Like Wind Against Rock
- Downloads：3600
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-04 08:30:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nancy Kim
- ISBN：B08CVBQ1K8
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Claire
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I received Like Wind Against Rock as part of a Goodreads giveaway。Nearly 40， recovering from a failed marriage， saddled with an unfulfilling career， and living with her recently-widowed mother， Alice Chang is at a crossroads。 Having discovered an old journal of her late father's， which has been discarded by her mother who has happily moved on， she is determined to get to know the enigmatic， distant man who raised her。 She entrusts its translation to Mr。 Park， a coworker who can read hanguk。 What I received Like Wind Against Rock as part of a Goodreads giveaway。Nearly 40， recovering from a failed marriage， saddled with an unfulfilling career， and living with her recently-widowed mother， Alice Chang is at a crossroads。 Having discovered an old journal of her late father's， which has been discarded by her mother who has happily moved on， she is determined to get to know the enigmatic， distant man who raised her。 She entrusts its translation to Mr。 Park， a coworker who can read hanguk。 What he finds， however， will uncover tragedies and secrets that will have repercussions that resonate across families and generations。I really enjoyed this。 Kim has a knack for the complexity of relationships， romantic， familial， and platonic。 They're rarely simple--often failed relationships can contain a lot of good， and vice versa。 Sometimes the connections and coincidences felt a little too pat， but if fiction can't bend likelihood from time to time， why bother？ Like Wind Against Rock is a lovely journey full of the ups and downs of living and loving。 。。。more
Sammy
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I don’t usually like books that are about， as I sometimes dismissively put it， ‘relationships and stuff。’ So it was with some surprise that this book called out to me from the May Amazon First Reads selection。 The book centres on a Korean-American， Alice， who has moved back in with her widowed mother following her own separation。 The discovery of her father’s diary， in Hangul - which Alice doesn’t read - will take her on a journey which uncovers past truths and helps Alice to come to terms with I don’t usually like books that are about， as I sometimes dismissively put it， ‘relationships and stuff。’ So it was with some surprise that this book called out to me from the May Amazon First Reads selection。 The book centres on a Korean-American， Alice， who has moved back in with her widowed mother following her own separation。 The discovery of her father’s diary， in Hangul - which Alice doesn’t read - will take her on a journey which uncovers past truths and helps Alice to come to terms with her present。 I found this a really sweet tale about ‘relationships and stuff。’ The writing really drew me in， and all of the characters were believable and compelling。 I was a sad to leave their world at the end。 I’ll call this the book that convinced me to take more of a chance on character-driven books and not be so plot hungry ;） 。。。more
Susan
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Amazon First Reads May 2021
Jamie Jack
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Big Themes in a Well-Written PackageThis book touches on so many big themes， especially those that have to do with family: love， immigration， change， duty， and so much more。 At its heart， it's about the relationship an American adult child has with her immigrant parents， her father now dead and her mother seemingly completely changed from the woman the daughter grew up with。 The core of the book， to me， is the all-important relationship and bond between parent and child。 It is so easy to see our Big Themes in a Well-Written PackageThis book touches on so many big themes， especially those that have to do with family: love， immigration， change， duty， and so much more。 At its heart， it's about the relationship an American adult child has with her immigrant parents， her father now dead and her mother seemingly completely changed from the woman the daughter grew up with。 The core of the book， to me， is the all-important relationship and bond between parent and child。 It is so easy to see our parents as static， as those who guided us when we were young， not as people in their own rights， with their own wishes， dreams， and goals， people who are far more capable of change than we want them to be… or who were perhaps not what we thought they were。 The adult daughter in this book grapples with her changing perceptions of both her mother who has come out of her shell after her husband's death and her dead father who had a secret that was all about family duty。 Even though these themes might seem heavy， the author writes with a deft hand and a flair for dialogue that had me laughing and smiling on occasion。 The mother is certainly a hoot！ While my own family is several generations past being immigrants， I appreciated the way the author showed the inherent conflicts between the immigrant generation and the first American one。 The characters are incredibly vivid， with flaws， strength， and interconnections that shift and twist， much as they do in real life。 An exceptionally well-written book。 Highly recommended。I received a free copy of this book， but that did not affect my review。My book blog: https://www。readingfanaticreviews。com 。。。more
Ashley
