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8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster
'Mesmerising, heartbreaking ... a wild ride of a novel' Monica Ali'Soaring, fierce, bold and intoxicating' Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop of Tehran' I have never put so much trust in a verified liar' Alyssa Songsiridej, author of Little Rabbit'The prose has a brutal beating energy' Catherine Cho, author of InfernoSLAVE. ESCAPE-ARTIST. MURDERER. TERRORIST. SPY. LOVER. MOTHER. TRICKSTER .At the Golden Sunset retirement home, it is not unusual for residents to invent stories. So when elderly Ms Mook first begins to unspool her memories, the obituarist listening to her is sceptical. Stories of captivity, friendship, murder, adventure, assumed identities and spying. Stories that take place in WWII Indonesia; in Busan during the Korean war; in cold-war Pyongyang; in China. The stories are so colourful and various, at times so unbelievable, that they cannot surely all belong to the same woman. Can they?As playful and thought-provoking as it is compelling, as brutal and harrowing as it is achingly poignant and tender, this is a novel about love and war, deceit and betrayal, about identity, storytelling and the trickery required for survival.
290 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2023
199 people are currently reading
9904 people want to read
About the author
Mirinae Lee
6 books54 followersMirinae Lee was born and grew up in Seoul. Her debut novel, '8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster,' has been longlisted for the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction and the 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, and shortlisted for the 2024 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. '8 Lives' is inspired by Lee's great-aunt, one of the oldest women to escape alone from North Korea. Its translations continue to meet readers worldwide, including in the US, the UK, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Romania, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband and children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 525 reviews
June 28, 2024
It took me a while to puzzle out this book, but once I did, I enjoyed it.
Check out my Women's Prize Deep Dive on BookTube at Hello, Bookworm.📚🐛
"She said old people are like salmon: their minds keep swimming against the streams of time and memories."
This book opens with a recently divorced woman interviewing elderly people at a care facility so she can write their obituaries before they pass away. In the Alzheimer’s ward, she meets Ms Mook, who claims she’ll be turning a hundred the day after tomorrow and says she’s lived 8 different lives as a slave, escape-artist, murderer, terrorist, spy, lover, and mother (oddly, she lists only seven lives).
Ms Mook then goes on to recount her seven lives, where each story sees her in a different role: sometimes disguised as a boy or a wild woman living in the woods, other times as a miserable comfort woman or a wife harboring a painful secret.
Some of the stories hit much harder than others. "When I Stopped Eating Earth" and "Me, Myself, and the Mole" were among my favorites.
Many of the stories were originally published as standalone short fiction in various publications, but the stories are woven together in a way that creates an air of mystery and creates a larger story over the course of the novel, one that reaches a beautiful conclusion.
Definitely recommend this one, but consider reading a print copy (I found the audiobook difficult to follow, as the character voices aren't very distinct).
Check out my Women's Prize Deep Dive on BookTube at Hello, Bookworm.📚🐛
"She said old people are like salmon: their minds keep swimming against the streams of time and memories."
This book opens with a recently divorced woman interviewing elderly people at a care facility so she can write their obituaries before they pass away. In the Alzheimer’s ward, she meets Ms Mook, who claims she’ll be turning a hundred the day after tomorrow and says she’s lived 8 different lives as a slave, escape-artist, murderer, terrorist, spy, lover, and mother (oddly, she lists only seven lives).
Ms Mook then goes on to recount her seven lives, where each story sees her in a different role: sometimes disguised as a boy or a wild woman living in the woods, other times as a miserable comfort woman or a wife harboring a painful secret.
Some of the stories hit much harder than others. "When I Stopped Eating Earth" and "Me, Myself, and the Mole" were among my favorites.
Many of the stories were originally published as standalone short fiction in various publications, but the stories are woven together in a way that creates an air of mystery and creates a larger story over the course of the novel, one that reaches a beautiful conclusion.
Definitely recommend this one, but consider reading a print copy (I found the audiobook difficult to follow, as the character voices aren't very distinct).
April 7, 2024
The narrator of this book is a middle-aged, recently divorced woman working in a nursing home in Korea. She’s on a mission to help write residents’ obituaries while they’re still alive…but she isn’t prepared for the crazy stories one resident shares with her.
Ms. Mook, who resides in a unit alongside Alzheimer’s patients, says she is nearly a hundred years old and has played many roles in her life, including slave, murderer, mother and spy.
We’re presented with each of Ms. Mook’s roles in a series of short stories. They’re not laid out chronologically, and she’s not even the main character of some of them. Each shows a different side of Ms. Mook.
Though fictional, the stories are meticulously researched to portray Korean history accurately. Some of them are TOUGH to read, like Ms. Mook’s experience as a teenaged “comfort woman” during World War Two, but even the darkest stories are incredibly compelling.
Ms. Mook comes off as a bit of a shapeshifter, taking on new identities throughout her life, and the narrator isn’t always certain how reliable of a story teller the elderly resident is. Are her stories true? Total fantasy? Or somewhere in between?
