The Mermaid from Jeju
- Downloads：8589
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-14 00:16:36
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Sumi Hahn
- ISBN：1643859544
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A POPSUGAR Best Book of December 2020
An AMAZON Editors Pick December 2020
A SHE READS Best Historical Fiction Novel Winter 2021
A BUSTLE Most Anticipated Winter 2021 Read
A LIBRO。FM Influencer Pick， December 2020
Inspired by true events on Korea's Jeju Island， Sumi Hahn's entrancing [debut] novel， brimming with lyricism and magic （Jennifer Rosner， The Yellow Bird Sings） explores what it means to truly love in the wake of devastation。
In the aftermath of World War II， Goh Junja is a girl just coming into her own。 She is the latest successful deep sea diver in a family of strong haenyeo。 Confident she is a woman now， Junja urges her mother to allow her to make the Goh family's annual trip to Mt。 Halla， where they trade abalone and other sea delicacies for pork。 Junja， a sea village girl， has never been to the mountains， where it smells like mushrooms and earth。 While there， she falls in love with a mountain boy Yang Suwol， who rescues her after a particularly harrowing journey。 But when Junja returns one day later， it is just in time to see her mother take her last breath， beaten by the waves during a dive she was taking in Junja's place。
Spiraling in grief， Junja sees her younger siblings sent to live with their estranged father。 Everywhere she turns， Junja is haunted by the loss of her mother， from the meticulously tended herb garden that has now begun to sprout weeds， to the field where their bed sheets are beaten。 She has only her grandmother and herself。 But the world moves on without Junja。
The political climate is perilous。 Still reeling from Japan's forced withdrawal from the peninsula， Korea is forced to accommodate the rapid establishment of US troops。 Junja's canny grandmother， who lived through the Japanese invasion that led to Korea's occupation understands the signs of danger all too well。 When Suwol is arrested for working with and harboring communists， and the perils of post-WWII overtake her homelands， Junja must learn to navigate a tumultuous world unlike anything she's ever known。
An AMAZON Editors Pick December 2020
A SHE READS Best Historical Fiction Novel Winter 2021
A BUSTLE Most Anticipated Winter 2021 Read
A LIBRO。FM Influencer Pick， December 2020
Inspired by true events on Korea's Jeju Island， Sumi Hahn's entrancing [debut] novel， brimming with lyricism and magic （Jennifer Rosner， The Yellow Bird Sings） explores what it means to truly love in the wake of devastation。
In the aftermath of World War II， Goh Junja is a girl just coming into her own。 She is the latest successful deep sea diver in a family of strong haenyeo。 Confident she is a woman now， Junja urges her mother to allow her to make the Goh family's annual trip to Mt。 Halla， where they trade abalone and other sea delicacies for pork。 Junja， a sea village girl， has never been to the mountains， where it smells like mushrooms and earth。 While there， she falls in love with a mountain boy Yang Suwol， who rescues her after a particularly harrowing journey。 But when Junja returns one day later， it is just in time to see her mother take her last breath， beaten by the waves during a dive she was taking in Junja's place。
Spiraling in grief， Junja sees her younger siblings sent to live with their estranged father。 Everywhere she turns， Junja is haunted by the loss of her mother， from the meticulously tended herb garden that has now begun to sprout weeds， to the field where their bed sheets are beaten。 She has only her grandmother and herself。 But the world moves on without Junja。
The political climate is perilous。 Still reeling from Japan's forced withdrawal from the peninsula， Korea is forced to accommodate the rapid establishment of US troops。 Junja's canny grandmother， who lived through the Japanese invasion that led to Korea's occupation understands the signs of danger all too well。 When Suwol is arrested for working with and harboring communists， and the perils of post-WWII overtake her homelands， Junja must learn to navigate a tumultuous world unlike anything she's ever known。
Reviews
Vicki Cisneros
，
This book is beautifully written， a lyrical description of the haenyeo of Korea。 This matriarchal society is so interesting！！ I read this quickly， could not put it down！！
Milo
，
