korean teenager he begins to see the effects of the Japanese subjugation of his Korean homeland. He ends up getting tuberculosis, and then is forced into an arranged marriage by his mother. Seeking a way to escape his now indolent life he goes to China to visit with his estranged father and school friends. He quickly gets caught up in the fight to rid Korea of the Japanese invaders. This leads him into a world where he must learn to overcome his privileged background and to fight for his country.
I found that this was an entertaining and engaging novel to read. I especially loved learning more about the history of Korea. I found that this was one of the most fascinating parts of the novel. I also liked the novel's use of setting to describe the world of the Korean aristocracy. I found that this description provided an interesting backdrop from which to add to the characterization. This characterization is especially true of the character of Lady Souyin, as it is easy to see, in the novel, how the setting has contributed to her characterization as a modern Korean woman.
Finally, I liked the author’s use of narration in the novel. This is because I appreciated the way that the author included many details about the customs and history of Korea. This, I felt, helped me to understand the significance of the events in the novel. I also liked how the author used the narration to talk about women’s lives in Korea at the time.
What I found that I did not like so much about this novel was how it ended. It has a very inconclusive ending, I found. This left me wondering what happens next, and if there would be a later novel in which to explain all this. I also found the details of the customs and history of Korea to be a little overwhelming in the early part of the novel. This is because part of me was wondering how all this information about Korea related to the story.
Despite the occasionally overwhelming details and the cliff-hanger ending, I found that I enjoyed reading this novel. I found it very engaging and well written. I noticed no spelling errors and I found only a couple of grammatical errors. This makes me think this novel has been professionally edited. I would give it four out of four stars because I found that this novel is a fascinating look at life in Korea at the turn of the century with many interesting characters and an exciting plot. I would recommend it to readers of historical fiction and those who are curious about life in Korea.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Amora by Grant Hallstrom