This is a book that will keep you guessing, with beautiful writing and well-crafted characters. I’ve read a few other books that used the “novel in short stories” format, but I think this is the most effective use of it that I’ve seen!
Ms. Mook, who resides in a unit alongside Alzheimer’s patients, says she is nearly a hundred years old and has played many roles in her life, including slave, murderer, mother and spy.
We’re presented with each of Ms. Mook’s roles in a series of short stories. They’re not laid out chronologically, and she’s not even the main character of some of them. Each shows a different side of Ms. Mook.
Though fictional, the stories are meticulously researched to portray Korean history accurately. Some of them are TOUGH to read, like Ms. Mook’s experience as a teenaged “comfort woman” during World War Two, but even the darkest stories are incredibly compelling.
Ms. Mook comes off as a bit of a shapeshifter, taking on new identities throughout her life, and the narrator isn’t always certain how reliable of a story teller the elderly resident is. Are her stories true? Total fantasy? Or somewhere in between?
This is a book that will keep you guessing, with beautiful writing and well-crafted characters. I’ve read a few other books that used the “novel in short stories” format, but I think this is the most effective use of it that I’ve seen!
April 19, 2024
Supraviețuire este cuvântul cheie al acestui roman ce surprinde lunga și aventuroasa poveste a unei femei trecută prin toate relele posibile.
Mi-a plăcut construcția romanului, nu este liniar ci viețile sunt expuse în ordine aleatorie și compun un fel de puzzle. Îți menține curiozitatea.
Mi-a plăcut construcția romanului, nu este liniar ci viețile sunt expuse în ordine aleatorie și compun un fel de puzzle. Îți menține curiozitatea.
June 19, 2023
when a woman who writes obituaries for elderly patients in a nursing home meets ms. mook, an eccentric woman with many stories to tell, she becomes engrossed in this woman's life. ms. mook tells a grandiose story of eight lives she has lived in rich, haunting detail. but how can this all be true? does the truth matter? this is a poignant, historical, and incredibly emotional novel about a woman who has experienced great trauma and overwhelming pain.
April 9, 2024
Trickster = șmecher, șarlatan, escroc, trișor etc.
Acestea sunt aproximativ definițiile pe care le-am găsit la cuvântul trickster, pe care traducătoarea Mihaela Doagă a ales să-l păstreze în titlul în limba română al romanului semnat de Miranae Lee. Și, da, eroina acestui volum a fost o „șmecheră”, o „trișoare”, ce și-a construit mai multe personalități, mai multe vieți nu pentru a înșela lumea ca o escroacă, ci pentru a supraviețui infernului comunist din Coreea de Nord, războaielor, violențelor, ba chiar și capitalismului sud-coreean. Timp de decenii a fost pe rând soție, mamă, criminală, spioană sau sclavă, în vieți complet diferite, care ni se înfățișează pe rând, făcând să descoperim și teroarea, și crima, și dragostea, fără să ne dăm seama la aproape niciun pas încotro ne duce narațiunea și ce traume mai urmează în viața protagonistei și în viața celor din jurul ei. Nimeni nu este aici sigur de adevărata față a celor apropiați, care vor să supraviețuiască prin orice mijloace.
Romanul este incintant, mai ales pentru cei care au ales de-a lungul timpului să studieze comunismul nord-coreean și suferințele oamenilor de acolo, dar am avut permanent senzația că îi lipsește ceva, poate pe alocuri autenticitatea (este, în mare parte, o ficțiune istorică, nu o non-ficțiune), pentru a fi o capodoperă.
Acestea sunt aproximativ definițiile pe care le-am găsit la cuvântul trickster, pe care traducătoarea Mihaela Doagă a ales să-l păstreze în titlul în limba română al romanului semnat de Miranae Lee. Și, da, eroina acestui volum a fost o „șmecheră”, o „trișoare”, ce și-a construit mai multe personalități, mai multe vieți nu pentru a înșela lumea ca o escroacă, ci pentru a supraviețui infernului comunist din Coreea de Nord, războaielor, violențelor, ba chiar și capitalismului sud-coreean. Timp de decenii a fost pe rând soție, mamă, criminală, spioană sau sclavă, în vieți complet diferite, care ni se înfățișează pe rând, făcând să descoperim și teroarea, și crima, și dragostea, fără să ne dăm seama la aproape niciun pas încotro ne duce narațiunea și ce traume mai urmează în viața protagonistei și în viața celor din jurul ei. Nimeni nu este aici sigur de adevărata față a celor apropiați, care vor să supraviețuiască prin orice mijloace.
Romanul este incintant, mai ales pentru cei care au ales de-a lungul timpului să studieze comunismul nord-coreean și suferințele oamenilor de acolo, dar am avut permanent senzația că îi lipsește ceva, poate pe alocuri autenticitatea (este, în mare parte, o ficțiune istorică, nu o non-ficțiune), pentru a fi o capodoperă.
March 17, 2024
Really intelligently written about identity, who we really are and how to keep a sense of self even when trauma and others try to control you. Beautifully nuanced with deftly woven imagery and metaphor, this book does not try too hard in its prose. Instead, it tells the story of humanity beneath the veil of the most controlled totalitarian state of the world. Superbly moving and gripping.
