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Summary
Summary
Two orphan girls are taken from their jobs in a pants factory in North Korea, spirited across the Demilitarized Zone to be sex workers in the South, and eventually shipped to the United States. What propels the story is Gi, the heroine: a tender-hearted genius who loses everything yet refuses to be destroyed.
Reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha , All Woman and Springtime reveals with chilling accuracy life behind North Korea's iron curtain, the horrific underworld of the sex trade, and the resilience of a spirit in the midst of unspeakable oppression.
Summary
Two orphan girls are taken from their jobs in a pants factory in North Korea, spirited across the Demilitarized Zone to be sex workers in the South, and eventually shipped to the United States. What propels the story is Gi, the heroine: a tender-hearted genius who loses everything yet refuses to be destroyed. 'All Woman and Springtime' reveals life behind North Korea's iron curtain, the horrific underworld of the sex trade, and the resilience of a spirit in the midst of unspeakable oppression.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this debut novel from Jones, two seamstresses on the cusp of womanhood are spirited from the fear and drudgery of North Korea to the fear and unpredictability of sexual slavery in the West. The untamed and ambitious Il-sun contrasts sharply with her best friend Gi-who saw enough of hardship as a child in a labor camp to ensure her obedience to the state-as they work to survive and possibly heal. Christine Williams ably renders the two protagonists and creates distinct voices for the book's other female characters. However, her portrayal of male characters is less convincing and often sounds artificial. Williams's gentle voice fails to capture the villainous men who oversee the sex trafficking operation. However, as Jones's novel is light on dialogue, this audio edition remains an enjoyable listen, even without strong interpretations of all the characters. An Algonquin hardcover. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A debut novel about the plight of young women in North Korea (written before the recent death of dictator Kim Jong-il), with its socio-political insights undermined by clichs, stereotypes, plot devices and sentimentality more appropriate within a romance or even young adult novel. The Author's Note provides an unusual warning: "Parts of this novel reveal the physical and psychological traumas associated with human trafficking and sexual slavery. Because of the graphic and mature nature of these themes, the contents of this book may not be suitable for young readers." A novel aimed at adults wouldn't seem to require such a disclaimer, but it's perhaps more fitting here. Particularly early on, both the tone and the subject matter seem more appropriate for readers of a similar age as the novel's teenage girls, Gi and Il-sun, who become close friends at an orphanage and a factory despite the significant differences that will ultimately distinguish them. The opening part reads like a primer of everyday drudgery and illusion in the totalitarian regime, where they learn that they live in a "Worker's Paradise," in contrast to the oppression of South Korea, where "imperialist Americans were harsh overlords." Gi is comparatively plain and boyish, with a gift for numbers (that she keeps to herself), while Il-sun is "ripening into womanhood in the way some girls do, like a bomb exploding." Though the two consider their friendship as "two halves finding unexpected completion," there is little doubt that as Il-sun's budding sexuality (whether ripening or exploding) leads her to sexy but dangerous men and ultimately to her pride in her sexual allure, she is headed for a fall. A very different fate awaits Gi, whose looks don't give her as much to barter for her survival, but whose mathematical gifts lead to a surprising conclusion in a surprising place. A novel for those who like lessons in international culture spiced with lines about "a dapper, flashy, dangerous bad boy whose smile had the effect of sliding her panties off her legs."]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Debut novelist Jones conducts a compelling psychological tour of life inside the socially and politically restrictive borders of North Korea via the poignant stories of two young girls on the cusp of womanhood. Gi, a mathematical genius compelled to keep her gifts hidden, nevertheless survives the seemingly inescapable brutality and drudgery of her existence by quietly exercising the life of the mind. When Gi meets the lushly beautiful Il-sun in an orphanage, the two girls forge a strong, immutable bond. They eventually escape but are then sold into sex slavery first in South Korea and later in the U.S., and it's not difficult to guess who will flame out and who will triumph. This tale of female friendship is distinguished by its illuminating glimpse into the arcane intricacies of both an ancient and a modern culture. Guaranteed to appeal to fans of Memoirs of a Geisha (1997) and the novels of Lisa See.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
This terrifying and masterfully realized debut novel about human trafficking and sexual slavery is not for the faint of heart and certainly not for young readers. One of its most impressive achievements is the rendering of main character Gi, who is brought powerfully and beautifully to life. A painfully innocent young North Korean woman who knows very little about the world except the privations of living in a modern police state, Gi endures years in a forced-labor reeducation camp in North Korea before being sent to an orphanage, where she demonstrates a genius for mathematics and befriends Il-sun, whom she describes as "all woman and springtime." Eventually, the two are betrayed and sold into bondage as sex workers in South Korea. Jones depicts both the innocence of his protagonist and the pathologies and violence of the South Korean underworld with great skill and emotional power. VERDICT Impossible to put down, this work is important reading for anyone who cares about the power of literature to engage the world and speak its often frightening truths.-Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.