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I really enjoyed this book。 The synopsis was intriguing and caught my attention immediately。 The story follows Alice Chang， who’s life has ended up in a place she never thought it would。 She’s starting over after her husband decides they should divorce。 She’s living with her mom and her dad has passed away。 Much to her dismay， right after her dad dies， her mother seems quickly ready to move on。 She disposes of his items and sells his car。 Alice intercepts his items destined for the dump and find I really enjoyed this book。 The synopsis was intriguing and caught my attention immediately。 The story follows Alice Chang， who’s life has ended up in a place she never thought it would。 She’s starting over after her husband decides they should divorce。 She’s living with her mom and her dad has passed away。 Much to her dismay， right after her dad dies， her mother seems quickly ready to move on。 She disposes of his items and sells his car。 Alice intercepts his items destined for the dump and finds among the belongings a journal。 It is written in Korean， so she can’t read it。 She asks her employer， Mr。 Park， to translate it for her。 The only problem is there are secrets to be revealed within those pages， that may be better left among the trash， undiscovered。 While Alice is struggling with her new life circumstances， her mother has entered the dating scene and seems to be moving forward。 The story of her fathers past unfolds through the journal entries。 It brings into the light what it means to sacrifice for the sake of your family against all odds。 Overall this was a good story。 It was easy to read and I was able to finish it very quickly。 The character development was good and I was able to connect with the characters and become invested in their story。Thank you to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for the ARC。 。。。more
Natalie
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This is one of the loveliest novels I have read this year。 Such a good surprise and a reminder of why I love having the opportunity to read a book before it has been published。 Somehow Alice is living with her mother， after her father has died and her husband left her。 Now， her mother is no longer the old fashioned Korean wife and mother， but an eager Internet dater， looking for excitement and a new beginning。 It’s her mother’s zest for life that pushes Alice to step out of her own comfort zone。 This is one of the loveliest novels I have read this year。 Such a good surprise and a reminder of why I love having the opportunity to read a book before it has been published。 Somehow Alice is living with her mother， after her father has died and her husband left her。 Now， her mother is no longer the old fashioned Korean wife and mother， but an eager Internet dater， looking for excitement and a new beginning。 It’s her mother’s zest for life that pushes Alice to step out of her own comfort zone。 Alice has also saved a notebook that her father had been using as a journal before his death。 She finally asks a colleague to translate it and within the translation is an intriguing subplot。 Every character is incredibly likable and so well developed that I pictured them vividly。 This is a very special book。 I was totally engaged and I loved the characters。 I noticed it had questions for book club discussions， so I was excited at the opportunity to share the book and subsequent discussion with my own book club。 Thank you Netgalley for this early holiday gift。 。。。more
Paula Pugh
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A father dies。 A mother drastically changes。 A woman’s life is up ended by both。 This is an enthralling story of mysteries and of connectedness。 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。
Aashna Moorjani
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Note: I received an eARC on Netgalley。The relationship between the immigrant parent and child is… unique… to say the least。 Often characterized by high standards and a seemingly ever-widening cultural chasm， there is a sense of pressure applied to both parties。 The immigrant parent feels the pressure to provide， to give their child the opportunities that they never had。 The child of an immigrant feels the pressure to fulfill parental expectations， to ensure that their parent’s sacrifices weren’t Note: I received an eARC on Netgalley。The relationship between the immigrant parent and child is… unique… to say the least。 Often characterized by high standards and a seemingly ever-widening cultural chasm， there is a sense of pressure applied to both parties。 The immigrant parent feels the pressure to provide， to give their child the opportunities that they never had。 The child of an immigrant feels the pressure to fulfill parental expectations， to ensure that their parent’s sacrifices weren’t in vain。 This pressure manifests itself in exacting standards that we all feel we must adhere to for our entire lives。 What we all forcefully ignore is the reality that neither of us can adhere to such standards forever。 No one can。 In Like Wind Against Rock， Kim explores what happens when those standards are broken。 What happens when your immigrant mother is widowed？ Is she expected to languish in loneliness until her death？ What happens when you get divorced？ Most importantly， what happens when you find yourself on a path entirely different than the one you expected yourself to follow your entire life？ Kim’s method of addressing this inevitable question all immigrant families will face is characterized by a frankness unlike any other book about the immigrant experience that I have ever read。 She doesn’t shy away from dealing with the uncomfortable realities of facing how who we truly are differs greatly from the standards we tried so desperately to adhere to。 In a mother and a daughter， the reader is able to find both empathy and a deep sense of being known。 Their struggles， when it comes down to it， are universal。 But messaging isn’t the only reason why this book is so effective。 The reason Like Wind Against Rock is able to provoke a profound impact is because of vivid characters。 Alice and her mother truly feel like nothing less than real people to me。 In fact， it’s hard to imagine that they don’t exist。 Specifically， I need to address character development。 A common misconception is that character development is linear， as if characters in books grow from ignorance at point A to enlightenment at point B。 That’s simply not true。 Humans don’t ever just grow and then stop。 The process of growth isn’t as simple as evolving through a single course of time。 We grow， we regress。 We learn， we fail。 Kim understands this cyclical nature of character development in real life humans and applies that to her characters。 I could go on for much longer， but here’s how I’ll sum things up: read this book。 If you’re a person who is living the immigrant experience， read this book。 If you’re a person who hasn’t lived the immigrant experience， still read this book。 Read it to explore the part of the immigrant experience that is rarely given the attention it deserves， and certainly read it to meet two people who will never quite leave your life。 。。。more