July 16, 2024
Ascultată pe Voxa. Mi-au plăcut foarte mult primele două treimi din ea, dar spre sfârșit m-a cam dezamăgit. O poveste misterioasă și psihologică cu spioni, despre război și alte orori petrecute în peninsula coreeană, pe care autoarea nu prea a știut cum s-o încheie... Cel puțin asta a fost părerea mea după ce am terminat-o. Însă e o carte bună și te ține prins în poveste datorită multiplelor perspective narative a căror cronologie nu este respectată. Capitolele se simt ca piesele unui puzzle pe care le pui cap la cap pentru a obține imaginea de ansamblu.
December 18, 2024
Una storia intrigante e misteriosa che si ricostruisce man mano che si prosegue con la lettura. Le otto vite di una donna, quasi centenaria, e tutte le avventure e le sventure da lei vissute nel corso di due guerre in Corea. La struttura è molto interessante, in quanto le "vite" vengono presentate in ordine sparso, cosa che permette al lettore di essere implicato mentalmente nella ricostruzione della storia della protagonista. Devo ammettere che comunque non mi ha convinta molto, forse per alcune ripetizioni che ho percepito nella narrazione. Nel complesso però è un buon libro che permette di comprendere ciò che hanno dovuto vivere molti in un'epoca lontana e difficile nel luogo più isolato del mondo: la Corea del Nord.
May 5, 2024
What makes us? Who are we? Who do we tell others we are? How do we change who we are in certain occasions or parts of our lives? What do we change into? Should actions taken against abusers be measured with the same morality - ethics as other actions. What if the state is ridiculously absent in fulfilling its role to mete out justice?
This novel started out as short stories written separately and then turned into a whole here in this book. The order choice of how these stories are laid out and the conjoining narrative both help and at the same time hinder the story. Because I as a reader, had to try and keep track of what was happening and what was being hidden or masked. So, in this way, the writer was totally in keeping with the theme of the story. The life she chose to write about is full of lies, shadows, masks, aliases, and stories.
Fiction and nonfiction about North Korean tend to lean heavily into the absurd because that is what forced thinking, forced actions, forced beliefs, and forced adulation lead to. However only a part of this story is under the aegis of the North Korean Supreme Leader, other parts are in Korea (still united), Indonesian - Empire of Japan, South Korea and America and all these have their absurdities as well. It is galling that the empire makers, the liberators end up enslaving women for their creature comforts, woe betide that they do without.
This novel started out as short stories written separately and then turned into a whole here in this book. The order choice of how these stories are laid out and the conjoining narrative both help and at the same time hinder the story. Because I as a reader, had to try and keep track of what was happening and what was being hidden or masked. So, in this way, the writer was totally in keeping with the theme of the story. The life she chose to write about is full of lies, shadows, masks, aliases, and stories.
Fiction and nonfiction about North Korean tend to lean heavily into the absurd because that is what forced thinking, forced actions, forced beliefs, and forced adulation lead to. However only a part of this story is under the aegis of the North Korean Supreme Leader, other parts are in Korea (still united), Indonesian - Empire of Japan, South Korea and America and all these have their absurdities as well. It is galling that the empire makers, the liberators end up enslaving women for their creature comforts, woe betide that they do without.
April 18, 2024
I found the chapters in this novel all to be separately interesting stories but they didn’t really hang together as a coherent whole for me and by the end it felt a bit like we were running over similar ground and the pacing was a little uneven. A vision that has potential but for this reader was not fully realised.
June 20, 2024
Aici un interviu cu autoarea: https://revistagolan.com/interviu-mir...
Am citit cu mare interes Cele opt vieți ale unui trickster de-o vârstă cu veacul și m-a impresionat personajul principal, tocmai pentru că personajele-femei trickster în literatură sunt atât de rare. Violența și abuzurile din Stațiile de Confort rămân mărturii prea greu de înghițit și doar ficțiunea le poate oferi un sens acestor lucruri inumane, proza scriitoarei coreene oferindu-ne un scurt moment de revendicare prin ochii protagonistei.
Am vorbit cu scriitoarea Mirinae Lee despre romanul său de debut pe care l-a scris în engleză, și nu în coreeană, despre alegerea minunată de a crea un personaj feminin trickster, o femeie a cărei identitate fluctuează și variază, mulându-se pe realitățile și contextele istorice cu care se confruntă.
Un roman divizat, parcă scris din povestiri diferite, despre viața unei spioane din Coreea de Nord (traversând recurent spațiul dintre Nord și Sud). Spionaj, identități multiple, drame, crime și violențe de război împletite în ficțiuni cu urme de adevăr (unele dintre detaliile din carte fiind fapte reale, nu doar inspirate din realitate). Unele detalii sunt șocante, o carte pe care o recomand împreună cu cartea autobiografică (nonficțiune) a lui Yeonmi Park: Drumul către libertate, o nord-coreeană care a evadat prin China la vârsta de 13 ani și care ne povestește atrocitățile prin care a trecut. Ambele cărți te fac să te gândești mult la privilegiu, libertate & la fragilitatea democrației.