This novel follows Juna， who comes from a long line of haenyon （sea divers） of Jeju， as she navitage the tumultuous post-WWII Korea。 This is the most expensive book I’ve bought in the last couple months - and it was worth every penny！ The Mermaid of Jeju is a blend of historical fiction and magic， offering a fascinating glimpse into the island’s myths and superstitions。 The writing captures the mystical beauty of 1940s Jeju， transporting you across its majestic mountains and mesmerising beaches。 This novel follows Juna， who comes from a long line of haenyon （sea divers） of Jeju， as she navitage the tumultuous post-WWII Korea。 This is the most expensive book I’ve bought in the last couple months - and it was worth every penny！ The Mermaid of Jeju is a blend of historical fiction and magic， offering a fascinating glimpse into the island’s myths and superstitions。 The writing captures the mystical beauty of 1940s Jeju， transporting you across its majestic mountains and mesmerising beaches。 While the book uses a pretty standard storytelling structure （weaving past and present together） Hahn does a great job of keeping you captivated by use of well-researched historical facts， fascinating traditional rituals and dreamy descriptions of Jeju。 I give this a strong 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。 It’s enjoyable to read， historically/culturally interesting and it introduced me to several new delicious Korean dishes 😝I also admire the book for its unapologetic use of many Hangul terms， with a Korean glossary at the end of the book。 。。。more
Anirban
，
Truthfully， I went into the book blind。 I didn't really know what to expect， but I thought it was going to be a fairy tale。 After the first few chapters， I still felt that I could be correct。However， I was mistaken。 The Mermaid of Jeju is set in the Korean War， but the author's writing style makes it seem like a fantasy land。 Set in two different times， the book drifts back and forth like a waking dream， and at times a nightmare。A specific passing clicks a transition between a fairy tale and the Truthfully， I went into the book blind。 I didn't really know what to expect， but I thought it was going to be a fairy tale。 After the first few chapters， I still felt that I could be correct。However， I was mistaken。 The Mermaid of Jeju is set in the Korean War， but the author's writing style makes it seem like a fantasy land。 Set in two different times， the book drifts back and forth like a waking dream， and at times a nightmare。A specific passing clicks a transition between a fairy tale and the harsh reality of this world。 The writing style and the characters make this book so very enjoyable， and it's easy to get lost in it。It's not perfect。 The second half of the book had some issues for me， with the introduction of Dr。 Moon not really sitting well。 However， as a whole， this book was a fun read， and I learnt more about a time that's not often talked about。 。。。more
Joan Geiger-dow
，
Fascinating book。 Made me wish I knew more about the complicated history of Korea。
Betsy
，
The Jeju island uprising， and the culture/history around it， was unknown to me。 I found it very interesting， and the writing is quite good。 I was transported to the time and place。 Unfortunately， the enchantment only lasted through the first 3/4 of the book。 In the last quarter， approximately， the narrative fell apart and it became chaotic。 It is still worth reading and I recommend it。
Vero
，
2。7。 Maybe I would have liked it more if I hadn't read "The Island of Sea Women" a few months ago， which is frankly brilliant。 This novel， however， uses the fascinating haenyeo culture as only a mere backdrop for a war story that could have happened anywhere。 It also suffers from massive pacing and story arc problems - I have no idea what the real point to the story is and I feel like I still know too little about the happenings。 What a pity， I had been so looking forward to it。 2。7。 Maybe I would have liked it more if I hadn't read "The Island of Sea Women" a few months ago， which is frankly brilliant。 This novel， however， uses the fascinating haenyeo culture as only a mere backdrop for a war story that could have happened anywhere。 It also suffers from massive pacing and story arc problems - I have no idea what the real point to the story is and I feel like I still know too little about the happenings。 What a pity， I had been so looking forward to it。 。。。more
Alyssa
，
This book had a great premise that was executed only decently at best。 I found the character development and historical context lacking; it did not give me a unique look into Korean or haenyeo history。 There also seemed to be a missed opportunity to weave in magical realism along the lines of Tea Obreht or similar。
Sara
，
Very good read， and I learned a lot about Jeju。 The plot was short and expansive and unpredictable， and was infused with traditional folk stories and beliefs。 Lots of novels are set during wartime horrors， but this book really made me grieve on behalf of the characters and the island itself。 Imperialism sucks。
