Beasts of a Little Land
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- Create Date：2022-04-12 08:51:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Juhea Kim
- ISBN：086154322X
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Summary
In 1917， deep in the snowy mountains of occupied Korea， an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger。 In an instant their fates are connected， a chance encounter that will shape both of their lives for over half a century。
Meanwhile， in the north of Korea， a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver's courtesan school in the glamorous city of Pyongyang。 When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo， they form a deep friendship。 But before long， JungHo will be swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence， while Jade becomes a celebrated performer pursued by a wealthy romantic prospect。
From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the chic cafes of a modernising Seoul and the thick forests of Manchuria， Juhea Kim's unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they shape the future of their nation。 Immersive and elegant， firmly rooted in Korean folklore and legend， Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies， enemies become saviours， and beasts take many shapes。
Meanwhile， in the north of Korea， a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver's courtesan school in the glamorous city of Pyongyang。 When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo， they form a deep friendship。 But before long， JungHo will be swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence， while Jade becomes a celebrated performer pursued by a wealthy romantic prospect。
From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the chic cafes of a modernising Seoul and the thick forests of Manchuria， Juhea Kim's unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they shape the future of their nation。 Immersive and elegant， firmly rooted in Korean folklore and legend， Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies， enemies become saviours， and beasts take many shapes。
Reviews
monse
，
what a debut novel！！"Life is only bearable because time makes you forget everything。 But life is worthwhile because love makes you remember everything。"Beasts of a little land is for all the lovers of beautifully written historical fiction， taking set in Korea during Japanese occupation。 The story explores Japanese occupation， the growth of communism， and blending in it with sisterhood， love， hardship and bonds。 I found myself attached to the main two characters Jade and JungHo and being immerse what a debut novel！！"Life is only bearable because time makes you forget everything。 But life is worthwhile because love makes you remember everything。"Beasts of a little land is for all the lovers of beautifully written historical fiction， taking set in Korea during Japanese occupation。 The story explores Japanese occupation， the growth of communism， and blending in it with sisterhood， love， hardship and bonds。 I found myself attached to the main two characters Jade and JungHo and being immersed of their intertwined storyline。 In this novel， there is a wide cast of characters that one way or other connected through the story， and each one them get their points of views which get to know them and what they value the most。 Beasts of a little land is a timeless portrait of the brutality Korea suffered the Japanese regimen and the implications of Korean Communism。 It is a raw， beautiful and heartbreaking book and it really me blew me away。 I just finished and left me feeling miserable lol。trigger warnings: rape， sexual abuse， violence， murder， death， addiction problems。 "There are just two things in the world that give you true confidence。 One is overcoming difficulties on your own， and the other is being deeply loved。 If you experience both， then you will be confident for the rest of your life。" 。。。more
Lisa
，
"Life is only bearable because time makes you forget everything。 But， life is worthwhile because love makes you remember everything。"I don't honestly know what to say about this book。。。it was just ok for me。 With that said， I think that I may have read this at the wrong time。 I had a lot going on in my life。。。and this book had a lot going on inside the cover！The story spans 50 years following Jade's life after her mother leaves her with a courtesan in order to be trained in the trade。 Jade meets "Life is only bearable because time makes you forget everything。 But， life is worthwhile because love makes you remember everything。"I don't honestly know what to say about this book。。。it was just ok for me。 With that said， I think that I may have read this at the wrong time。 I had a lot going on in my life。。。and this book had a lot going on inside the cover！The story spans 50 years following Jade's life after her mother leaves her with a courtesan in order to be trained in the trade。 Jade meets many people whose lives intersect; some that she loves， some that she loathes and some that she never meets but had a big impact on her， her family or friends lives。It was a complicated read to follow， as it was during the Korean War。 I was not in the mind set to want to read about communism， or therefore the fighting around it due to the situation in Ukraine。 This was off putting to read at this time。The story and book was beautifully written and I gleaned many quotes that I will cherish。 However， it was just not right for me at this time。 I know it will fall into the right hands by others， so please make your own judgement call on this one。I gave it 3 stars because other than the war raging historically here， I did find Jade's character caring and loving in the long run。 。。。more