3.5
Am citit cu mare interes Cele opt vieți ale unui trickster de-o vârstă cu veacul și m-a impresionat personajul principal, tocmai pentru că personajele-femei trickster în literatură sunt atât de rare. Violența și abuzurile din Stațiile de Confort rămân mărturii prea greu de înghițit și doar ficțiunea le poate oferi un sens acestor lucruri inumane, proza scriitoarei coreene oferindu-ne un scurt moment de revendicare prin ochii protagonistei.
Am vorbit cu scriitoarea Mirinae Lee despre romanul său de debut pe care l-a scris în engleză, și nu în coreeană, despre alegerea minunată de a crea un personaj feminin trickster, o femeie a cărei identitate fluctuează și variază, mulându-se pe realitățile și contextele istorice cu care se confruntă.
Un roman divizat, parcă scris din povestiri diferite, despre viața unei spioane din Coreea de Nord (traversând recurent spațiul dintre Nord și Sud). Spionaj, identități multiple, drame, crime și violențe de război împletite în ficțiuni cu urme de adevăr (unele dintre detaliile din carte fiind fapte reale, nu doar inspirate din realitate). Unele detalii sunt șocante, o carte pe care o recomand împreună cu cartea autobiografică (nonficțiune) a lui Yeonmi Park: Drumul către libertate, o nord-coreeană care a evadat prin China la vârsta de 13 ani și care ne povestește atrocitățile prin care a trecut. Ambele cărți te fac să te gândești mult la privilegiu, libertate & la fragilitatea democrației.
3.5
January 9, 2024
✨DIRETTO IN TOP 10✨
.
Me lo sentivo che questo libro sarebbe stato esplosivo dal primo momento in cui l’ho visto. È stato amore a prima vista e con la lettura l’amore è cresciuto sempre di più.
.
Questa è la storia di Una donna che di nomi ne ha avuti tanti nel corso del ‘900, ogni nome ha segnato un periodo della sua vita. Assassina, schiava, ribelle, amante, madre, artista della fuga, spia e l’ottava vita è tutta nostra da scoprire.
.
Si raccontano le vicende della seconda guerra mondiale in Corea e la guerra di Corea stessa, attraverso gli occhi di una bambina, poi ragazza, poi donna. Meravigliosi sono i collegamenti tra le vite, roba che arrivi tipo alla settima vita e capisci una cosa della seconda vita che non ti tornava giustamente, pazzesco.
.
Due pecche soltanto ho trovato: il modo di raccontare a volte è confuso soprattutto nel collegare i periodi e sul finale va un po’ a perdersi, la settima vita è lunga e secondo me non serviva se non a capire qualcosa delle altre vite, poteva strutturarla meglio quella parte.
Il finale è un cerchio che si chiude di una storia ricca e potente.
Consigliatissimo, una lettura appassionante assolutamente da fare.
.
Me lo sentivo che questo libro sarebbe stato esplosivo dal primo momento in cui l’ho visto. È stato amore a prima vista e con la lettura l’amore è cresciuto sempre di più.
.
Questa è la storia di Una donna che di nomi ne ha avuti tanti nel corso del ‘900, ogni nome ha segnato un periodo della sua vita. Assassina, schiava, ribelle, amante, madre, artista della fuga, spia e l’ottava vita è tutta nostra da scoprire.
.
Si raccontano le vicende della seconda guerra mondiale in Corea e la guerra di Corea stessa, attraverso gli occhi di una bambina, poi ragazza, poi donna. Meravigliosi sono i collegamenti tra le vite, roba che arrivi tipo alla settima vita e capisci una cosa della seconda vita che non ti tornava giustamente, pazzesco.
.
Due pecche soltanto ho trovato: il modo di raccontare a volte è confuso soprattutto nel collegare i periodi e sul finale va un po’ a perdersi, la settima vita è lunga e secondo me non serviva se non a capire qualcosa delle altre vite, poteva strutturarla meglio quella parte.
Il finale è un cerchio che si chiude di una storia ricca e potente.
Consigliatissimo, una lettura appassionante assolutamente da fare.
May 24, 2024
"Eight. I will give you eight words. Our middle ground. You said nine is too many and I say three is too few. So eight. Take it as a sign that I respect your method, Ms Writer."
She looked at me and winked. A wink that looked more like a twitch of an eyelid muscle.
“So what are your eight words, Ms Mook?" I asked her, noticing the cheeky one-sided smile return to her face.
“Slave. Escape-artist. Murderer. Terrorist. Spy. Lover. And Mother."
The Century-Old Trickster Mook Miran (as the novel’s overall narrator points out the name should immediately ring alarm bells as the family name is unusual and the given name oddly modern for an elderly lady) makes for a memorable storyteller and her 8 Lives cover a rich tapestry of Korean history during WW2, the Korean War and its immediate aftermath.
