Hwang Bo-reumReseñas

In a Nutshell: An ode to books and the power they have on us. A bit too optimistic and preachy at times, but if you can handle slow-paced, character-oriented fiction focussed on an indie bookstore and the characters within, this Korean translation is a good option.

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Story Synopsis:

Yeong-ju has abandoned her old life, which involved doing all things as dictated by her family and the society, and followed her dreams by setting up a bookshop in an old-fashioned neighbourhood in Seoul. She knows nothing about running an indie bookstore, but learns along the way.
The story depicts Yeong-ju’s journey towards inner peace and business success, while also focussing on the other people around her – her employees, business partners, associate authors, and customers – and their personal journeys of self-discovery.
The story is written in the third person perspective of various characters, but comes primarily through Yeong-ju’s eyes.

Bookish Yays:

For me, absolutely delightful and just what I needed. I've been enjoying the bookshop/library fiction that's come out lately, for example Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and What You Are Looking for Is in the Library, and this was another comforting entry in the genre. It probably won't work for everybody, but if you are feeling tired and run down and want to see other people caring for themselves and others in quiet, nourishing ways, I'd recommend this.½

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop surprised me. Because of the way it started I was expecting a slightly twee book about books but it turned out to be a comforting story about finding inner peace and living with empathy and self-acceptance.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop follows Yeongju as she is running a bookshop she started after getting a divorce. It is a little slice-of-life book that looks into her life, as well as the lives of her friends and employees.

Each chapter, in its own way, is a memory sandwich: a little bit of present day, a little bit of memory, and a little bit more present day. I really liked this formatting, as it seemed to fit the slice-of-life aspect quite well by slowing down the plot in order to look at the daily lives of the characters. To a certain extent, I think this book celebrates mundanity: all of the characters are now living their lives in a completely different way than what they had initially dreamed and they are no longer pursuing grand plans, just looking to see the good in life as it is right now.

I did think however, that this book was somewhat hard to get into and continue to pick up. It didn't seem like we really saw WHY we were looking at these character's lives until the very end, and I wish we had gotten that right at the beginning. It was almost a little too slow, or about a hundred pages too long, which made it difficult to keep reading.

This book was a recomendation from Instagram. I recently retired from I very stressfull job. Every chapter in this book had a message for me. It made me think about my life and the decisons I made and how those decisions affected my life. There is something for everyone in this book.

“As if trying her best to mend a broken friendship from her childhood, she immersed herself into the books, day and night, never leaving their side. It didn’t take long for their treasured relationship to rekindle. The books welcomed her back with open arms without judging the person she’d become, and accepted her for who she was.”

In the wake of her divorce and burned out from a demanding career, Yeongju, a woman in her mid-late thirties, decides to make a fresh start and pursues her dream of owning a bookshop. Being surrounded by her favorite books and the responsibility of running her own business gradually prompted her to embark on a journey of healing and self-acceptance. It’s not an easy road and there will be moments of self-doubt, the stress of running an independent bookshop and unresolved past trauma but along the way, she meets several people who will become an integral part of her daily life – peers, colleagues, friends –those who look to her for inspiration and from whom she receives kindness and support enabling her to effect positive changes in her life.

"Isn’t that what life is about? Forging forward with the answer you have – stumbling along the way and picking yourself up – only to one day realise that the answer you’ve held on to for a long time is not the right one. When that happens, it’s time to look for the next answer. That’s how ordinary folks, like herself, live. Over our life span, the right answer will keep changing.”

I found Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum (translated by Shanna Tan) to be an insightful, charming and thought-provoking read. There is no doubt of how avid readers feel about the role of books in their lives. A bookshop is a haven for book lovers and The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is no exception. I loved how the author tackles the theme of second chances, not only in terms of one’s career trajectory but also in terms of relationships. The characters and their struggles are real and relatable. Topics such as divorce, job satisfaction and career choices, loneliness and depression are addressed with compassion, wisdom and maturity. From a teenager on the cusp of adulthood to weary adults searching for direction everyone else in between, Yeongju’s bookshop provides a sense of security, belongingness and community– whether one wants to sit with a favorite book or in a corner pondering over life or share confidences over a cup of coffee. I thoroughly enjoyed the segments on the daily activities involved in running a bookshop as well as the book references mentioned throughout the narrative. It was a joy to read about Yeongju’s love for books, her courage to start over and how she inspires others to effect change in their lives in the course of her own transformative journey of healing and self-renewal.

