Review by mamo015 -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
-
mamo015
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 15 May 2020, 10:26
- Favorite Book: The Vanished
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 5
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mamo015.html
- Latest Review: The Prodigy Slave, Book One: Journey to Winter Garden by Londyn Skye
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Review by mamo015 -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]
The Vanished, by Pejay Bradley is a sad, determined, semi-historical story that provides a detailed look into the lives of the Korean people and their fight against the Japanese Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. I loved the expansive way the story unfolds, taking the reader to early 1900’s Korea via the deliberate and detailed style with which the story is told. I also liked how the book brings illumination to the Korean culture and how it differs from Japanese culture.
The story begins with Lady Sougyon narrating, while Embon (her son) is just a newborn baby. Lady Sougyon is the daughter of Prince Aansoon, the cousin of King Gojong. This makes Lady Sougyon part of the royal family. She explains the Korean people's shame and anger when on 8/29/10, the King, having no choice, signed the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. What results is a determined effort by the Korean people to form a new government and resist Japan's efforts to control Korea. Day-to-day life for most people living in Korea is described as very hard. Under Japanese rule, it gets harder.
Embon excels scholastically and jumps ahead of his classmates in High School. He leaves home to go to a prestigious college in Sapporo, Japan and is immediately ensconced in talk of the resistance movement. Along with 3 friends, they settle into idealistic college life. They enjoy meeting daily over tea to discuss the resistance. But Japanese spies are everywhere, and Embon and his friends are arrested.
For no justifiable reason, Embon is imprisoned. In prison, he almost dies from neglect and tuberculosis. He Is released just in time and returns home for health reasons. Once there, he forgets all about the resistance and focuses on enjoying life on his royal family estate. An arranged marriage to a detestable bride, and news of his college friend’s whereabouts, jolt him out of his reverie. He travels to Shanghai to see if he can reunite with them. When he does, he is overjoyed and determined. Embon is now motivated to take a more active role in the movement. This decision will take him down a path that will challenge his very existence like never before.
I was not too fond of how the story tended to suddenly shift from one narrator to another and from one location to another. This has the story’s timeframe jumping around a little. This is often done with only short descriptions of the new characters, which leaves the reader without a better sense of who the characters are and the importance of the role they play. However, this is only a minor concern in the novel's overall reading.
The Vanished is a wide-ranging story that will capture the imagination. Readers who enjoy historical tales of life and the struggles endured by people at a particular point in history will become transfixed as the story unfolds. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me, and I was sorry the story didn’t go on for another chapter. I was left wanting to hear more about some of the characters, like Embon’s Father and a girl Embon met and fell in love with at college in Japan. These two characters alone could have provided additional drama, romance, and potential heartbreak to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Vanished, and I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. Told in elaborate detail with the author using a style that often “painted” a mental picture of beautiful landscapes, rice fields, and gardens, lush with various flowers and blooms, I found myself imagining being surrounded by this beauty. The author also took time to elaborate on the luxuries the royal family enjoyed daily with food and dress for special occasions. The author describes the effort to keep the palace living quarters cool in the summer and warm in the winter; and clean and shined all year round. All this while at the same time painting a grim and bleak picture of day-to-day life for the lower-class Koreans. This highlighted the stark contrast between the classes. The reality is shown for both rich and poor in the Korean world. The book is professionally edited and a pleasure to read. I only noticed a couple of places where a word may have been left out.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Vanished, by Pejay Bradley is a sad, determined, semi-historical story that provides a detailed look into the lives of the Korean people and their fight against the Japanese Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. I loved the expansive way the story unfolds, taking the reader to early 1900’s Korea via the deliberate and detailed style with which the story is told. I also liked how the book brings illumination to the Korean culture and how it differs from Japanese culture.
The story begins with Lady Sougyon narrating, while Embon (her son) is just a newborn baby. Lady Sougyon is the daughter of Prince Aansoon, the cousin of King Gojong. This makes Lady Sougyon part of the royal family. She explains the Korean people's shame and anger when on 8/29/10, the King, having no choice, signed the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. What results is a determined effort by the Korean people to form a new government and resist Japan's efforts to control Korea. Day-to-day life for most people living in Korea is described as very hard. Under Japanese rule, it gets harder.
Embon excels scholastically and jumps ahead of his classmates in High School. He leaves home to go to a prestigious college in Sapporo, Japan and is immediately ensconced in talk of the resistance movement. Along with 3 friends, they settle into idealistic college life. They enjoy meeting daily over tea to discuss the resistance. But Japanese spies are everywhere, and Embon and his friends are arrested.
For no justifiable reason, Embon is imprisoned. In prison, he almost dies from neglect and tuberculosis. He Is released just in time and returns home for health reasons. Once there, he forgets all about the resistance and focuses on enjoying life on his royal family estate. An arranged marriage to a detestable bride, and news of his college friend’s whereabouts, jolt him out of his reverie. He travels to Shanghai to see if he can reunite with them. When he does, he is overjoyed and determined. Embon is now motivated to take a more active role in the movement. This decision will take him down a path that will challenge his very existence like never before.
I was not too fond of how the story tended to suddenly shift from one narrator to another and from one location to another. This has the story’s timeframe jumping around a little. This is often done with only short descriptions of the new characters, which leaves the reader without a better sense of who the characters are and the importance of the role they play. However, this is only a minor concern in the novel's overall reading.
The Vanished is a wide-ranging story that will capture the imagination. Readers who enjoy historical tales of life and the struggles endured by people at a particular point in history will become transfixed as the story unfolds. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me, and I was sorry the story didn’t go on for another chapter. I was left wanting to hear more about some of the characters, like Embon’s Father and a girl Embon met and fell in love with at college in Japan. These two characters alone could have provided additional drama, romance, and potential heartbreak to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Vanished, and I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. Told in elaborate detail with the author using a style that often “painted” a mental picture of beautiful landscapes, rice fields, and gardens, lush with various flowers and blooms, I found myself imagining being surrounded by this beauty. The author also took time to elaborate on the luxuries the royal family enjoyed daily with food and dress for special occasions. The author describes the effort to keep the palace living quarters cool in the summer and warm in the winter; and clean and shined all year round. All this while at the same time painting a grim and bleak picture of day-to-day life for the lower-class Koreans. This highlighted the stark contrast between the classes. The reality is shown for both rich and poor in the Korean world. The book is professionally edited and a pleasure to read. I only noticed a couple of places where a word may have been left out.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