Indeed it’s testimony to the tales she spins that I would love to learn more of her (alleged) activities as a spy in the four decades from 1961 to 2005, as it would have become gradually clear to even a North Korean spy how much better life was for people in the capitalist South vs. the Juche-system in the North
From the author’s afterword, some of the piece were originally separate short stories. As a novel, however, they cohere well, and the slightly gratuitous non-linear presentation of the stories (5th, 1st, 3rd, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th) aside, this makes for a straightforward if enjoyable read. Indeed I would have preferred (cf White Nights on the International Booker) to have more for the reader to puzzle out. Read back-to-back rather than separately, there is also a significant amount of repetition of anecdotes between some of the stories, and I think tighter editing would have made this a better (and shorter) novel.
Nevertheless an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.
She looked at me and winked. A wink that looked more like a twitch of an eyelid muscle.
“So what are your eight words, Ms Mook?" I asked her, noticing the cheeky one-sided smile return to her face.
“Slave. Escape-artist. Murderer. Terrorist. Spy. Lover. And Mother."
The Century-Old Trickster Mook Miran (as the novel’s overall narrator points out the name should immediately ring alarm bells as the family name is unusual and the given name oddly modern for an elderly lady) makes for a memorable storyteller and her 8 Lives cover a rich tapestry of Korean history during WW2, the Korean War and its immediate aftermath.
Indeed it’s testimony to the tales she spins that I would love to learn more of her (alleged) activities as a spy in the four decades from 1961 to 2005, as it would have become gradually clear to even a North Korean spy how much better life was for people in the capitalist South vs. the Juche-system in the North
From the author’s afterword, some of the piece were originally separate short stories. As a novel, however, they cohere well, and the slightly gratuitous non-linear presentation of the stories (5th, 1st, 3rd, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th) aside, this makes for a straightforward if enjoyable read. Indeed I would have preferred (cf White Nights on the International Booker) to have more for the reader to puzzle out. Read back-to-back rather than separately, there is also a significant amount of repetition of anecdotes between some of the stories, and I think tighter editing would have made this a better (and shorter) novel.
Nevertheless an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.
April 17, 2024
3.5 stars
May 9, 2023
Engrossing and rich in historical detail but so very tough in parts — especially the sex slavery during war time and the patriarchal physical abuse in childhood. This book was hard for me to read at times - I had to give myself breaks due to the intensity of subject matter.
August 21, 2023
A great read. I wrote about it for The Historical Novels Review:
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...
March 11, 2024
You had a story, right. But what about the structure? Having a frame and numbering the chapters ain’t called a structure, I regret to inform.
April 10, 2024
3.5⭐️ rounded up
April 26, 2024
Cum se poate să mă distrugă o carte în așa fel, să nu mai știu ce să fac cu viața mea după?!
Nu pot găsi cuvintele care să se potrivească cu acestă ficțiune istorică despre Coreea de Nord. Devine cu atât mai greu când descoperi că ce ți-a fost dat să trăiești, e în fapt realitatea.
Mi-a fost dificil să deslușesc cine nara la începutul fiecărei vieții, deși pare ilogic, însă când vă veți afla în postura mea, veți înțelege pe deplin. Autoarea a narat cu atâta putere, încât de multe ori simțeam că mi se adresează mie.
Finalul m-a copleșit, am stat zeci de minute să diger și să conștientizez că s-a terminat. Aș fi prelungit-o la nesfârșit dacă mă credeți.
Aș intra mai mult în profunzimea ei, dar mă rezum la a v-o recomanda cu toată puterea.
5⭐️
Nu pot găsi cuvintele care să se potrivească cu acestă ficțiune istorică despre Coreea de Nord. Devine cu atât mai greu când descoperi că ce ți-a fost dat să trăiești, e în fapt realitatea.
Mi-a fost dificil să deslușesc cine nara la începutul fiecărei vieții, deși pare ilogic, însă când vă veți afla în postura mea, veți înțelege pe deplin. Autoarea a narat cu atâta putere, încât de multe ori simțeam că mi se adresează mie.
Finalul m-a copleșit, am stat zeci de minute să diger și să conștientizez că s-a terminat. Aș fi prelungit-o la nesfârșit dacă mă credeți.
Aș intra mai mult în profunzimea ei, dar mă rezum la a v-o recomanda cu toată puterea.
5⭐️
April 23, 2024
I was attracted to 8 Lives of A Century-Old Trickster, Mirinae Lee's debut novel, by its blurb: an elderly woman, Ms Mook, who is living in a nursing home in the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea, tells the stories of her eight unbelievable lives. It turns out, as other reviewers have noted, that this novel has been patched together from five previously published short stories, with two others, plus this framing narrative, added to pull it together. Unfortunately, I could really see the traces of these stories' origins, which made 8 Lives feel repetitive and unsatisfying, despite some strong sections. We hear about the 'comfort women' forced into working in a Japanese brothel in Indonesia during the Second World War; a child who poisons her abusive father in North Korea in the 1930s; and a young North Korean woman who flees to China post-war and seeks help from an American pastor. The stand-out for me was 'Me, Myself and Mole', set in 1955: a North Korean man's wife returns after the war, having been kidnapped by Japanese soldiers, but he slowly realises that she is not who she seems to be. This sets up a wider theme of double lives and deception that runs throughout the novel. But you can still see the joins. Later stories spell out too clearly what happened in earlier stories, and Lee ultimately tells us how all these stories fit together, even though it was pretty obvious to me by the midpoint. (The chronology, however, is still off: Ms Mook claims to be nearly a hundred years old but this doesn't seem to line up, particularly with her adopted daughter's timeline; trouble is, Lee doesn't handle this confidently enough to make it clear whether this is another of Ms Mook's inventions or fuzzy maths.) This isn't a bad novel, but I don't think it belongs on prize lists. 3.5 stars.