Lauren Ansley
，
Beasts of a Little Land packs so much into one book。 I learned so much about the history of Korea - particularly the 1910s to 1940s with the annexation of Korea by Japan and the independence movements within Korea。 About 15% of the way in I watched a YouTube video on the history of Korea to better understand the story being told， as the book makes the assumption that you know at least a little about it （which is fair）， and that helped me to enjoy the story more。 I enjoyed the slow weaving of the Beasts of a Little Land packs so much into one book。 I learned so much about the history of Korea - particularly the 1910s to 1940s with the annexation of Korea by Japan and the independence movements within Korea。 About 15% of the way in I watched a YouTube video on the history of Korea to better understand the story being told， as the book makes the assumption that you know at least a little about it （which is fair）， and that helped me to enjoy the story more。 I enjoyed the slow weaving of the different characters stories throughout the book， and having characters on opposite ends of the political spectrum。 I also enjoyed how realistic the stories were with unrequited love and strained friendships。 。。。more
gabi
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3。5
Ally （AllyEmReads）
，
7。29 on CAWPILE TW: rape， murder， war， addiction， sexual abuse， physical abuseThis was incredibly moving and sad， and overall very depressing， honestly。 But truly fantastically written， even if you have to take it slow。 I didn't find myself getting attached to any of the characters， and definitely felt as though I was merely an observer rather than fully immersed in the story， but it was still an amazing story。 7。29 on CAWPILE TW: rape， murder， war， addiction， sexual abuse， physical abuseThis was incredibly moving and sad， and overall very depressing， honestly。 But truly fantastically written， even if you have to take it slow。 I didn't find myself getting attached to any of the characters， and definitely felt as though I was merely an observer rather than fully immersed in the story， but it was still an amazing story。 。。。more
Shirley Wong
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A brief reminder of history and the bonds that shape us。
Melissa Acquaviva
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I cannot say enough about this novel！ It is， by far， one of my favorite debuts of the year！Jade lives in Pyongyang Korea immediately after WWI and is the poor eldest daughter of peasant farmers。 She is brought to the home of Silver， a famously beautiful courtesan， at the age of 10 to become a scullery maid。 The position is taken and her mother， in desperation， sells her as a courtesan。 Silvers daughter， Lotus， immediately befriends Jade and her lifetime with her new family begins。In the wilds of I cannot say enough about this novel！ It is， by far， one of my favorite debuts of the year！Jade lives in Pyongyang Korea immediately after WWI and is the poor eldest daughter of peasant farmers。 She is brought to the home of Silver， a famously beautiful courtesan， at the age of 10 to become a scullery maid。 The position is taken and her mother， in desperation， sells her as a courtesan。 Silvers daughter， Lotus， immediately befriends Jade and her lifetime with her new family begins。In the wilds of the mountains above Pyongyang， a hunter saves a Japanese soldiers hunting party from a wounded tiger。 In doing so， a debt is earned。 The hunter returns home and when he dies， he unknowingly passes the soldiers debt onto his son Jungho。 Jungho must fend for himself and finds himself begging in the streets of Seoul。 Jade has also come to Seoul with Lotus and their sister Luna after tragic circumstances in Pyongyang force them to leave。 It is here in Seoul where the forces of fate， or Inyeon， begin to work on Jade and Jungho’s life。The author does an amazing job of exploring the political climate of Korea from 1914-1964， showing how occupation and independence led to current split in communist and democratic regime。 The atrocities perpetrated by Japan and Russia on the Korean people were astounding and were definitely part of the historical context that I hadn’t been aware of until now。 At its， heart， Beasts of a Little Land is a love story but it is also a cautionary tale， a historical lesson， a story of family and of a people determined to persist to keep their culture and identity。 The author often identifies with the native animals of Korea， tying them to the characters and the story in beautiful and sometimes sad ways， as well as showing the extinction of certain breeds except for very remote areas where they still are rumored to fight for their survival。 Allegorically， symbolically and fictionally this story satisfies on all levels。 I cried， laughed， cheered and cringed。 I learned so many things。 I’m still thinking about this and will be for many days to come。。 Incredible 。。。more