Meg
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The first part of this book （which was really two thirds of the book） was 5 stars， but the second part was a middling 3 stars at best so I settled on 4 stars。 This is a story of Jeju Island， Korea， told through Junja， a teenaged girl flexing her independence and learning to become an adult。 She is a deep sea diver， called a haenyeo， as are her mother and grandmother。 They can spend a long time underwater， diving for shellfish and seaweed。 When she is 18， Junja's mother lets her make the annual j The first part of this book （which was really two thirds of the book） was 5 stars， but the second part was a middling 3 stars at best so I settled on 4 stars。 This is a story of Jeju Island， Korea， told through Junja， a teenaged girl flexing her independence and learning to become an adult。 She is a deep sea diver， called a haenyeo， as are her mother and grandmother。 They can spend a long time underwater， diving for shellfish and seaweed。 When she is 18， Junja's mother lets her make the annual journey up the mountain to trade abalone for a piglet。 It is on this trip that Junja meets two men who will be pivotal to her future， Constable Lee and Suwol。 Korea is in political turmoil in the years after WWII and the end of Japanese occupation。 Now， the Americans are ferreting out communists and turning Koreans against one another。 Junja meets Constable Lee at one of the road blockades where she must pay a road tax to be let through。 He lets her by but vows to seek out her mother for some home cooking。 Junja continues her journey and meets Suwol on the mountain path。 He is the eldest son of the family of pig farmers where she is headed。 He helps her carry her load and they have an immediate attraction。 But Suwol is involved in the communist movement， not that he would call it that。 He just thinks of it as protecting his family， their country and way of life。 When Junja returns from the mountain， she is just in time to say goodbye to her dying mother。 Her grandmother says that she was diving and was beaten upon the rocks by the waves but the truth is that she was beaten by soldiers who suspect her of being a communist。 Eventually Constable Lee finds her family and begins collaborating with her grandmother in secret。 When Suwol， who happens to be Constable Lee's cousin， is arrested， Junja， her grandmother and Constable Lee devise a plan to get him released by saying that he is Junja’s bridegroom and that he spent her dowry on gambling。 He is released and， in order to make the story seem real， Junta and her grandmother accompany Suwol back to their family compound up the mountain。 They plan a wedding for the morning but the compound is bombed by Americans in the night who believe that the inhabitants are communist。 Suwol escapes and heads off to join his comrades and avenge his family's death and Junja and her grandmother return home。 Now we come to part 2， which is told in 2001 shortly after Junja’s death in Philadelphia where she had lived for 52 years。 Her husband returns to Korea to visit a shaman and perform the burial ritual for his wife。 It flips back and forth between 1948 and 2001 and we finally get the details of what happened to Suwol and Constable Lee and how Junja got to America， sort of。 The storytelling in the second part is so disjointed that it is a little hard to follow and is sometimes only told in flashbacks or dream sequences。 Bottom line is that Junja’s husband， Dr。 Moon， was a soldier under Constable Lee。 He and his friend were told by Lee to desert and to help the villagers escape。 Dr。 Moon and Junja emigrated to America but Suwol and Lee died in their efforts to escape。 We don't really get more information beyond Junja’s harrowing escape。 We don't know how they left Korea and got to America and we don't really know anything about their life in America， which is a shame。 I think that the book would have been more successful if it just continued in a linear fashion in telling the story of 1948 all the way through and then just had an epilogue to tell of her life after escaping Korea。 I think that the author was trying to go for a big twist as the reader thinks that her husband is Suwol。 The second part is really unsuccessful。 It is told mostly from Dr。 Moon's perspective and it is jarring since he wasn't in Part one at all so the reader has no real interest in his side of the story。 We just want to go back to Junja and find out what happened to her。 I also had a hard time understanding the political conflict and who was on what side and why。 I think that this is because the story was told from Junja’s perspective and her mother and grandmother really shielded her from the truth but it really inhibited the readers understanding。 The author included a forward with a timeline of the conflict but it was really just scant details that had no reference in the overall story。 。。。more