Vidhi
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I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I really enjoyed this book。 It isn't a genre that I am normally drawn towards however the premise seemed so interesting that I had to request and read it。 The story follows Alice Chang and her life during her divorce and after the death of her father。 I won't post any spoilers but I will say that this story was incredibly beautiful and well written with plot twists that felt natural yet still unpredictable rather than some el I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I really enjoyed this book。 It isn't a genre that I am normally drawn towards however the premise seemed so interesting that I had to request and read it。 The story follows Alice Chang and her life during her divorce and after the death of her father。 I won't post any spoilers but I will say that this story was incredibly beautiful and well written with plot twists that felt natural yet still unpredictable rather than some elaborate "gotcha！" moment。 All of the characters were written in a way that made them all likeable yet very obvious with their flaws and shortcomings - there wasn't a clear villain or good guy in this book because everyone just acted the way people act in real life。 I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a chance to pick it up either before or after its publish date。 It is a lovely read and I look forward to seeing what else Nancy Kim will release in the future。 。。。more
Sarah Faichney
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Once you open this book and start reading that's you， hooked。 It won't let you go until you've finished。 This is how I found myself racing through it in a day。 It's a short read with big themes。 Nancy Kim's writing is deceptively simple and conversational in style。 "Like Wind Against Rock" is a tale of love， marriage， familial duty， what it means to be a father， ageing and the difficulties that presents to women， enduring friendships， secrets， lies and a nod to the importance of libraries。 Kim e Once you open this book and start reading that's you， hooked。 It won't let you go until you've finished。 This is how I found myself racing through it in a day。 It's a short read with big themes。 Nancy Kim's writing is deceptively simple and conversational in style。 "Like Wind Against Rock" is a tale of love， marriage， familial duty， what it means to be a father， ageing and the difficulties that presents to women， enduring friendships， secrets， lies and a nod to the importance of libraries。 Kim entices the reader through the whole gamut of emotions， delivering the occasional gut punch。 I loved it。 。。。more
Alexanderia
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The story was interesting and I enjoyed how it all twisted together and told a bigger story。 I always love learning new things about different cultures: food， words， traditions， etc。 I connected on a personal level as someone who does bookkeeping as a living。 It was fun to read about a lesser talked about career and hope that maybe one day I will fall into a library to manage their books。 The book was a quick easy read that had funny and sad moments。 It made me step back and reflect on my relati The story was interesting and I enjoyed how it all twisted together and told a bigger story。 I always love learning new things about different cultures: food， words， traditions， etc。 I connected on a personal level as someone who does bookkeeping as a living。 It was fun to read about a lesser talked about career and hope that maybe one day I will fall into a library to manage their books。 The book was a quick easy read that had funny and sad moments。 It made me step back and reflect on my relationships with friends and my parents， and myself。 I really looked at what have I put on the back burner to take care of my family and maybe now is the time to step up and work at something that I’ve dreamed of and grow a little as individual。Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC！ 。。。more
Jess
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Like Wind Against Rock。Alice is 39 and finds herself newly single， going through divorce and living with her Mother after the sudden passing of her Father and subsequent breakdown of her marriage。 Whilst trying to keep up with her Mother's busy dating life and navigating her own dating and friendship trials， she discovers some of her late Fathers possessions ready for the trash。 Within those items is a diary， written in Korean which Alice cannot translate herself， however her trusty employer Mr Like Wind Against Rock。Alice is 39 and finds herself newly single， going through divorce and living with her Mother after the sudden passing of her Father and subsequent breakdown of her marriage。 Whilst trying to keep up with her Mother's busy dating life and navigating her own dating and friendship trials， she discovers some of her late Fathers possessions ready for the trash。 Within those items is a diary， written in Korean which Alice cannot translate herself， however her trusty employer Mr Park offers to his translation services but what will he uncover？I really enjoyed the novel being told from the 2 points of view， Alice's and Mr Park's， as well as the diary entries。 I definitely laughed at the chapters with Alice's Mother， her questionable and probably not age appropriate clothing choices， her （also questionable） taste in men but it bought a fun lightheartedness to the book。 Without giving away any spoilers， I really would love to know what happens next， I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend。Thank you for the ARC。 。。。more