Florilegium
，
인연 （inyeon）I think that this is the most suitable word for this entire book。 'Inyeon' means 'connection'， 'a thread that links you to the other people in your life'。 At first， it isn't easy to understand。 You can definetely see that all the characters are connected in some ways， but you can't understand how deeply until the very end。 Every little thing we do， everything that happens to us and every connection we create with one another， are what define our all life。 The architecture is the one 인연 （inyeon）I think that this is the most suitable word for this entire book。 'Inyeon' means 'connection'， 'a thread that links you to the other people in your life'。 At first， it isn't easy to understand。 You can definetely see that all the characters are connected in some ways， but you can't understand how deeply until the very end。 Every little thing we do， everything that happens to us and every connection we create with one another， are what define our all life。 The architecture is the one of a choral story， however， you can still appreciate the slightly prominence of Jade and JungHo as， in the end， the story wraps up around the two of them。 I was particularly invested in the closeness between JungHo and the tiger。 I think that this gains prominence when you dig up into Korean folklore and see how important the tiger is in it。 Considering the fact that this wild beast was very diffuse in Korea during the ancient time， it isn't surprising to see so many mythical stories with it as a protagonist。 Moreover， during the Japanese occupation， the tiger has become a Korean symbol。 This considered， the meaning behind the link between JungHo and the tiger gets deeper。 "An injured tiger is far more dangerous than a healthy one。 （。。。） Tigers are vengeful creatures。 They remember wrongs and rights， and if it's injured， it will attack to kill。" And also"He explained that his father had been a tiger hunter in PyongAhn province， and so he'd inherited the same instinct that animals - and their hunters - have for survival。"Quotes like these， make even clearer how deep is the link between JungHo and the animal。 I also think that the author shows her good skill also in giving him a character that resembles the animal。 You can see it not just in the way he keeps on surviving， but also in the way he acts when wounded。 There's a kind of bestiality in him， that can be only described as thriving。And JungHo - the righteous （jung） tiger （Ho） - really lives up to his name。 I also tried to search if there was any particular meaning for jade stone in Korean culture。 I found out that in Korea， jade was" thought to have magical powers that can improve health， fortune and general well-being。 Koreans also believe that jade can ward off evil spirits。" I can't know if the author had meant this by giving the female protagonist this name， but I found it fitting too。 All considered， this debut it's one of the most amazing I ever had the pleasure to read。 I think it's impressive how good this turn to be。 I wouldn't have been able to tell it was her debut。 The pen is skilful and you surely can appreciate it， especially in the ability of handle these many characters without making them bland。 Also， I think that she was very coherent from the start to the end。 The storyline flows smoothly， even if it covers such a long time span， and the things she wanted to stand out as the fil rouge （the inyeon， the tiger， the independence， the thriving for life and so on） definitely are easy to be caught by the readers。All the same， I couldn't help but compare it to the other big novel I read about the same historical period: Pachinko。 I would dare to say that you can definitely catch the social and chronological difference between the two authors。 But also， I think that the different choice - Pachinko is a familiar novel， where you can't find any strong familiar bound in Beasts of a little land - really strikes in the amount of empathy that can be drawn out of the reader。 Probably， because you can see how much a single family suffered throughout the years， is easy to be moved by Pachinko。 On the other hand， while reading Beasts of a little land， you can't help but be sympathetic to not more than a couple of characters。 I think that the hardship of the two of them would strike the reader more than all the others。 Still， I think that this novel has his particular force and， for me， was such a moving reading （definitely among the ten best readings of this year）。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Read for neighborhood bookclub。 Epic story of Koreans and their quest for independence from Japan。 Story begins in 1917 and ends in 1965。 I found all the names and people confusing and wanted to feel more for the characters than I did。 Pachinko soooo much better。
Heli
，