May 21, 2025
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦…𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦.”
A tour de force that spans time and place through the complicated displacement of a woman who has lived more lives than most during a complicated time of Korea. Rich, engrossing, and never stops, never allowing you to take hold of your breath.
A novel in scattered parts. Its one part plays on the reliability of narration and another part uncovering forgotten history. And you wonder, what is actual? What is embellishment? What is lie? What is fact? But at the core of any good story, we realize, truth speaks forward. Truth is what we live for. And can we come out of it all as honest folks?
*The perfect book to pull you out of a reading slump.
A tour de force that spans time and place through the complicated displacement of a woman who has lived more lives than most during a complicated time of Korea. Rich, engrossing, and never stops, never allowing you to take hold of your breath.
A novel in scattered parts. Its one part plays on the reliability of narration and another part uncovering forgotten history. And you wonder, what is actual? What is embellishment? What is lie? What is fact? But at the core of any good story, we realize, truth speaks forward. Truth is what we live for. And can we come out of it all as honest folks?
*The perfect book to pull you out of a reading slump.
June 17, 2024
The main focus of this Historical Fiction was survival. I could also argue it was identity.
I went into the "8 Lives of a Centyry-Old Trickster" knowing little and my reading experience was so rewarding.
I find myself in one of those situations in wich a book spoke so eloquently to me, that I fell I am left with no words of my own to add on to its beauty.
You can now support my passion for books with a small donation here https://ko-fi.com/mariareadssff
I went into the "8 Lives of a Centyry-Old Trickster" knowing little and my reading experience was so rewarding.
I find myself in one of those situations in wich a book spoke so eloquently to me, that I fell I am left with no words of my own to add on to its beauty.
You can now support my passion for books with a small donation here https://ko-fi.com/mariareadssff
March 17, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up? My favorite of the Women’s Prize Longlist so far.
I’d never in a hundred years have guessed this was originally a set of short stories. I’d never have guessed it was inspired by a real person.
This book took me through all the emotions. I feel like I’ve just come back from a journey.
I thought the writing was solid. The characters, Ms. Mook especially full of life. I loved the framing of the story.
I will add: that there is a lot to struggle with in this book. It is told from the perspective of a North Korean Woman who lived through the Japanese occupation in WWII, followed not long after by the Korean War, and then of course the communist state it is still in today. Several chapters talk about the Comfort Women on both the Japanese and American sides. There are several chapters where rape is prominent in the book.
And though it begins rather dark, it ended rather hopeful. Sad, but hopeful.
Absolutely would read more from this author again.
I’d never in a hundred years have guessed this was originally a set of short stories. I’d never have guessed it was inspired by a real person.
This book took me through all the emotions. I feel like I’ve just come back from a journey.
I thought the writing was solid. The characters, Ms. Mook especially full of life. I loved the framing of the story.
I will add: that there is a lot to struggle with in this book. It is told from the perspective of a North Korean Woman who lived through the Japanese occupation in WWII, followed not long after by the Korean War, and then of course the communist state it is still in today. Several chapters talk about the Comfort Women on both the Japanese and American sides. There are several chapters where rape is prominent in the book.
And though it begins rather dark, it ended rather hopeful. Sad, but hopeful.
Absolutely would read more from this author again.
July 19, 2023
Recounting your almost a century of your life is a great feat and would turn some heads to your astounding story. 8 lives of a century old trickster is a story of identity and struggles, the horrendous war and the tribulations faced by a woman in the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea. An old woman, a trickster people called her in the nursing home told her stories to a middle aged obituarist whom recently gotten a divorce from her ex-husband. She told about her stories, her 8 lives as a daughter, murderer, a friend, a spy, a mother and many others. You couldnt even know if the lives she told were real or invented as she said only she knew the truth. The lives she went through were horrifying, scary, harsh and lonely.
This was a very heavy read, one that you cannot take lightly for how brutal the whole things are. A poignant, heartbreaking and wondrous account of Ms Mook whom we dont even know if its her real name or not
What I like about this book is the captivating stories we get with each lives told in these pages. It was fascinating but also triggering especially on the 4th lives about the sex slavery or most known as the comfort women stories during the Korean war with Japanese. I was enraged and horrified by how extremely depraved the mind of these soldiers to commit such heinous acts to these innocent women. Please beware of this particularly cuz it treat this history with no blemishes but giving you the truth of what did occured in the war as we know that Japanese government still tried to cover up this monstrous event till this day.