Bonnie
，
An engaging and well-written historical fiction about a period in Korean history I knew nothing about。
Emma Bechill
，
This one was unlike any other story I have read before。 It moved all over in time and was told by multiple narrators。 The writing was mysterious and there were ghost characters。 In some ways I was captivated but I also stumbled through this one—not clear on some of the plot。 In some respects， I might call it disorienting， which I believe could have been an intentional stylistic choice。 I also think my lack of background knowledge， both from a historical and cultural perspective didn’t help。 Defi This one was unlike any other story I have read before。 It moved all over in time and was told by multiple narrators。 The writing was mysterious and there were ghost characters。 In some ways I was captivated but I also stumbled through this one—not clear on some of the plot。 In some respects， I might call it disorienting， which I believe could have been an intentional stylistic choice。 I also think my lack of background knowledge， both from a historical and cultural perspective didn’t help。 Definitely curious to talk to others who have read/are considering reading。 。。。more
Kristen
，
Trigger warning for the atrocities of war， there was one such scene that had me dizzy with the intensity and grief of it。 This definitely feels like one of those books that give you a little "hangover" from the emotions and things learned。 I feel like a new person。 This is a piece of historical fiction for an event in history that is not taught in American schools （unless you go into college aiming for Korean or Asian studies/history）。 So because of that， I am left feeling robbed of having not l Trigger warning for the atrocities of war， there was one such scene that had me dizzy with the intensity and grief of it。 This definitely feels like one of those books that give you a little "hangover" from the emotions and things learned。 I feel like a new person。 This is a piece of historical fiction for an event in history that is not taught in American schools （unless you go into college aiming for Korean or Asian studies/history）。 So because of that， I am left feeling robbed of having not learned of this。 The sentiments that they simply want to live their lives the way they always have but are marked as communists or traitors for that is so amazingly frustrating and saddening。 The juxtaposition of the life they led during those years of WWII and the time after the death of Jun-ja is interesting。 Just to put into perspective their feelings about leaving Korea and becoming assimilated in American culture。 I found it to be very immersive， especially towards the end， I read it quickly wanting to know how it ended。 。。。more
Lauren Hegedus
，
This is by far my favorite audiobook that I’ve listened to this year。 I definitely want to seek out a physical copy for my bookshelf。 The story is riveting and absolutely devastating。 It’s written and narrated so beautifully， and it’s one excruciating slow burn。 The one experience missed by doing the audiobook is that the physical copy includes a Korean language index which would’ve been neat to use。
Jessica
，
This was a really interesting story that had the reader curious about the present and the past at the same time， with central parts of the story not told until closer to the end。 It was interesting to see how spiritual the present time was for the characters， especially with everything connecting ghosts。However， I do feel that the title should be different considering there was not much about the lives of Haenyeo。 It was more about their lives outside of that， except for when it related to dream This was a really interesting story that had the reader curious about the present and the past at the same time， with central parts of the story not told until closer to the end。 It was interesting to see how spiritual the present time was for the characters， especially with everything connecting ghosts。However， I do feel that the title should be different considering there was not much about the lives of Haenyeo。 It was more about their lives outside of that， except for when it related to dreams and their superstitions。 I am really glad I read "The Island of Sea Women" by Lisa See beforehand to better understand what their lives were like in the water and how their family dynamic functioned。 。。。more
Katherine
，