This book takes place from 1917 to 1965。 Beautifully written story about Jade and JungHo with a mixed group of characters。 Jade trains to become a courtesan and JuhgHo comes from total poverty mingling with revolutionaries， hoping to get rich and marry Jade。 Their lives intertwine many times during the years。 I can confess that I know nothing more about Korea's fight for independence than what I read from Pachinko。 This is not a feel-good story， but an honest and gripping piece of well written l This book takes place from 1917 to 1965。 Beautifully written story about Jade and JungHo with a mixed group of characters。 Jade trains to become a courtesan and JuhgHo comes from total poverty mingling with revolutionaries， hoping to get rich and marry Jade。 Their lives intertwine many times during the years。 I can confess that I know nothing more about Korea's fight for independence than what I read from Pachinko。 This is not a feel-good story， but an honest and gripping piece of well written literary fiction。 。。。more
Jonathan Barber
，
For such a difficult subject matter， Juhea Kim delivers a beautiful but dark story of how interconnected and resilient people are。
Agr
，
Not a happy book but all the characters come full circle。 Unrequited love in Korea before and during the wars。
Erra
，
Wow。 Just wow。This did not feel like a debut novel， Kim's saga feels experienced and long-inspired。 This is not a happy book but definitely emotionally moving。 It broke my heart several times but that only showed me how connected I was to the story。 I also learned a lot about Korea's history and experience under Japanese colonization。 It's not for people looking for a light， happy read， but I recommended it for those looking for a lot of involvement and emotional investment in a story and its ch Wow。 Just wow。This did not feel like a debut novel， Kim's saga feels experienced and long-inspired。 This is not a happy book but definitely emotionally moving。 It broke my heart several times but that only showed me how connected I was to the story。 I also learned a lot about Korea's history and experience under Japanese colonization。 It's not for people looking for a light， happy read， but I recommended it for those looking for a lot of involvement and emotional investment in a story and its characters。 Excellent！ 。。。more
Robert Purdon
，
I first want to say that Beasts of a Little Land is a good read。 The times when it flows well， it's great！ Excellent detail， without being too overbearing or an 'info-dump'。 Overall， besides when im about to write， it is a good novel。 But， it's because it's well written that I'm going to critique it harder。My gripes come in two points。 I think there were unnecessary time skips， and there were too many character connection coincidences。Small spoiler， the novel starts in 1917 and ends in the mid ' I first want to say that Beasts of a Little Land is a good read。 The times when it flows well， it's great！ Excellent detail， without being too overbearing or an 'info-dump'。 Overall， besides when im about to write， it is a good novel。 But， it's because it's well written that I'm going to critique it harder。My gripes come in two points。 I think there were unnecessary time skips， and there were too many character connection coincidences。Small spoiler， the novel starts in 1917 and ends in the mid '60s。 While some years have a lot of events detailed in this story， some decades pass without a mention of any historical events。 The novel takes place in Korea and again， small spoiler， but the Korean War is barely mentioned。I understand that the story was surrounding the political groups in Korea during the Japanese occupation， but why even skip to the 60s？ I fel that was unnecessary。 Asides from a brief mention of the 38th parallel， nothing else is mentioned about the dividing of Korea per political party。 But I digress。The final point is that almost every character knew each other。 I guess that based on the period， being in close proximity in Seoul， that sure there are decent reasoning for the connections。 But I think a lot was written in to make it easier for the writer to progress the story。Overall， it's a fairly decent read。 I think the progression is steady， there's a lot of POV changes and the time skips sometimes feel unnecessary， but I would recommend you to read this if you like love/political dramas set during war times。 。。。more
Ana
，
Great story flow， I never felt like I was zoning out or was hearing about a character I didn’t care about。 I don’t know if this concludes my journey into 20th century multigenerational Korean war epics， but I am glad to add this one to the list。
Franka
，
Quite sad， but keeps the attention。
Sally
，
Beasts of a Little Land is the kind of book that I would vote for if I were on a panel passing out prizes。 The prose is flat-out beautiful， painting scenes so clearly that I could smell and taste them。 The characters truly came alive， as memorable as if they were real people in my own past。 And the plot， while complex and messy， is clearly drawn。 I had no idea that I wanted to know about the life of Korean courtesans of the early 20th century until I read Beasts of a Little Land。 But author Kim Beasts of a Little Land is the kind of book that I would vote for if I were on a panel passing out prizes。 The prose is flat-out beautiful， painting scenes so clearly that I could smell and taste them。 The characters truly came alive， as memorable as if they were real people in my own past。 And the plot， while complex and messy， is clearly drawn。 I had no idea that I wanted to know about the life of Korean courtesans of the early 20th century until I read Beasts of a Little Land。 But author Kim told a riveting story。 And reading it was pure pleasure。 。。。more
Cora
，
