"A DISTINCTLY KOREAN TAKE ON GREAT EXPECTATIONS." Financial TimesA woman sells her daughter to a passing beekeeper for two jars of honey. A baby weighing fifteen pounds is born in the depths of winter but named “Girl of Spring”. A storm brings down the roof of a ramshackle restaurant to reveal a hidden fortune. These are just some of the events that set Myeong-Kwan's beautifully crafted, wild world in motion.Set in a remote village in South Korea, Whale follows the lives of its linked characters: Geumbok, who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle.Brimming with surprises and wicked humour, Whale is an adventure-satire of epic proportions, by one of international literature’s the most original voices.
Format: CONTRIBUTORS: Cheon Myeong-kwanEAN: 9781787704947COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 0 gHEIGHT: 198 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Europa Editions (UK) LtdDATE PUBLISHED: 2024-02-29CITY: GENRE: FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, FICTION / Literary, FICTION / Satire, FICTION / Disabilities, FICTION / World Literature / KoreaWIDTH: 129 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
"A lesson in magical realism, weaving together riotous tales of secret treasure, a giant baby and people who speak to elephants... Fast paced and cinematic.", "A rich, fantastical tale..... unique and ambitious.", “Funny and light while also deeply philosophical and sensual.”, "In tying together a series of fun, related anecdotes, Cheon cleverly spins a fantastical tale that also contains some unpalatable truths about not-so-distant Korean history – and that’s without even mentioning the man with the scar, the brickyard and the titular whale of a building.", "A kaleidoscope of interlocking stories, all painted larger than life."
Cheon Myeong-kwan is a South Korean novelist and screenwriter. Upon publication of his first story, “Frank and I” (2003), he received the prestigious Munhakdongne New Writer Award. His debut novel, Whale, was published the following year, won the 10th Munhakdongne Novel Award and became one of the most loved novels in South Korea, where it is regarded as a modern classic. His work has been translated into eight languages. Chi-Young Kim is a literary translator and editor. A recipient of the Man Asian Literary Prize for her work on Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin, she has translated over a dozen books, including works by Ae-ran Kim, You-jeong Jeong, and Young-ha Kim, among others.
"A DISTINCTLY KOREAN TAKE ON GREAT EXPECTATIONS." Financial TimesA woman sells her daughter to a passing beekeeper for two jars of honey. A baby weighing fifteen pounds is born in the depths of winter but named “Girl of Spring”. A storm brings down the roof of a ramshackle restaurant to reveal a hidden fortune. These are just some of the events that set Myeong-Kwan's beautifully crafted, wild world in motion.Set in a remote village in South Korea, Whale follows the lives of its linked characters: Geumbok, who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle.Brimming with surprises and wicked humour, Whale is an adventure-satire of epic proportions, by one of international literature’s the most original voices.
Format: CONTRIBUTORS: Cheon Myeong-kwanEAN: 9781787704947COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 0 gHEIGHT: 198 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Europa Editions (UK) LtdDATE PUBLISHED: 2024-02-29CITY: GENRE: FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, FICTION / Literary, FICTION / Satire, FICTION / Disabilities, FICTION / World Literature / KoreaWIDTH: 129 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
Cheon Myeong-kwan is a South Korean novelist and screenwriter. Upon publication of his first story, “Frank and I” (2003), he received the prestigious Munhakdongne New Writer Award. His debut novel, Whale, was published the following year, won the 10th Munhakdongne Novel Award and became one of the most loved novels in South Korea, where it is regarded as a modern classic. His work has been translated into eight languages. Chi-Young Kim is a literary translator and editor. A recipient of the Man Asian Literary Prize for her work on Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin, she has translated over a dozen books, including works by Ae-ran Kim, You-jeong Jeong, and Young-ha Kim, among others.
Vier komplekse verhoudings, bietjie misdaad, baie liefde
Die titel van Elsa Winckler se nuwe roman, ’n Ierse knoop, vat die essensie van die storielyn baie goed vas. Neem vier Ierse broers, voeg daarby vier aantreklike, intelligente vriendinne, en jy het die resep vir ’n stewige romantiese knoop. Volgens tradisie het ’n Ierse knoop (Celtic cross) oneindige lyne wat vervleg sodat die onderskeid vervaag, inderdaad wat gebeur wanneer die O’Connor broers vinnig elkeen sy gunsteling vind onder die vier dames wat hulle voorgenome ontwikkeling in Fynbosbaai teëstaan.
“Ierse stories het selde ’n happy ending.” (p.153) Al die broers deel Liam se fatalistiese siening oor verhoudings, voortspruitend uit die voorbeeld van hulle ouers se huwelik. Dit spreek dus vanself dat daar oorgenoeg konflik gaan wees namate die vier verhoudings sukkel om op dreef te kom. Voeg verder daarby, afdreiging, perlemoenstropery en onopgeloste verdwynings.
Ek het die boek begin lees met die verwagting dat één van die broers ’n volatiele verhouding gaan aanknoop met één van die vriendinne, wat ’n reeks sou impliseer. Die skrywer het egter verras deur vier komplekse verhoudings te skep in een boek. Dit het uiteraard uitdagings gestel met agt hoofkarakters wat om die beurt fokaliseer. ’n Paar foute het ongelukkig deurgeglip, maar aanhangers sal steeds lekker kan lees en tevrede wees met die tradisionele gelukkige einde.
’n Ierse knoop is uitgegee deur Lapa, ’n afdeling van Penguin Random House SA.
I am amazed by this book. It is a murder mystery with suprising twists. It follows a 17 year old Pippa. Pip wants to do her EPQ school project on the Andie Bell case and throughout her project she discovers new leads that might lead her to the killer if he hasnt already been found. There isn't really romance in this book. Though I am rooting for a couple in mind. This book has loss and gain and is a must read. This book was really popular on bookyok a couple of years ago and I regret not reading it earlier. Theres also a show based on this book. Suitable for all ages really.
Debra drops (or is dropped?) into Uruk in Sumer in 2000BC. It is a shock certainly, four thousand years ago is a long time, but noone has any time for ninnies here. In between working in the fields and hand-in-hand with the 6-year-old Leqi, she listens to ancient Sumerian stories about Gilgamesh, the precursors to the bible stories, and the material that has proved to be fundamental to our literary tradition. Given the opportunity to go to school (after all she can write in a funny script already) She persuades the head priest to allow her to take young Leqi with her. The tension lies in the penurious circumstances in Uruk for peasants and the financial demands created by schooling, beautifully crafted between two narrative threads - daily life vs. the literary tradition. In the final moment of the book they slam together in a way that brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
