Land of the Morning Storm [Paperback]

Barry Briggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2000

Korea, June 1950. The "Land of the Morning Calm," freed at last from three and a half decades of Japanese colonial oppression, enjoys the fruits of peace and independence. In the southern countryside a small village celebrates its patriarch's sixtieth birthday, marking, according to tradition, his passage into old age. In the ancient capital of Seoul an American military advisor pursues his secret, reluctant Korean lover. And just to the north, just above a strange, arbitrary line called the 38th Parallel, a great army, well trained and equipped with Russian-made tanks, prepares in stealth for what its Communist commanders hope will be a brief and glorious war of liberation. "Like a shrimp caught between whales:" so Koreans describe the horrific events that followed. For, seeing their own national interests threatened, the great powers-the United States, Soviet Union, and China-transformed Korea into their bloody and tragic battleground. On this fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War, Land of the Morning Storm, presents the epic story of women and men, great and ordinary, powerful and powerless, Korean and American, caught up in this frothing, brutal maelstrom.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barry Briggs makes his home in suburban Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595096034
• ISBN-13: 978-0595096039
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,222,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, leave you wanting more!, December 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Land of the Morning Storm (Paperback)

Make no mistake about it, this is an incredibly tender love story set in the midst of a brutual war. As the Korean Communist North sweeps South, so does the emotions of the reader. The story is masterfully written depicting how the war challenged not only the love between a man and a woman, but also brother for brother and people for its country. This novel has all the makings of an Academy Award winning film!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't regret it!, November 12, 2000

By 

Chiwan Kim (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Land of the Morning Storm (Paperback)

To allow this year to pass without reading Land of the Morning Storm is to allow the 20th century to have passed without having read Gone With the Wind. This is an intimate story of the Korean War: the war that made Korean and American children, women and grown men alike, cry, then and now still. May God have mercy that no one will have to face what two brothers, two lovers and two leaders of the world faced in this saga of the forgotten war.

5.0 out of 5 stars An undisputed winner!, March 23, 2001

By 

Eric Kuehnapfel (Natick, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Land of the Morning Storm (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Barry Briggs' "Land of the Morning Storm". What a delightful surprise this novel is! No where in our cultural media is there a comparable epic story about such a defining moment in the cold war history of the twentieth century. It's hard to believe the Korean War has never been explored so theatrically before this novel's recent publication. Beyond the satire of M.A.S.H. (and maybe Sinatra's unusual role in "The Manchurian Candidate") few truly dramatic stories have delved into this fertile ground of civil upheaval and political chess playing. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a thrilling story that rings true with historical detail, and which also remains altogether relevant to this day.

The story of "Land of the Morning Storm" revolves around a patriarchal family in a remote South Korean village that is torn apart by the North Korean invasion. With echoes of our own civil war as a common thread - i.e., confused ideologies, brother-fighting-against-brother, etc. - the story quickly weaves into a giant tapestry of secret love and strained loyalties, local rivalry and international strategy, tearful partings and bittersweet reunions, all centered around the incredible journey of the protagonist, American Captain "Hay" Alexander, and his Korean lover/wife, Kyong-ee. Think of the war scenes in "Gone with the Wind" with the gripping travails of "Cold Mountain" and you begin to get the picture. I must admit my favorite scenes are those that reveal the inner workings of the big political players, from the rebel-turned-dictator, Kim Il-Sung, to the legendary and brilliant General Douglas MacArthur and his strained relations with President Eisenhower. History is always more enjoyable when it's woven into a good story, and those that cleverly contrast events between the powerful and meek are always the most entertaining, as this novel illustrates.

I heartily recommend this book. Mr. Briggs has tapped into a neglected treasure trove of wartime drama that begs to be filmed for the big screen. This is an undisputed winner!