The Island of Sea Women was one of my favorite books a few years ago， so I was excited to pick this up and learn more about the island of Jeju and a period of Korean history。 I found myself getting turned around at certain points - confused about the plot and even some of the characters （there were jumping timelines and names changed）。 Part of that is likely my lack of understanding of Korean culture and this particular part of the Korean War。 I wish there had been more of an author's note at th The Island of Sea Women was one of my favorite books a few years ago， so I was excited to pick this up and learn more about the island of Jeju and a period of Korean history。 I found myself getting turned around at certain points - confused about the plot and even some of the characters （there were jumping timelines and names changed）。 Part of that is likely my lack of understanding of Korean culture and this particular part of the Korean War。 I wish there had been more of an author's note at the end。。。or an incorporation of the history into the narrative。 I did love the characters and found her descriptions of Jeju to be so excellent - I could taste the salt air。 。。。more
J
，
This is sitting at a 3。5 for me。This was a unique debut novel from Sumi Hahn， focused on a very specific event in Korea that， frankly， is one of the darkest。 The Jeju uprising of 1948 （known in Korean as the Jeju 3 April incident） was led by residents of Jeju Island pushing back against the US military and the short-lived government of the first Republic of Korea。 Jeju Island faced martial law that led to thousands dying。 To make matters worse， this conflict was censored for decades until the 20 This is sitting at a 3。5 for me。This was a unique debut novel from Sumi Hahn， focused on a very specific event in Korea that， frankly， is one of the darkest。 The Jeju uprising of 1948 （known in Korean as the Jeju 3 April incident） was led by residents of Jeju Island pushing back against the US military and the short-lived government of the first Republic of Korea。 Jeju Island faced martial law that led to thousands dying。 To make matters worse， this conflict was censored for decades until the 2000s。 Gotta love （South） Korean politics。。。 but， not the point of this review。I’m glad that this book highlighted the US as antagonists， because the implications of the US military occupying the Korean peninsula isn’t something oft-explored in literary fiction。 That said， there weren’t really any Americans present in the book， but discussion of their presence in Korea was well covered。 Hahn addresses a lot of the complexities of the two sides， the Nationalists/US sympathizers against。。。 well， pretty much anyone who opposed （or might even suggest they oppose） the military/government。 It’s not a clear divide， though， and to quote one of the characters， “In every conflict， there are always more than two sides。” It was clear that morals really guided most of the characters in this book。Speaking of characters， I was a bit surprised that I found myself more drawn to the minor characters than the main characters。 To me， they just had more personality that made me wish they were more than chess pieces to push the story along。 The female protagonist， Junja， is strong in every sense of the word。 However， it almost felt like she kind of had to be because she’s a haeneyo， who are known to be particularly strong。 The male protagonist， Gun Joo （Junja’s husband）， didn’t stand out as much， which is a bit disappointing。On the note of Gun Joo， I was really underwhelmed by his chapters， especially the ones that took place in the present。 Junja’s chapters were far more alluring， not only because her character was better developed， but also all the interesting historical details were in her story。 As a result， the first half of the book which was primarily from her perspective was a lot more engaging than the second half， which was more from his perspective， making the ending a bit lackluster。There were some instances where some passages read a bit awkwardly， but it didn’t completely take away from the overall reading experience。 I think there were also moments where she tried a little too hard to get an “authentic” feel with the way she scattered Korean words， for example， or had a go at floral writing and didn’t always live up to the expectations。 In sum， it seems like Hahn is still finding her voice， but she knows how to tell an interesting story。 。。。more
Brittany Lezu
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I didn’t love this book。 I was a little disappointed in who she ended up with。 I was also very sad about Lieutenant Lee story and how he died。 He had the most interesting story of all the characters and I just thought he was going to make it。
Sunny
，
