Yvonne Zip reviews Eugenia Kim’s The Calligrapher’s Daughter in the Christian Science Monitor.
Zip notes,
“Kim builds a patient spell, carefully orienting American readers who probably know little of this chapter of history. . . Fans of Lisa See’s or Amy Tan’s novels should eagerly embrace [the main character] Najin, and The Calligrapher’s Daughter bids fair to become a staple of book clubs. While the story is Najin’s, its true subject is Korea’s occupation by Japan.”
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Melody Schreiber 
Hi, I’ve recently begun reading The Calligrapher’s Daughter, and was really enjoying it until I came across the part where Najiin and Kira are getting water and uhm… Meet a Japanese soldier. I’m a teenager, and I was wondering if you could tell me if there are any more parts in the book that I should skip over?? I’d really like to finish the book, but minus the “adult” content. I’d aprreciate it!
Thanks,
Laura
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Hi Laura,
Thanks for the question! I understand your concern. I haven’t read the book yet, so I went straight to the source: the author, Eugenia Kim! Here’s what she said:
“Thanks so much for your note, and for your support of the book. I’ve known 14-year-olds to read it in entirety with their mother’s approval, but Laura doesn’t say how old she is. In any case, there is a sex scene on pages 252-253. Another on 339-340. . . I’m sure there are sections I have missed (I wouldn’t have remembered about the soldier, for example), and there is scattered violence throughout (it is wartime), though none of it is gratuitous or over the top; but most of all, who am I to judge what’s appropriate for someone else’s daughter? I hope this helps.”
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