The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim : review.

I hadn't read historical fiction in a long time and I only started this novel because it was about Korea , which I was planning on visiting.

I didn't know anything about the Japanese invasion of Korea and I really liked the way it was explained through the eyes of the main character , a girl and then a woman without a name. Their traditional way of living before the Japanese , the influence of religion and their fight for freedom are vividly described by Eugenia Kim. Women's rights and education also play an important role in the novel .

I would recommend this book to fans of historical novels and strong female characters. It is not an easy read, since it describes a very hard period of time for Korea ; the worst but also the best of humankind appear in the story.

The Calligrapher's Daughter is inspired by the life of the author's parents and I think this is what gives greater value to the book.On the beautiful website  created for the novel you can see amazing black and white photographs of the author and her family .