The Bookish Book
The Bookish Synopsis
Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny. When her traditional father seeks to marry her into an aristocratic family, her mother defies generations of obedient wives and instead sends Najin to serve in the King's court as a companion to a young princess. But the King is soon assassinated, and the centuries-old dynastic culture comes to its end. Spanning thirty years, The Calligrapher's Daughter is an exquisite novel about a country torn between ancient customs and modern possibilities, a family ultimately united by love, and a woman who never gives up her search for freedom.
My Bookish Idea
Books that centre on the history of China are aplenty so when I spotted one that centres on Korea, my attention was caught. So little is known of Korea with the exception of bits and pieces we pick up from Korean period dramas.
The Calligrapher's Daughter provides an interesting picture as to how it had been for the Koreans to live under Japanese occupation. Allow me to use this term, Koreans are a proud race so as in the book, you'd feel their humiliation and sadness at having their culture stripped away little by little under Japanese rule.
Najin does well as a narrater. Through her point of view, we see how hard a woman has to struggle for her freedom while at the same time, be filial to her father and country. Although Korean, we can see how Najin is like the rest of the women during her time, bound by unwritten rules and regulations. Yet, unlike the rest of the women during her time, she posseses the courage to speak out and fight for her rights.
Through the novel, I've acquired a new sense of respect and understanding of Korean culture and history. I believe you would too if you read this wonderful book.
For more information on the book and the author, click here.
The Bookish Rating
8/10
"I'd read that in the old days, a yangban widow - unmarriageable, with a childless future, and a burden to the family - was considered supremely virtuous if, when her husband died, she commited suicide."
Credits: Picture from http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?r=1&afsrc=1&EAN=0805089128
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