Although, the story can get confusing due to the non-linear timeline approach the author used in the beginning but it then does follow the timeline in the end. One complaint I want to make is the lack of distinction between the voices of the characters, most of them sounds similar so you will get confused of who is the one narrating. But im still impressed with this debut, it gave me glimpses of the ravaging war, the history and how North Koreans survived on their own methods.
This was a very heavy read, one that you cannot take lightly for how brutal the whole things are. A poignant, heartbreaking and wondrous account of Ms Mook whom we dont even know if its her real name or not
What I like about this book is the captivating stories we get with each lives told in these pages. It was fascinating but also triggering especially on the 4th lives about the sex slavery or most known as the comfort women stories during the Korean war with Japanese. I was enraged and horrified by how extremely depraved the mind of these soldiers to commit such heinous acts to these innocent women. Please beware of this particularly cuz it treat this history with no blemishes but giving you the truth of what did occured in the war as we know that Japanese government still tried to cover up this monstrous event till this day.
Although, the story can get confusing due to the non-linear timeline approach the author used in the beginning but it then does follow the timeline in the end. One complaint I want to make is the lack of distinction between the voices of the characters, most of them sounds similar so you will get confused of who is the one narrating. But im still impressed with this debut, it gave me glimpses of the ravaging war, the history and how North Koreans survived on their own methods.
January 12, 2024
Sapete quando un libro attira magicamente l'attenzione? Questo è ciò che è successo con questo romanzo. Amore a prima vista.
Mook Miran (sarà questo il suo vero nome?) è una donna quasi centenaria che ha vissuto molte vite e che probabilmente pensava di portare la sua memoria con sé nella tomba. Un giorno però un'impiegata della casa di riposo in cui si trova a vivere i suoi ultimi anni le chiede di utilizzare tre parole per riassumere la sua vita in modo da riportarle in un necrologio. La donna però di parole ne ha otto, come le vite che lei ha vissuto, e da qui inizia a raccontare quella che sarà la sua autobiografia.
È un romanzo coinvolgente, vero, appassionante, misterioso ma soprattutto indimenticabile. Il lettore viene trascinato nella vita di questa donna, nei suoi momenti più significativi, e si lascia travolgere dalle emozioni, dalle situazioni da lei vissute e dai vari colpi di scena. Ogni vita ha un capitolo a sé ma tutte sono collegate da un filo invisibile che accompagna il lettore fino all'insospettabile ma degno finale.
Segnalato come una delle migliori uscite di questo 2024 ha mantenuto le premesse e si classifica fra i "must read" dell'anno. Da leggere assolutamente.
Mook Miran (sarà questo il suo vero nome?) è una donna quasi centenaria che ha vissuto molte vite e che probabilmente pensava di portare la sua memoria con sé nella tomba. Un giorno però un'impiegata della casa di riposo in cui si trova a vivere i suoi ultimi anni le chiede di utilizzare tre parole per riassumere la sua vita in modo da riportarle in un necrologio. La donna però di parole ne ha otto, come le vite che lei ha vissuto, e da qui inizia a raccontare quella che sarà la sua autobiografia.
È un romanzo coinvolgente, vero, appassionante, misterioso ma soprattutto indimenticabile. Il lettore viene trascinato nella vita di questa donna, nei suoi momenti più significativi, e si lascia travolgere dalle emozioni, dalle situazioni da lei vissute e dai vari colpi di scena. Ogni vita ha un capitolo a sé ma tutte sono collegate da un filo invisibile che accompagna il lettore fino all'insospettabile ma degno finale.
Segnalato come una delle migliori uscite di questo 2024 ha mantenuto le premesse e si classifica fra i "must read" dell'anno. Da leggere assolutamente.
May 20, 2023
I won this book in a giveaway, and I really really wanted to like it. I ended up not finishing it with only 100 pages left cause I just couldn't muster the interest.
This reads more like an anthology, rather than a recounting of someone's life as the framing device suggests. The writing style changes from story to story and it is not necessarily in chronological order which also threw me off. One of the stories doesn't even focus on the woman herself and focuses on her daughter.
There are good stories here. "Bring Down the House" is a great one talking about a piece of history oftentimes not discussed, and "Me, Myself, and Mole" is really sweet and moving. The pieces are good, but the sum of their parts is less as it doesn't seem to align with what the book reports to be, a woman describing her life to another woman.
This reads more like an anthology, rather than a recounting of someone's life as the framing device suggests. The writing style changes from story to story and it is not necessarily in chronological order which also threw me off. One of the stories doesn't even focus on the woman herself and focuses on her daughter.
There are good stories here. "Bring Down the House" is a great one talking about a piece of history oftentimes not discussed, and "Me, Myself, and Mole" is really sweet and moving. The pieces are good, but the sum of their parts is less as it doesn't seem to align with what the book reports to be, a woman describing her life to another woman.
May 10, 2024
Ms. Mook is a living at the Golden Sunset home in South Korea. She is almost one hundred years old and was born in North Korea. A recently divorced woman writes the life stories of the retirement home residents, which then serve as an obituary upon their deaths. The journalist interviews Ms. Mook and learns that she has lived eight lives, including slave, escape artist, murderer, terrorist, spy, lover and mother.