Betsy
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In this story we follow 39 year old Alice Chang undergoing life changes after divorcing her husband Louis。 Starting with Alice moving in with her mother。 Than Alice and her friend Janine decide to go online to this site called setmeup。com where Alice meets Rick that ends up changing her life forever at the age of 40。Alice only has her mother， no siblings that she knows of until one day she comes across a notebook。 It is her father's diary。 Then she meets a gentleman that she needs help translati In this story we follow 39 year old Alice Chang undergoing life changes after divorcing her husband Louis。 Starting with Alice moving in with her mother。 Than Alice and her friend Janine decide to go online to this site called setmeup。com where Alice meets Rick that ends up changing her life forever at the age of 40。Alice only has her mother， no siblings that she knows of until one day she comes across a notebook。 It is her father's diary。 Then she meets a gentleman that she needs help translating her father's diary for her。 During this time she finds out her father had an affair when he was alive and she has a half brother whom she already met。This is a very heart warming story。 I really enjoyed it。 I would love to rate it a 5 but will give it a high 4。 The reason for this is because I did not like how the mother talked。 I couldn't figure out why she talked the way that she did but it almost reminded me of the way a young child starts to learn to talk。 There were parts of the story where I got a bit confused at times when there would be a new chapter。 I couldn't tell whose story was being told right away。 It would take me a few pages until I figured it out。 Otherwise I highly recommend this book。 Very cute story。 It is a very easy read。 。。。more
bella
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3。5 stars。 Thirty-nine years old， on the brink of divorce， and faced with eviction， Alice Chang is now living with her recently widowed mother。 As the two women venture into the world of online dating， Alice flounders to find her footing in life while watching her mother thrive–both in her career and on dates。 When she discovers her father's old diary， the secrets within threaten to upend everything she once thought she knew about her family。 This is an engrossing， character-driven novel that ke 3。5 stars。 Thirty-nine years old， on the brink of divorce， and faced with eviction， Alice Chang is now living with her recently widowed mother。 As the two women venture into the world of online dating， Alice flounders to find her footing in life while watching her mother thrive–both in her career and on dates。 When she discovers her father's old diary， the secrets within threaten to upend everything she once thought she knew about her family。 This is an engrossing， character-driven novel that kept me reading late into the night。 While the plot is relatively slow-paced， Nancy Kim has crafted multifaceted， well-developed characters that kept me reading。 Although she is considerably older， I could relate to Alice's struggles with finding her path and self-perception。 A highlight for me was the exploration of the mother-daughter dynamic and how cultural norms played into it， as well as how the bond between mother and adult daughter evolved as the novel progressed。 While a handful of lines throughout the novel that didn't quite sit well with me （perhaps an issue of the wording）， there were many more insightful ones that caused me to reflect on myself and my own life。 I know this book will remain on my mind for days to come。 Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
Elaine
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A great story with an incredible twist that brings everything together。 I highly recommend this book。
ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook
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When I read the blurb for this story I knew I had to read it。 A beautiful， beautiful book that defies genre - and my words。 There is love， there is history， there is a secret。 This is truly an epic， meticulously and lovingly written， with such exquisite description and detail that I read the same lines over， many times。 There are thought-provoking observations， unforgettable characters， and heart-breaking decisions that set in motion catastrophic events。 I really commiserated with Alice as she a When I read the blurb for this story I knew I had to read it。 A beautiful， beautiful book that defies genre - and my words。 There is love， there is history， there is a secret。 This is truly an epic， meticulously and lovingly written， with such exquisite description and detail that I read the same lines over， many times。 There are thought-provoking observations， unforgettable characters， and heart-breaking decisions that set in motion catastrophic events。 I really commiserated with Alice as she and I are similar in a lot of ways。 Nancy Kim has a wonderfully poetic and descriptive way of writing that makes reading this book both gripping and insightful， I will not forget this book for a long time。Disclousure:Thank you NetGalley， Nancy Kim and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own。#LikeWindAgainstRock #NetGalley 。。。more
Katie Crawford
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