Tuesday, September 08, 2009

The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim

This story takes place in Korea in the twentieth century. Najin Kan is a spirited young woman with great potential in education. Her mother thrives to see her succeed, but her father, being a traditional Korean, is reluctant about the idea of a young girl going to school. Then he decides her education is well, he wants to marry her to an aristocratic family. Her mother is so against it, she sends Najin away to be an companion to a young princess. But shortly after, the king is murdered, and the princess has to leave. When she returns home she pursues her education, and does something she never expected, finds love, but after just one day after her marriage, a declined passport separates them for years. Will Najin ever be able to find her love again?

I found the characters in this book to be quite amusing, especially how the father acted toward Najin. I also found the ending very interesting, I never would have guessed that it would have taken Calvin and Najin so long to find each other. I was also surprised that she told Calvin all her secrets. Although the ending was well-written I didnt like the beginning, because a lot of times I found myself day dreaming. I also felt that some parts just dragged on. I would recommend this bookᅠ to anyone who likes realistic-fiction about Chinese life, and history in the twentieth-century.ᅠ

sexual situations

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio USA