This book kept me up late and made me angry cry at 2 am， while also educating me about a period in history （the Japanese occupation of Korea） I previously knew very little about。 V GOOD。
Vurtqxyrfhujuy
，
Fantastically written story of love， hope， joy， and tragedy。 Juhea Kim does an amazing job of writing people both ordinary and extraordinary， all seeking to realize their hopes and dreams in a world that cares for neither。
Barb Thompson
，
3。5。 I wasn’t familiar with Korean Japanese history so I enjoyed learning about their relationship in the early 20thcentury。
Kate
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I
Marcos
，
Only rarely does a novel pass in front of me that is so beautiful， with over a dozen layered， unique and human characters。 That this is the author’s first name， makes it all the more astounding。 Bravo！
Tracy Park
，
I picked up this historical fiction novel intending to read it over a few days。 I ended up staying up late into the night finishing this epic saga set against the Korean independence movement from the post-WWI to post-WWII periods。 In spite of my Korean heritage， I was not familiar with many of the details， efforts and influences of those who led the independence movement and those who resisted it。 This story weaved in a tremendous amount of information around the paths of its compelling charact I picked up this historical fiction novel intending to read it over a few days。 I ended up staying up late into the night finishing this epic saga set against the Korean independence movement from the post-WWI to post-WWII periods。 In spite of my Korean heritage， I was not familiar with many of the details， efforts and influences of those who led the independence movement and those who resisted it。 This story weaved in a tremendous amount of information around the paths of its compelling characters， all of whom were complete， flawed， understandable and surprising in their own ways。On a personal note， it was a tremendous treat to read a work by a Korean author about Korean people in the English language。 I could so easily visualize the characters' faces and hear how they would speak in Korean just by how their dialogue was worded in English。 Overall， I don't think there was a single element of a great story missing from this novel: tragedy， romance， deep friendships and filial bonds， betrayal， heartbreak， acts of sacrifice， redemption。 It was an incredible journey to read， both deeply intimate and broad in historical scope。 。。。more
Paulette
，
This is another book I had a hard time rating。 Covering the period 1917 through 1965， this tale of colonial， war time， bifurcated Korea is an ambitious journey experienced through the eyes of a courtesan， a riksha boy， an enforcer， Japanese officers， Communists， rich folks and the poor。 I learned a lot but keeping all the viewpoints and names straight was a challenge。 This is not a happy novel。 It's brutal， heart-rending， painful。 There are few happy endings。 I'm glad I read it though。 It's not This is another book I had a hard time rating。 Covering the period 1917 through 1965， this tale of colonial， war time， bifurcated Korea is an ambitious journey experienced through the eyes of a courtesan， a riksha boy， an enforcer， Japanese officers， Communists， rich folks and the poor。 I learned a lot but keeping all the viewpoints and names straight was a challenge。 This is not a happy novel。 It's brutal， heart-rending， painful。 There are few happy endings。 I'm glad I read it though。 It's not an easy book to read。 。。。more
MzMay
，
Starts out immediately drawing you in with a riveting story about a tiger， and continues to engage the reader with characters that you see grow up。 I really enjoyed reading an Asian-centric story and its unflinching and honest view of how horrible and real the Japanese atrocities were during that time。 Contrary to the pacifist image many have of Japan， their East Asian neighbors have real and legitimate grievances against them。
ruby ʚ♥ɞ
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 it was good！！！ and realistic but how it talked about jade becoming a courtesan and how luna got raped i got really sad and i know its a real topic but i didnt like reading about that it got too much into my head because i have little siblings and s。a trauma :，（
Justine Huh
，
This book describes （albeit fictional） a well known page of history to us Koreans， but probably not widely known and perhaps dismissed by the world due to Japan’s efforts to hide and diminish what happened in Korea during the occupation。 I hope， much like Minjin Lee’s Pachinko， this book plays a part in shedding light to the true nature of the era。
Kristen
，
This was a really solid debut。 The prose flowed and was propulsive。 I actually wish this book had 200 more pages because events and character emotions were often rushed and hurried。 It’s a fascinating era in Korean history so I wish we stayed in particular periods more and not skipped years。 Overall， great historical fiction read and I would recommend it。
Laurel
，
The characters of this epic are sublimely crafted - the ways in which their trauma influence their relationships and decisions is masterful。
Cj
，
*3。75
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Beasts of a Little Land
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Beasts of a Little Land&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft