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This Burns My Heart Samuel Park Books

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This Burns My Heart Samuel Park Books

In a remarkable easy-to-read style, Samuel Park addresses the philosophical issue of free will and choice in his debut novel THIS BURNS MY HEART.

The central character is a beautiful and intelligent Korean girl, Soo-Ja. The reader comes to know Soo-Ja through the twists and turns of a life created by the convergence of several factors beyond her control. The social conditions (South Korea after the Korean War); her ambitions as a woman in a restrictive culture (she wants to be a diplomat in a society that only expects well-bred young women to marry and care for her husband, in-laws and children); and her ancestral background (born to wealthy parents) all set the stage for Soo-Ja's journey.

From her Father's decision about Soo-Ja's career to the husband she chose to the decision made by the slimy (but helpful) property developer Mr Gi-Yong, THIS BURNS MY HEART constantly reminds one of the need for a conscious awareness of the consequences of our choices, not only those which affect us, but those which affect others. "I was young. I was a fool," said Soo-Ja and encapsulates the underlying melancholy that runs through this novel. Often, we have to make major life choices when we are too young to understand the consequences.

With delicate passion and deft skill, Park leads us through Soo-Ja's emotional evolution from a young, rather spoilt girl, to a mature woman who faces her past mistakes, endures their consequences and ultimately finds the courage to make a different choice. Later in her life, as she grows into an acceptance of what is, Soo-Ja reflects , "She had not been allowed to pursue happiness; only to try to find some meaning in her sufferings, and look for a way, however small, to make sense of her disappointments."

Many times, I found myself thinking of my own country and its people. From the description of Chu-Sook's mother's shack; the youth challenging a repressive government; the low image of Korea that ex-pat Koreans have of the country (perhaps as a way to justify their choice to leave their birthplace) and the complexities of Soo-Ja's intergenerational family relationships, this novel rises above superficial cultural differences and penetrates to the core of our common humanity.

In vivid detail, Park brings Soo-Ja's world alive for the reader. From the vibrant street markets of Daegu to a dingy inn in modern Seoul, one can smell the noodles cooking and hear the horns blaring. This is the Soo-Ja's world, but it could be mine. Both flawed and very human, she is a heroine whose desires, mistakes and emotional growth could be those of any woman, anywhere in the world.

With sensitively drawn characters and an engrossing love this story did exactly what it promised: at times, my heart ached , not only for Soo-Ja, but for all those whose presence was intricately woven through her life.

Samuel Park's THIS BURNS MY HEART is an engrossing read that raises questions that linger in the mind long after the last page has been turned. Since finishing it, I have spent many hours reflecting on the choices I've made in my life. Soo-Ja's story helped show me that even the bad choices I made could be turned into inner victories: "The life she had was in fact the one she'd been supposed to have, she told herself. Without its lessons, how could she have become the woman she was?"

(Note: I'm giving away one free copy of THIS BURNS MY HEART on my blog until 31 May 2012. Click on giveaways label)


Tags : Amazon.com: This Burns My Heart (9781439199619): Samuel Park: Books,Samuel Park,This Burns My Heart,Simon & Schuster,1439199612,Marriage customs and rites;Korea;Fiction.,Self-realization in women;Fiction.,Women;Korea;Fiction.,ASIAN AMERICAN NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,Asian,Asian American,Cultural Heritage,FICTION Cultural Heritage,FICTION Family Life General,FICTION General,Family Life,Fiction,Fiction - General,GENERAL,General Adult,Korea,Marriage customs and rites,Self-realization in women,South Korea,United States,Women

