Beasts of a Little Land

Books | Fiction / Literary

3.9

(87)

Juhea Kim

Winner of the Yasnaya Polyana Award * Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize 'Unforgettable' Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, author of The Mountains Sing As the Korean independence movement gathers pace, two children meet on the streets of Seoul. Fate will bind them through decades of love and war. They just don’t know it yet. It is 1917, and Korea is under Japanese occupation. With the threat of famine looming, ten-year-old Jade is sold by her desperate family to Miss Silver's courtesan school in the bustling city of Pyongyang. As the Japanese army tears through the country, she is forced to flee to the southern city of Seoul. Soon, her path crosses with that of an orphan named JungHo, a chance encounter that will lead to a life-changing friendship. But when JungHo is pulled into the revolutionary fight for independence, Jade must decide between following her own ambitions and risking everything for the one she loves. Sweeping through five decades of Korean history, Juhea Kim's sparkling debut is an intricately woven tale of love stretched to breaking point, and two people who refuse to let go. Longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Longlist 2022 * Longlisted for the Nota Bene Prize 2023 'A stunning achievement' TLS

Historical Fiction

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More Details:

Author

Juhea Kim

Pages

416

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

2021-12-07

ISBN

0861543238 9780861543236

Community ReviewsSee all

"Good read! A character driven historical fiction spanning several decades. The character development mirrors the political ongoings of each period. These books always take me a little extra time, but worth it in the end! "

Elise Meyers

"A sweeping novel of friendship and forgiveness against the backdrop of Korea in its fight for independence. Emotional and all-encompassing, the characters struggle to find their place in a world filled with betrayal, violence, and unrequited love. But ultimately, forgiveness and new beginnings prevail. A beautiful debut. "

Emily

"This was a beautifully written story. It had me running through every emotion. So many characters get you so emotionally invested in them, good and bad. You feel heartbreak for them, anger, sadness, and boy oh boy do you despise some characters. It spans decades but never feels muddy or confusing. 인연 is delicately laced in every aspect of the story. I can’t recommend highly enough!! "

Sadie Pennell

"With a story that takes place overtime, there are often many characters who are somewhat difficult to keep straight, as happens here, but what made it a little more difficult were some of the creative choices the author made that I could not follow as I could not see the reason, which may be because I was listening to the audiobook."