Review by 22wettkl -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
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22wettkl
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- Latest Review: The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
Review by 22wettkl -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]
I quite enjoyed reading The Vanished by Pejay Bradley. Set during the Japanese occupation of Korea, the story begins with a young girl’s recollection of her marriage and ends with her son’s promise to free his country. To preface, Korea is under the influence of the power-hungry Japanese as they attempt to annex China (Manchuria). As to be expected of a conquered state, many social and economic hardships have come to be an unavoidable part of all Korean life, including royalty. In The Vanished, the reader follows Prince Aansoon’s daughter through the trials of her marriage and motherhood; while doing so, the opportunity to learn a great deal about Korean culture is presented and pertinent to the book’s theme. However, her son, Embon, is the crown jewel of this book; his development is timed almost perfectly with the Korean uprising and provides a first-hand account of the bravery the Koreans showed during this tumultuous time.
Bradley created something that readers of all backgrounds can appreciate. Her attention to detail is incredible. The story was relayed through numerous narrators; this provided a unique perspective as the reader was able to understand all the aspects of the tale, not just the one history claims is true. A particularly enlightening perspective was that of Mr. Seoh. Take my word, the best part of this book was the characters. In the beginning, I was skeptical of Embon’s mother. She seemed almost emotionless, however by the end of the book, she was one of the most developed and passionate characters in the story. I can’t reiterate enough how much this story was a great read, I would definitely recommend The Vanished!
Although I thoroughly enjoyed this story, there were a few un-exceptional elements. For instance, the story was hard to read. I had to stop and gather my thoughts before starting again at least three times within the first two chapters. However extraordinary the characters are, their personalities are hard to grapple with in the first two pages. Before I even knew where the story took place, I was learning the intricacies of a Korean engagement. Please heed this, this is not light. There were really tough topics to read. It was eye-opening and I would not read it flippantly, it is not for the faint-hearted.
I give The Vanished 4 out of 4 stars. This book was exceptionally well edited and it’s hard to criticize a book that was so well written. I highly recommend this book. Especially now, it is imperative for us all to find perspective in a world where disease and uncertainty run rampant; The Vanished was constructed around how important love and connection are and it reminded me of how fortunate we are to be able to experience such.
Be warned: I recommend that readers are thirteen and above and have a taste for history, maybe some knowledge about WWII as well. I would have been very confused if I had not just re-learned the events of the war before reading. This book contains sexual and violent events, there wasn’t anything appalling but just the right amount to make it noticeable.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I quite enjoyed reading The Vanished by Pejay Bradley. Set during the Japanese occupation of Korea, the story begins with a young girl’s recollection of her marriage and ends with her son’s promise to free his country. To preface, Korea is under the influence of the power-hungry Japanese as they attempt to annex China (Manchuria). As to be expected of a conquered state, many social and economic hardships have come to be an unavoidable part of all Korean life, including royalty. In The Vanished, the reader follows Prince Aansoon’s daughter through the trials of her marriage and motherhood; while doing so, the opportunity to learn a great deal about Korean culture is presented and pertinent to the book’s theme. However, her son, Embon, is the crown jewel of this book; his development is timed almost perfectly with the Korean uprising and provides a first-hand account of the bravery the Koreans showed during this tumultuous time.
Bradley created something that readers of all backgrounds can appreciate. Her attention to detail is incredible. The story was relayed through numerous narrators; this provided a unique perspective as the reader was able to understand all the aspects of the tale, not just the one history claims is true. A particularly enlightening perspective was that of Mr. Seoh. Take my word, the best part of this book was the characters. In the beginning, I was skeptical of Embon’s mother. She seemed almost emotionless, however by the end of the book, she was one of the most developed and passionate characters in the story. I can’t reiterate enough how much this story was a great read, I would definitely recommend The Vanished!
Although I thoroughly enjoyed this story, there were a few un-exceptional elements. For instance, the story was hard to read. I had to stop and gather my thoughts before starting again at least three times within the first two chapters. However extraordinary the characters are, their personalities are hard to grapple with in the first two pages. Before I even knew where the story took place, I was learning the intricacies of a Korean engagement. Please heed this, this is not light. There were really tough topics to read. It was eye-opening and I would not read it flippantly, it is not for the faint-hearted.
I give The Vanished 4 out of 4 stars. This book was exceptionally well edited and it’s hard to criticize a book that was so well written. I highly recommend this book. Especially now, it is imperative for us all to find perspective in a world where disease and uncertainty run rampant; The Vanished was constructed around how important love and connection are and it reminded me of how fortunate we are to be able to experience such.
Be warned: I recommend that readers are thirteen and above and have a taste for history, maybe some knowledge about WWII as well. I would have been very confused if I had not just re-learned the events of the war before reading. This book contains sexual and violent events, there wasn’t anything appalling but just the right amount to make it noticeable.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