"Behind her， the women of the village understood her silence， girl had lost her mother and her grandmother。 Of course， she would lose her bearings here， in this place that tested even the strongest。 The tunnel was to narrow for someone else to take the lead， and no one knew which turn had given the girl pause。 A quavering note formed in the dark， so low it sank into the shadows。 The note was raised again by another voice， which lifted the tone higher。 The tunnel began to swell with a choir of vo "Behind her， the women of the village understood her silence， girl had lost her mother and her grandmother。 Of course， she would lose her bearings here， in this place that tested even the strongest。 The tunnel was to narrow for someone else to take the lead， and no one knew which turn had given the girl pause。 A quavering note formed in the dark， so low it sank into the shadows。 The note was raised again by another voice， which lifted the tone higher。 The tunnel began to swell with a choir of voices， twisting and plaiting together。 They sang of drifting tides and fishing boats， of lovers lost and treasures found， of stormy winds and wild waters。 The song of the Haenyeo wrapped the girl in a promise: she was not alone here in the depths of the earth。"The first time I listened to the traditional Jeju Haenyeo songs was in a high school music class。 The goal of listening was trying to decipher the lyrics。 I remember the task being harder than trying to decipher my second language。 The quote part of the story was so moving- imagining the power of Haenyeo song in deepest part of cave。The second book I read about Jejo Haenyeo and Jeju 4。3。 incident written in English （'The Island of Sea Women' by Lisa See）。 I can imagine the pull of the story talking about strong， independent women in Jeju （rarely in the time when Korea was a deeply conscious country- and still is）。 These women are drawn as survivors from deeply and wild ocean， also countless losses living through haunting history。 。。。more
Simoa
，
"The space between worlds is as thin as a shadow and as brief as a breath， difficult to cross without dying。 Only mediums and seers can bridge this gap， yet even the most impervious of souls can sense it: shivers down spines and gut instincts; good dreams and nightmares; premonition， deja vu， coincidence。Being possessed is like being loved: someone must want to hold you， and someone must return that embrace。 Some spirits enter with kind intent， bringing the best of themselves。 Others break in li "The space between worlds is as thin as a shadow and as brief as a breath， difficult to cross without dying。 Only mediums and seers can bridge this gap， yet even the most impervious of souls can sense it: shivers down spines and gut instincts; good dreams and nightmares; premonition， deja vu， coincidence。Being possessed is like being loved: someone must want to hold you， and someone must return that embrace。 Some spirits enter with kind intent， bringing the best of themselves。 Others break in like thieves， with force， so greedy they drain their host。 Lost souls wander through by chance， confused like babes in the woods。But there are boundaries to respect and protocols to follow。 For what happens in the world of spirits finds a mirror in the world of men。" "War was a demon， one that would try to steal his soul。 Live as a man or die as a man， but don't be tempted to survive as anything else。" "Love tasted necessary， like salt。" "Sweetness upon sour — a contradiction only the living could taste。 Anger burned。 Regret was bitter。 Love could be salty and sweet all at once。" 。。。more
Katie Alleven
，
3。5 stars ~ A lovely but also heartbreaking story。 Very interesting to read about this part of Korean history， and to imagine what life on Jeju Island was like。 Took me a while to get through （even via audiobook）; the timeline and character perspective jumped around a little bit， which made it a little hard to follow at times。 If you liked Pachinko， you will like this book too！
Chelsey
，
Wow。 More people need to read this book。
Olivia
，
The Mermaid of Jeju is a uniquely beautiful tale。 One of true magic。 If I could give Part One 10 stars， I would。 That said， I got a little tangled in the plot in the second part of the book。 In my opinion， it went a little too far into shamans and ghosts （despite my admiration for this spiritual side of things） and went in a bit of unexpected direction that just didn’t speak to me as strongly as the rest of the novel。 Still， the story， characters， and imagery — told with words that flow as smoot The Mermaid of Jeju is a uniquely beautiful tale。 One of true magic。 If I could give Part One 10 stars， I would。 That said， I got a little tangled in the plot in the second part of the book。 In my opinion， it went a little too far into shamans and ghosts （despite my admiration for this spiritual side of things） and went in a bit of unexpected direction that just didn’t speak to me as strongly as the rest of the novel。 Still， the story， characters， and imagery — told with words that flow as smoothly as the sea， embellished with prose more stunning than Korean abalone — is unlike anything else I’ve read this year。 。。。more