The narrative does suffer from minor repetitiveness but this does not detract from the overall reading experience. The pace is on the slower side, but this suits the nature of the story. Overall, this is a beautifully penned novel that needs to be read with time and patience.

“Every one of us is like an island; alone and lonely. It's not a bad thing. Solitude sets us free, just as loneliness brings depth to our lives.”

Many thanks to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Feel good fiction has become a trend over recent years (no prizes for guessing why). For me, the bonus has been getting some great stories translated into English. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop has been translated from the Korean, and is a story about a neighbourhood bookshop, its owner, staff and customers. It’s a surprisingly deep story at times as the characters grapple with not meeting the standards of the status quo.

Yeongju is the owner, who left her life and marriage after burnout. She dreamed of opening a bookshop, and she did in a part of Seoul. For the first few months, she’s lost and not sure what to do. Then she takes on Minjun, a barista who also hasn’t followed the life plotted for him. Between them, they work to their strengths and build up the bookshop, drawing in customers. They make friends with their local coffee bean supplier, customers and even authors. As the story continues, they each learn lessons in how to trust themselves and their life path. The story is told almost like a selection of short stories at times, jumping from Yeongju to Minyun and the customers as the focus. It’s almost like ‘the issues with opening a bookshop’ at times. As the novel continues, the flow becomes better and ties into the characters’ pasts and gives them a life outside the bookshop walls. It discusses the relentless slog of study (school and university) and then work, followed by promotion and overtime and repeat. These characters have changed that expectation in multiple ways – from burn out to never being one of the chosen ones to rejecting it entirely. This is handled exceptionally well, with great sensitivity and in practical terms. The story normalises that it’s okay to be different and not to follow the same path as everyone else.

I did find the start of the book a bit stilted and kind of wondered what the point was, but in retrospect it is setting the scene before we get into the characters’ stories. The latter half is more emotional and ‘alive’ as it all comes together. It’s a sweet story with depth that increases over time. At times, it’s a little heavy handed in its declarations, but at other times it states the characters’ issues so eloquently and separates out the causative factors with a lot of insight. It’s happy, it’s sad and it also reflects the day to day life of ordinary people. I enjoyed it overall – initially for the gentle pace, then for the insight into the characters working through their problems.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

This was a gentle book, comprised of short little vignettes or essays about the bookshop owner, her friends, and her employee. In addition to insights into how the bookshop affects the lives of those in the community, this book also contains little snippets of philosophies about reading, authors, books, people, and life in general. This book is best enjoyed in small bites, with time to think about each segment before moving on.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Ugh. Didn’t even finish this one. Got halfway through before quitting on it.
It’s like watching a Korean show: all over the place, dialogue is choppy, plot is just nonexistent, characters are bizarre, and it feels more like this book intends to be a life lesson sort of thing and…well, it’s just really boring.
Not a great end/start of the year, so it can only get better from here. On to something else!½

I needed a quiet book while I was struggling with a head cold and this sounded like one that may work. In some ways, it may have been too quiet - it is not a long book and it is not a very complicated one but it was still slowing me down - and I do not think it was just the head cold.

A young woman leaves her corporate job and opens a bookstore. A young man, unable to find a corporate job, get hired as a barista in the same bookstore. That is all we know at the start of the novel - and that is all we need. On the surface it is a story about the healing power of books and bookstores and language. But it is also a story about expectations and the Korean way of life - and while some elements of it are not exactly condemned, it gets close to it.

The writing sounds clumsy in places and I am pretty sure it is not the translation (or just the translation) - there are parts that sound almost like a B-rated K-drama. Maybe they were intentional - some of the elements which were new and interesting to a reader like me are probably a part of the normal day in Korea. And I suspect that some of the intent remained untranslated and untranslatable - there is so much Korean normal life in the novel that it will require another book to explain some of it.

By the end, I was charmed by the novel. Its quietness could be occasionally annoying while reading it but it all works out. It all closes too neatly - it is a novel about choices and finding your own way but it is also about hope and about connections and friendship. And love - even if I found these parts to be the least believable or even needed, they do add to the narrative.

