Cover of Pachinko

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee, 2017

South Korean and American novelist, born 1968.

Pachinko is a 2017 novel by Min Jin Lee. It was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction in 2017.

  • Critics' Darling

In historical fiction, family saga

On 2 of the 15 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
Min Jin Lee
First published
2017
Length
576 pages (UK paperback)
Awards
Genre
Historical fiction, Family saga, Migration and identity, Class and society

Is Pachinko worth reading?

2 of the 15 best-of lists it could have made include it: The 100 best books of the 21st century (The New York Times) and the National Book Award for Fiction.

ListPlaceOriginal
National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists) (National Book Foundation, 2017)ShortlistSee the list
The 100 best books of the 21st century (The New York Times, 2024)No. 15See the list

Best edition of Pachinko

The edition we link to is the Apollo paperback (2020), 576 pages.

Publisher
Apollo (paperback, 2020)
Pages
576
ISBN
9781838930509

How critics, prizes and readers rate Pachinko

Critics rate it most highly: it earned 22% of the points available on critics' lists, against 13% on prize lists and 0% on readers' and booksellers' lists.

Critics
22%
Prizes
13%
Readers and booksellers
0%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like Pachinko

If you liked Pachinko, try Wolf Hall, Midnight's Children or Beloved.

Lists used on this page