This Burns My Heart Samuel Park Books Reviews

I am a big reader and this is one that will stay with me. I have recommended it to all my friends that read fiction and all feedback has been positive. Although it is fiction it contains a lot of very interesting information of the culture, time period and hardships.Could NOT put it down.
good book
This was an interesting story about Korean relationships and choosing the right person to marry. It just wasn't a page turner. Took me a while to get through it. I didn't dislike it, just didn't find the story very riveting.
Mr. Park delivers a stunning and pungent vision of post-war South Korea in the 1960's. Love, loss, pain, anger, joy, sadness, poverty, comfort - it's an emotional journey through the eyes of a strong-willed, ambitious young woman who places honor before her heart. What a terrific page-turner! I had to fight the urge to read all night. Beautifully done.
This Burns My Heart is a story about emotional survival and an acceptance of culture. The books title is explained in the story and it is a real story...." you can feel it" in the telling/writing. The young girl is a witness who tells you from start to finish...what happened and how it all turned out. Tissues are required...it is an empowering and sincere tale of a life that is filled out...by the living of it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading This Burns My Heart A Novel. It's the right kind of 'historical fiction' for my taste. I enjoy fiction that teaches me something about a time and place outside of my own experience. Although I grew up in the Los Angeles area in the 60s & 70s, so I could relate to being a young woman of the time. The author has written this novel based on the life of his own mother and it's impressive how he depicts the feelings of the main female character. It's a good read.
This author cannot be my generation. He looks too young. But how so well put the time of the past in Korea half a century ago so close to my heart. I know I was there, I was involved in that student revolution, I was in romance, I just finished medical school, and few years later I came to the state. I thought one moment this author might have travled to the past with his father or his uncle who was so kind to convery the mood, the zeitgeist, the smell of the the time so close to my memory. I had tears. Why such a nostalgia that was descrived by someone as though he was there like a time travler can bring unexplicable emotion. What did I miss? If I missed something this writer gave it to me. I know what that burning one's heart feels like. If he write like this book in this genre in series I would collect every one of them like my own autobiography or diary. This Burns My Heart A Novel
In a remarkable easy-to-read style, Samuel Park addresses the philosophical issue of free will and choice in his debut novel THIS BURNS MY HEART.

The central character is a beautiful and intelligent Korean girl, Soo-Ja. The reader comes to know Soo-Ja through the twists and turns of a life created by the convergence of several factors beyond her control. The social conditions (South Korea after the Korean War); her ambitions as a woman in a restrictive culture (she wants to be a diplomat in a society that only expects well-bred young women to marry and care for her husband, in-laws and children); and her ancestral background (born to wealthy parents) all set the stage for Soo-Ja's journey.

From her Father's decision about Soo-Ja's career to the husband she chose to the decision made by the slimy (but helpful) property developer Mr Gi-Yong, THIS BURNS MY HEART constantly reminds one of the need for a conscious awareness of the consequences of our choices, not only those which affect us, but those which affect others. "I was young. I was a fool," said Soo-Ja and encapsulates the underlying melancholy that runs through this novel. Often, we have to make major life choices when we are too young to understand the consequences.

With delicate passion and deft skill, Park leads us through Soo-Ja's emotional evolution from a young, rather spoilt girl, to a mature woman who faces her past mistakes, endures their consequences and ultimately finds the courage to make a different choice. Later in her life, as she grows into an acceptance of what is, Soo-Ja reflects , "She had not been allowed to pursue happiness; only to try to find some meaning in her sufferings, and look for a way, however small, to make sense of her disappointments."

Many times, I found myself thinking of my own country and its people. From the description of Chu-Sook's mother's shack; the youth challenging a repressive government; the low image of Korea that ex-pat Koreans have of the country (perhaps as a way to justify their choice to leave their birthplace) and the complexities of Soo-Ja's intergenerational family relationships, this novel rises above superficial cultural differences and penetrates to the core of our common humanity.

In vivid detail, Park brings Soo-Ja's world alive for the reader. From the vibrant street markets of Daegu to a dingy inn in modern Seoul, one can smell the noodles cooking and hear the horns blaring. This is the Soo-Ja's world, but it could be mine. Both flawed and very human, she is a heroine whose desires, mistakes and emotional growth could be those of any woman, anywhere in the world.

With sensitively drawn characters and an engrossing love this story did exactly what it promised at times, my heart ached , not only for Soo-Ja, but for all those whose presence was intricately woven through her life.

Samuel Park's THIS BURNS MY HEART is an engrossing read that raises questions that linger in the mind long after the last page has been turned. Since finishing it, I have spent many hours reflecting on the choices I've made in my life. Soo-Ja's story helped show me that even the bad choices I made could be turned into inner victories "The life she had was in fact the one she'd been supposed to have, she told herself. Without its lessons, how could she have become the woman she was?"

(Note I'm giving away one free copy of THIS BURNS MY HEART on my blog until 31 May 2012. Click on giveaways label)