Yeongju has lived her life according to convention but after stress caused her to rethink she got divorced and opened a bookshop in a residential area of Seoul. At first Yeongju's demeanour puts off customers but her love for books shines through and the bookshop starts to thrive. A close group of friends emerges - the barista who has never had a permanent job, the gruff reviewer, the mother and son both at odds, the coffee roaster - and as the shop flourishes Yeongju finds that her heart may be open to more.
This is am wonderfully calming and gentle book. It is essentially a treatise on how to think about life differently rather than the endless treadmill of working hard for someone else. There is a love of literature and language that shines throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Ich bin Buchliebhaber mit einer großen Bibliothek, aber kein handelsüblicher Leser von Buchhandlungsromanen, die es heute wohl gibt. Ich bin gerne in Buchhandlungen und Büchereien, größeren und kleinen Bibliotheken. Ich stöbere durch neuen Lesestoff, blättere mal hier mal da und mag Nachdenken über Geschriebenes, seien es Romane oder Sachbücher. Ich lese hier: „Eine gute Geschichte war für Yeong-ju eine Geschichte, die sich an einen Ort entführte, den sie nicht erwartet hätte…dass es nichts Tragischeres gebe, als im Leben seine Liebe zu verpassen.“

Vielen Leuten fällt es schwer, ein Buch zu empfehlen, so auch Yeong-ju anfänglich. Sie versucht gleich zu Beginn „Der Fänger von Roggen“ (J.D.Salinger) an den Mann zu bringen, also an einen Kunden. Es wird einem dabei nicht schwindlig ob der Liebe und Spannung, sondern man liest einfache Gedanken von einem Jungen, sagt sie. Sehr interessant! Was denkt der Junge denn, fragt der potentielle Käufer. „Es sind Gedanken über die Welt aus Sicht eines Kindes. Über die Schule, Lehrer, Freunde, Eltern…“ Der Käufer entschließt sich für ein anderes Buch.

Wie also hätte sich die Protagonistin bzw. Buchhändlerin richtig verhalten sollen? Wir lesen in dem Buch ihren Gedanken bzw. Fragen für zukünftige Empfehlungsgespräche: „Welches Buch, das Sie zuletzt gelesen haben, hat Ihnen gefallen? Was beschäftigt Sie im Augenblick besonders?“ Aber auch dann ist es schwer, jemandem ein Buch zu empfehlen, so ihre Gedanken. In der Folge redet sie, stellt Fragen und empfiehlt. Ihr Denken kreist um die Definition von guten Büchern, was machte eines aus?: „Ein Buch, das vom Leben erzählt. Nicht einfach nur so, sondern mit ehrlichem und tiefgehendem Blick.“

Wir sind also mitten im anspruchsvollen Denken und Handeln einer Buchhändlerin, ähnlich unspektakulär wie das Buch „Die Fänger von Roggen.“ Mir hat jede einzelne Seite gefallen und weiter gebracht, ein sehr gelungenes Buch über das Konzept einer Buchhandlung und Menschen, die sich hier treffen. Über Buchempfehlungen und ihre Inhalte, über Sorgen und Nöte der Besucher, ein zutiefst menschliches Buch über die Frage, was eine Buchhandlung am Leben hält.

Tatäschlich hatte ich selbst mal eine Buchhandlung, die ich als Hobby und Zuschussbetrieb mehr schlecht als recht führte. Ich erinnere mich an einen Besucher aus Amerika, der seinen Kopf hereinstreckte und danach fragte, ob wir einen Krimi hätten mit einem Mord in einer Buchhandlung. Er sei auf der ganzen Welt nach diesen Geschichten unterwegs. Tja, man ist baff über Fragen, die einen hier treffen und das Problem, was man jemandem empfiehlt und was dem anderen hilft, ist die schwierigste überhaupt. Kafka hat die Frage nach einem hilfreichen Buch so beantwortet: "Es ist die Axt für das gefrorene Meer in Dir." In diesem Sinne würde ich ein Buch empfehlen, dessen Inhalt helfen kann, jedem! Seine Anleitung fürs Leben geht so:

"Den Mut wie eine Flamme vor sich tragen,
nichts fürchten und nichts unmöglich nennen,
keinen Menschen hassen, nur seinen Irrtum meiden,
alle Menschen lieben, aber das Vertrauen vorsichtig und weise verteilen."
(Unfug des Lebens und des Sterbens, von Prentice Mulford)

After quitting a stressful corporate job and getting a divorce, Yeongju opens a small book store in Seoul, thinking it will be a temporary project. Her depression prevents her from presenting a welcoming place at first, but then customers, staff, and volunteers become a supportive community and Yeongju begins to put effort into making her shop a lasting success. This is a quiet novel that is a testament to the power of bookstores and reading not only for emotional wellbeing, but also for enhancing relationships of all kinds.