I picked this up off the NEW shelves at the library, mostly because it was in translation from Korean, and also because it starts off in North Korea, a place I know almost nothing about.

Bari is born an unwanted seventh daughter. Shortly after her birth, her mother discards her, only to be rescued by her grandmother (and the family dog.) Her grandmother then names her Bari after the Korean legend of Princess Bari -- who is also discarded and unwanted.

Bari grows up with some spiritual powers, but it isn't until North Korea collapses into famine and death and Bari escapes to China that her life starts to follow the Princess's legend. Even China isn't safe for long, and she escapes again, this time on a cargo ship transporting undocumented immigrants. Not everyone survives the journey, but when Bari arrives in London, she uses her mysterious spiritual powers combined with the skills she has picked up as a foot masseuse to eek out a living, but also to bring comfort (both body and soul) to those she encounters.

It's a story of immigration, suffering, and survival. I found the ending a bit abrupt, but I did appreciate and take to heart much of what the book said about immigration and fear and the things we let divide us. ( )

I received Princess Bari from the early reviewers library thing program. It was recently translated from Korean to English. It follows Bari, a North Korean girl as she grows up in the 90s along the Korean/chinese border. As one of 7 girls her family goes through a lot of hardship including when Bari is smuggled to England by human traffickers. Much of the book centers around her clairvoyant gifts through dreams. I tend to skim these kinds of passages but it is such a big part of the book I had to pay attention more. It flirts on the edge of magical realism (not my thing), but nothing out of the ordinary happens because of her dreams. I appreciated getting a better understanding of the tensions between North Korea and China through their day-to-day lives as well as how Bari makes her new life in England a success. ( )

I think this book is a translation, but my copy has no info on a translator or it being translated. The author is a very well-known and highly regarded Korean author, so I wouldn't expect him to be writing in English, but no info???
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This novel brings the old Korean legend of Princess Bari--"an abandoned princess traveling to the ends of the Earth to find the elixir that will bring peace to the souls of the dead"--into the modern world. I am unfamiliar with the traditional tale, though now I really want to read some version of it. I enjoy these types of novels (The Snow Child is another).

I enjoyed this story, it seems so far-fetched, yet I know it really is not. The famine in North Korea was real. People do survive being smuggled on container ships, probably way more often than most people realize. There really is a network of illegal immigrants--often victims of human trafficking--in London as elsewhere.

Bari is the 7th daughter of a couple in North Korea. She has a happy childhood until her world begins to fall apart during the famine in North Korea. Her family splits apart--her father is taken away, her oldest sister flees to China, and Bari goes with one of her sisters and her grandmother and dear dog to China. They hide in the woods and help a farm family, who also keeps their dog. Her sister dies of hunger and cold. Her grandmother dies of old age, and Bari goes to a city where she makes friends with a couple. She and the wife eventually manage to survive a smuggling to England. There she uses her skills as a foot masseuse (learned in China) and seer-like abilities to pay off her smuggling debt and build a client list. She marries and has a daughter, but is not done with her suffering. ( )

I enjoyed the fairy tale quality to it, and I learned a little about life in North Korea, which I knew nothing about. However, it meandered at times, and I hated the way it ended. ( )

Several of Hwang Sok-Yong's works have now been translated into English (with more to come), but Hwang's novel Princess Bari is the first that I have had the opportunity to read. However, considering the strength of the novel and the deep impression it left, I do suspect that it won't be the last of the author's works that I'll pick up.

Princess Bari follows the life of Bari, a young woman born in North Korea who escapes to China as a child and who is later smuggled into England. In part, the novel is also a sort of contemporary re-imagining of the Korean myth of Princess Bari. The story of Bari's legendary namesake both parallels and is entwined with her own. I particularly appreciated this incorporation of mythology into the narrative structure and framework of the novel as a whole as well as in its smaller details.

Princess Bari is an engrossing read, but it is certainly not a light one. Bari's life and the lives of so many of those around her are filled with tragedy. Hwang doesn't shy away from portraying the unfairness, misery, and suffering present in the modern world. The novel is a well-crafted and compelling work, but it can be very hard-hitting as well. ( )