The tumultuous history of Korea unfolds in this compelling story of a young woman's search for her family roots--and her own sense of identity. In her journeys, she discovers a legacy left behind by the noble clan from which she is descended--a temple erected by her great-grandfather in defiance of centuries of invasions against Korea, and the one thousand chestnut trees that shield it from view?
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Amazon.com Review
How best to prepare for a trip to Korea? Forget the kimchi experiments and immerse yourself in a novel that's thick with the people, the history, and the feel of Korea. Mira Stout's protagonist is Anna (based loosely on Stout herself), a young artist who lives in New York and feels lost. Knowing little about her Boston Irish father and her Korean mother, and less still about Korea, she decides to journey to Korea, as Mira Stout herself did, to try to make sense of the random jigsaw pieces of her background--tidbits like the story of her great-grandfather, once the ruler of Kangwon Province, who was stripped of land and title by the invading Japanese and ordered a temple be built atop the highest mountain amidst 1,000 chestnut trees. In the novel, Anna's Korean curiosity begins as a teenager, when Uncle Hong-do arrives from Korea to visit Anna's mother, the sister he never met. Years later, Anna turns to Korea as an answer to her feelings of existential angst, retracing her mother's steps in an effort "to see my family undie." Told in her voice as well as her mother's and grandfather's, what you get is a stirring novel that combines Korea's epic history with a family legacy and a personal exploration. A fine read whether you're going to Korea or lounging in your living room, Stout's story is engrossing and educational.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'A startlingly impressive debut. This marvellous -- and very moving -- book tells its Korean story stylishly and with great skill.' William Trevor 'A warm and warming evocation of landscape and memory. Stout's lively sense of language and culture shows her to be a writer of great promise.' Daily Telegraph 'Mira Stout not only grapples with the deep conundrum that is mixed-race identity, but also grabs with both hands the extraordinary history of turbulent twentieth-century Korea. The writing is encrusted with details like coloured sequins. an extremely ambitious first book.' The Times
--This text refers to the
Print on Demand (Paperback)
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Different Voice Is Heard,
By
This review is from: One thousand chestnut trees: a novel of korea (Paperback)
_One Thousand Chestnut Trees_, is a wonderful book from an author conveying a very special point of view -- and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mira Stout's novel. I'm grateful to Stout for writing the book -- and pleased that she found a publisher.I am an Amerasian of Korean-German descent. My mother came to this country as a foreign-exchange student after the Korean War, and later, married an American. I find this book so phenomenal because of a greater context. It wasn't that long ago that 17 states banned marriages between Koreans and so-called "Americans." And if American racial prejudices weren't enough, so-called "half-breed" Korean-American children have also faced unspeakable discrimination from many Korean communities. That Mira Stout has risen above this type of background rhetoric to present her story is a testament to something quite special in her character. She lovingly represents the Korean side of her family through this novel. And while she does share the "dark sides" of her family, countries, and cultures that she must bridge, she doesn't succomb to a tiresome tirade of old accusations. Rather, she presents these people in a far more sophisticated way -- showing their struggles, misunderstandings, and achievements. Stout shares a personal journey with all of its heartache and humor. We have many good texts regarding Korean history in the 20th century -- but we have far fewer books that give historical statistics names and faces and feelings. As an Amerasian in the United States, my Korean heritage has been difficult to access. There are many reasons for this -- both benign and malicious. Benign in the sense that America is overwhelming European-American by habit; malicious in that racial prejudice still closes many doors on both sides of the Pacific. But Stout has been willing to risk writing a book that opens doors to my Korean heritage -- to my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles. Stout shares the thoughts that my family will never be able to tell me -- but notions which deserve articulation. I appreciate Stout giving voice to the voiceless. And in voicing, giving us an insight into people that are more than mono-syllables and horrible accents -- but rather, a sophisticated amalgam of love and hope without demagoguery. I hope Stout writes another book soon.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fascinating Historical Journey,
By A Customer
This review is from: One Thousand Chestnut Trees (Hardcover)
As a second generation Korean-American like the author Mira Stout I have struggled to understand the 2 worlds that create my world. Do not read this book if you're going to get annoyed with the already mentioned, imperfect grammar and prose. However, if you're interested in Korean history through the eyes of people who've lived through the last 100 years of Korea's turbulent past, then read this book. It enabled me to better understand the traumas of war that my grandparents and parents endured, and finally initiated a revealing conversation with my father about subjects he has always avoided. For me, this book was a page turner that was nearly impossible to put down. Mira Stout made the 3 narrators of the novel real and pulled me into their lives, I didn't even notice the inconsistencies mentioned in the other reviews.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A heartfelt journey,
By
This review is from: One Thousand Chestnut Trees (Hardcover)
Overall, an emotional, heartfelt and satisfying journey into the history of 20th Century Korea told through the life of Mira's grandparents and mother. The book reads like an autobiography at times and is ornate and detailed, sometimes distractingly so. There are other little faults here, such as she doesn't get all the historical facts straight, she mispronounces (quite badly at times) Korean words and there are slight grammatical errors. However, this book has so many other positives that it outweighs the aforementioned negatives. You can tell that she's genuinely made a connection with the Korean side to her, both culturally, emotionally and intellectually. But at the same token, she makes herself sound like an outsider looking into the Korean culture from a window outside. That is actually a plus sometimes because she can draw out the aspects of Koreaness that would be compelling to a Western audience. She tells her mother's story with empathy and spirit and she describes her own journey into discovering her Korean side with conviction and sincerity. In the begining of the story she seems to see her Koreaness (Mira is 1/2 Korean on her mother's side) as almost a liability and something to be minimized. As the story unfolds, she see's her Koreaness as an important and essential part of who she is. By the end of it, she discovers a whole new side to her, almost a spiritual rebirth of a Koreaness that cannot be explained, quantified or even fully understood, but it can only be experienced and enjoyed. Overall, it's a highly enjoying book, that will even jerk a few tears. Despite it's small flaws, I highly recommend it.
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