Each chapter explores a different role in Ms. Mook’s life. They are told in non-linear order depending on which life the interviewer selects. Ms. Mook have lived through a wide swath of history covering the majority of the twentieth century. War and violence have taken a toll such that Ms. Mook has had to adapt to the point of figuratively shapeshifting into the trickster of the title. Elements of magical realism are scattered throughout.
This book relates modern Korean history from the standpoint of one who survived. It is beautifully written. The storytelling aspect is particularly appealing to me. It is very dark in places but also contains elements of hope and even joy, which represents a full life and range of emotions. This story is based on the author’s great aunt, who escaped from North Korea. It is an impressive debut.
Each chapter explores a different role in Ms. Mook’s life. They are told in non-linear order depending on which life the interviewer selects. Ms. Mook have lived through a wide swath of history covering the majority of the twentieth century. War and violence have taken a toll such that Ms. Mook has had to adapt to the point of figuratively shapeshifting into the trickster of the title. Elements of magical realism are scattered throughout.
This book relates modern Korean history from the standpoint of one who survived. It is beautifully written. The storytelling aspect is particularly appealing to me. It is very dark in places but also contains elements of hope and even joy, which represents a full life and range of emotions. This story is based on the author’s great aunt, who escaped from North Korea. It is an impressive debut.
January 23, 2024
Quando un libro ti è piaciuto si sente il bisogno di dirlo a tutti e quindi: È BELLISSIMO.
Un’impiegata di una casa di riposo chiede ai residenti di descrivere la propria vita in tre semplici parole. Ma per la signora Mook tre è un numero troppo basso. A lei ne servono otto di parole. Otto come le vite che ha vissuto.
Le otto vite di una centenaria senza nome di Mirinae Lee è un vero gioiellino che apre delle finestrelle, a me sconosciute, sulla seconda guerra mondiale in Asia e sulla guerra di Corea.
La scelta simbolistica della finestrella non è casuale: i singoli capitoli rimangono aperti su un arco temporale limitato, per poche pagine, ma lasciano fluire molte emozioni e nozioni. Proprio come una finestra.
L’inizio mi ha destabilizzato perché non capivo bene come le differenti vite riuscissero a collegarsi tra di loro. Piano piano si entra nel meccanismo di narrazione e si rimane affascinati e anche provati dagli avvenimenti raccontati.
Le otto vite di una centenaria senza nome è un libro pregno di sofferenza ma anche di azione e di emozioni. È un libro completo. Diretto. Un libro bellissimo da non lasciarsi scappare.
Puoi trovare questa e altre recensioni sul mio profilo Instagram “I libri di Dede” www.instagram.com/ilibrididede o sul mio blog/sito www.ilibrididede.it 📚
Se non vuoi perderti neanche una recensione c’è anche il canale telegram: https://t.me/ilibrididede
Mi è stata inviata una copia gratuita di questo libro da parte della casa editrice che ringrazio.
Un’impiegata di una casa di riposo chiede ai residenti di descrivere la propria vita in tre semplici parole. Ma per la signora Mook tre è un numero troppo basso. A lei ne servono otto di parole. Otto come le vite che ha vissuto.
Le otto vite di una centenaria senza nome di Mirinae Lee è un vero gioiellino che apre delle finestrelle, a me sconosciute, sulla seconda guerra mondiale in Asia e sulla guerra di Corea.
La scelta simbolistica della finestrella non è casuale: i singoli capitoli rimangono aperti su un arco temporale limitato, per poche pagine, ma lasciano fluire molte emozioni e nozioni. Proprio come una finestra.
L’inizio mi ha destabilizzato perché non capivo bene come le differenti vite riuscissero a collegarsi tra di loro. Piano piano si entra nel meccanismo di narrazione e si rimane affascinati e anche provati dagli avvenimenti raccontati.
Le otto vite di una centenaria senza nome è un libro pregno di sofferenza ma anche di azione e di emozioni. È un libro completo. Diretto. Un libro bellissimo da non lasciarsi scappare.
Puoi trovare questa e altre recensioni sul mio profilo Instagram “I libri di Dede” www.instagram.com/ilibrididede o sul mio blog/sito www.ilibrididede.it 📚
Se non vuoi perderti neanche una recensione c’è anche il canale telegram: https://t.me/ilibrididede
Mi è stata inviata una copia gratuita di questo libro da parte della casa editrice che ringrazio.
August 9, 2023
My reading time for this book is so skewed because I started it during ground school and it's the kind of book that demands all of your attention or you're just not going to get anything out of it.
This is a stunning read, while also being absolutely heartbreaking and brutal at times. I loved each life and it was fascinating to get to the end and see how everything connects. This may not be your summer read, we're discussing some hard topics in here, but if you enjoyed stories like Pachinko and The Vanishing Half, I think you might like this one too.
This is a stunning read, while also being absolutely heartbreaking and brutal at times. I loved each life and it was fascinating to get to the end and see how everything connects. This may not be your summer read, we're discussing some hard topics in here, but if you enjoyed stories like Pachinko and The Vanishing Half, I think you might like this one too.
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