Esra
，
Arkadya Yayınları'ndan çıkacak olan yeni çevirimin sonuna geldim。 :）Normalde Uzak Doğu kültürü， dizileri， filmleri， şarkıları vs。 pek ilgimi çekmez ama bu kitap beni çok derinden etkiledi。Özellikle ikinci yarısını çevirirken bazı yerlerde ekranı görmekte zorlandığımı söyleyebilirim。 😢Umarım siz de İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrasında Jeju Adası'nda geçen， Junja adlı haenyeo'nun aşkla， cesaretle， kayıplarla ve yeni başlangıçlarla dolu bu büyülü hikayesini en az benim kadar seversiniz。 Arkadya Yayınları'ndan çıkacak olan yeni çevirimin sonuna geldim。 :）Normalde Uzak Doğu kültürü， dizileri， filmleri， şarkıları vs。 pek ilgimi çekmez ama bu kitap beni çok derinden etkiledi。Özellikle ikinci yarısını çevirirken bazı yerlerde ekranı görmekte zorlandığımı söyleyebilirim。 😢Umarım siz de İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrasında Jeju Adası'nda geçen， Junja adlı haenyeo'nun aşkla， cesaretle， kayıplarla ve yeni başlangıçlarla dolu bu büyülü hikayesini en az benim kadar seversiniz。 。。。more
Melania
，
Very good book， similar in setting/time period to Lisa See’s The Island of Sea Woman， but did not focus much on hanyeo but shamans and the main characters。 If you enjoyed that book， you may like this one！
Katie
，
Set in the late 1940s during the US'S occupation of South Korea in Jeju Island， this book tells the story of Junja， a haeyneo woman。 The writing is splendid and the story made me cry， quite a bit。 Truly a great book。 Set in the late 1940s during the US'S occupation of South Korea in Jeju Island， this book tells the story of Junja， a haeyneo woman。 The writing is splendid and the story made me cry， quite a bit。 Truly a great book。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
3。5
Maria Beltrami
，
On the day his wife Junia dies， her husband decides to return to Korea， where he and his wife had vowed to never set foot again， to make peace with the past。This event is the starting point for an extraordinary narrative about the Haenyeo culture， the women who dive to snatch food and whatever is needed for survival from the sea; the Japanese invasion; the Americans too terrified to understand that a different way of life had nothing to do with communism; and the resistance of the local people。A On the day his wife Junia dies， her husband decides to return to Korea， where he and his wife had vowed to never set foot again， to make peace with the past。This event is the starting point for an extraordinary narrative about the Haenyeo culture， the women who dive to snatch food and whatever is needed for survival from the sea; the Japanese invasion; the Americans too terrified to understand that a different way of life had nothing to do with communism; and the resistance of the local people。All the characters in this book are monumental， and it is really hard to let them go once you have finished reading。 。。。more
Kimbolimbo
，
Was like reading one of the KDramas I love to watch。 I need to explore the history touched on in the book。
Margaret Ann
，
This book felt disjointed as I was reading it。 The jumping back and forth between time periods was not the only thing that was jarring。 Part of the book felt like historical fiction， part of it felt like fantasy。 It was if the book didn't know what it wanted to be。 This book felt disjointed as I was reading it。 The jumping back and forth between time periods was not the only thing that was jarring。 Part of the book felt like historical fiction， part of it felt like fantasy。 It was if the book didn't know what it wanted to be。 。。。more
Marcela Franco
，
This book held my interest and I enjoyed learning more about Jeju and the "mermaids。" I was a little confused at times by the author going back and then forward in time periods， and I'm not sure if I completely understood the ending and the meaning of the legends。 However， overall it was an intriguing and touching story。 This book held my interest and I enjoyed learning more about Jeju and the "mermaids。" I was a little confused at times by the author going back and then forward in time periods， and I'm not sure if I completely understood the ending and the meaning of the legends。 However， overall it was an intriguing and touching story。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Mermaid from Jeju
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Mermaid from Jeju&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Mermaid from Jeju&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0