What readers think of Beasts of a Little Land, plus links to write your own review.

Beasts of A Little Land grabbed me immediately. The first chapter was elegantly written, with the setting, character, and plot poised to launch a great book. Then the writing continued as if two different authors were writing the book. While it introduced us to compelling characters during a time many of us have not read about until recently, the plot fractured and did not flow well. The people we had been introduced to appeared and disappeared without maintaining their "wholeness" in the story. Who is this? What was his/her background? Most disturbing, was the all too often 21st-century slang, "...so don't look so fucking hurt, moron" and "This is all great, but have you anything else?" The last chapter felt as though it had been dovetailed from another book altogether, leaving the reader untethered and unsatisfied.
There was so much potential in Beasts of A Little Land and I was both frustrated and disappointed that this was not realized.

Set against the backdrop of Korea’s fight for independence and spanning five decades of the 20th century, Juhea Kim’s Beasts of a Little Land tells an absorbing story. Most of the characters in the story are Korean peasants or working-class people, and most of them must figure out how to get basic necessities under the oppressive rule of the Japanese. We follow two main characters, Jade and JungHo, along with a large cast of supporting characters, as all try to make of their lives something more than just the attempt to survive. Their successes and failures at advancing their dreams, their choices and the resulting consequences, their acts of selfishness and of self-sacrifice comprise the plot of the novel, which kept me reading in pleasurable suspense till I reached the end of the story. I found many of the author’s descriptions of natural and urban surroundings vivid and at times quite lovely. And her themes of loyalty, friendship, love, disillusionment, and loss will provide me much food for thought in the coming days.

I did, however, have one issue with the book, an issue that for me constitutes a major flaw. The writing itself is marred by diction that is imprecise or unidiomatic; and by the occasional jarring presence (in this historical novel) of 21st century American colloquialisms. While much of the descriptive writing is beautiful, much also is overwritten, with too many adjectives, metaphors, and images piled on, detracting from the desired effect.

That being said, I would emphasize that I enjoyed this novel and would like to read more of this author’s work.

I did like this book. However, I found myself putting it down and forgetting to pick it back up. The story was good and it had great characters, but just when I was getting interested in one character's story, the story would change to another. I liked how the story spanned fifty years of each persons' life. It was well written and once I did start reading I wanted to continue. All in all, an enjoyable read.

The author writes beautiful descriptions of Korea, it's people, clothing etc. Sadly I was disappointed with this novel. The story was very disjointed, with too many peripheral characters. Pacing was erratic, with some portions being long and drawn out, and then suddenly it is eight years later. There were times when modern phrasing/dialogue popped up. I found most of the characters unlikable and flat with the exception of Jade and JungHo. Most were not needed, others were missing - other courtesans in the homes, Silver etc. Characters suddenly had traits (yearning for motherhood) that came out of nowhere and/or they disappeared and only were mentioned again at the end, as if to wrap up the story. Long scenes would be introduced, only to come to nothing. Important historical elements were not really explored; the horrors of the comfort women, the actual war/fighting, the introduction of the courtesans to the realities of their job. It seemed that the author had elements personal to her that had to be included, whether they fit the story or not. The final chapter felt like it came from a totally different book, trying to circle back to the beginning but not realistic. For me the novel felt very disjointed and choppy.

This work offers some great historical insight into Korea in the years of the Japanese Occupation and beyond. For an American audience, it will offer accounts of actions that few know about and fewer understand. There is an element of romance, but the stronger aspect of the work is the historical environment. A ok read that might inspire further study of the Japanese Occupation, but not much beyond that.