Review by KaylinBrown -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
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KaylinBrown
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Review by KaylinBrown -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]
The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is a sad but inspiring historical fiction novel focused on the experiences of young Korean men faced in the 1930s. The main character Kim Embon is the son of Lady Sougyon and descends from a royal family. Embon finds himself growing up in the heart of Korean unrest and joins fellow Korean classmates from his university in the attempt to win their country back from the Japanese occupation. This book gives insight into what these young men risked for their country, the worries of a parent bringing up their child in these troubling times, and the bravery of all of the Korean people.
I am rating this book a 4 out of 4. I thought it was an excellent storyline, the syntax was easy to read, and it was very well written. There were no issues with the editing or misspellings, and I thought that the book overall had a professional impression. This book is about a different culture than what exists in Korea now, a culture that is unfamiliar to most people. Therefore, it can be expected that at times the dialogue may sound a bit strange to the reader, but that just comes down to the cultural differences of conversation and not the writing.
This book is an adult novel, although I believe it would be suitable for a large audience. The book does not contain any offensive/inappropriate language or scenes, which makes it alright for younger audiences. However, there are mentions of the brutalities of the fighting and arranged marriage, which may be a bit much for some younger readers. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in Korean culture, struggles against the Japanese empire, or just the historical fiction genre in general.
There was not a particular element to this book that I disliked. I enjoyed reading it and did not have any difficulties with it. The transitions between perspectives may be challenging for certain readers that are not fond of switching narrations, but it was not an issue for me.
The element that I liked the most about this book was the expanse of knowledge one can gain about the Korean culture at that time. I felt like I learned a lot after reading this book, even though it was not non-fiction. The social classes, customs, and everyday life of this time were presented in such a way that it does not feel like you are reading a textbook about the culture, yet you still end up learning just as much from the story as you might a textbook. Little to nothing was taught in my education about the Japanese occupancy of Korea, and it is perhaps for that reason that I loved reading this book so much and becoming aware of a history not mentioned.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is a sad but inspiring historical fiction novel focused on the experiences of young Korean men faced in the 1930s. The main character Kim Embon is the son of Lady Sougyon and descends from a royal family. Embon finds himself growing up in the heart of Korean unrest and joins fellow Korean classmates from his university in the attempt to win their country back from the Japanese occupation. This book gives insight into what these young men risked for their country, the worries of a parent bringing up their child in these troubling times, and the bravery of all of the Korean people.
I am rating this book a 4 out of 4. I thought it was an excellent storyline, the syntax was easy to read, and it was very well written. There were no issues with the editing or misspellings, and I thought that the book overall had a professional impression. This book is about a different culture than what exists in Korea now, a culture that is unfamiliar to most people. Therefore, it can be expected that at times the dialogue may sound a bit strange to the reader, but that just comes down to the cultural differences of conversation and not the writing.
This book is an adult novel, although I believe it would be suitable for a large audience. The book does not contain any offensive/inappropriate language or scenes, which makes it alright for younger audiences. However, there are mentions of the brutalities of the fighting and arranged marriage, which may be a bit much for some younger readers. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in Korean culture, struggles against the Japanese empire, or just the historical fiction genre in general.
There was not a particular element to this book that I disliked. I enjoyed reading it and did not have any difficulties with it. The transitions between perspectives may be challenging for certain readers that are not fond of switching narrations, but it was not an issue for me.
The element that I liked the most about this book was the expanse of knowledge one can gain about the Korean culture at that time. I felt like I learned a lot after reading this book, even though it was not non-fiction. The social classes, customs, and everyday life of this time were presented in such a way that it does not feel like you are reading a textbook about the culture, yet you still end up learning just as much from the story as you might a textbook. Little to nothing was taught in my education about the Japanese occupancy of Korea, and it is perhaps for that reason that I loved reading this book so much and becoming aware of a history not mentioned.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Date Farm by Jack Winnick
