The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim
Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny. Smart and headstrong, she is encouraged by her mother-but her stern father is determined to maintain tradition, especially as the Japanese steadily gain control of his beloved country. When he seeks to marry fourteen-year-old Najin into an aristocratic family, her mother defies generations of obedient wives and instead sends her daughter 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. In the shadow of the dying monarchy, Najin begins a journey through increasing oppression that will change her world forever. As she desperately seeks to continue her education, will the unexpected love she finds along the way be enough to sustain her through the violence and subjugation her country continues to face? Spanning thirty years, The Calligapher'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.
'The Calligrapher's Daughter fascinated me, as much for its characters as for its engrossing story of Korea under the Japanese occupationNajin's father is admirable for exactly the same traits that make him difficult, and her apparantly passive mother is heroic. I can't stop thinking about them and their honest, brave and very human daughter' Alice Mattison, author of The Book Borrower 'A beautiful, deliberate and satisfying story spanning thirty years of Korean history' Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Kim opens a window into a vanished world in this sensitively rendered homage to her mother's life ... [an] achingly beautiful tribute to female perseverance and survival' Booklist 'Kim has excelled at portraying Najin as a spirited yet loyal daughter and wife while exposing a tragic time during Korea's sustained history as a nation' Library Journal
Eugenia Kim is the daughter of Korean parents who immigrated to America shortly after the Pacific War. She has published short stories and essays in journals and anthologies, including Echoes Upon Echoes: New Korean American Writings, and is an MFA graduate of Bennington College. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son. The Calligrapher's Daughter is her first novel.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781408806180 |
| ISBN 10 | 1408806185 |
| Title | The Calligrapher's Daughter |
| Author | Eugenia Kim |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2010-01-04 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |