A SINGLE SHARD by LINDA SUE PARK
Critical Rating: 4/5 stars
Pleasure rating: 4/5 stars
Although the story dragged for me at times, this was a memorable book because of the character depth and the historical detail. The author obviously did her research, and so despite my unfamiliarity with 12th-century Korea, I felt like I was part of the world, and I left the book with an understanding of the morals and conventions of the time and place.Tree-ear is a compelling, easy-to-adore character, and though the orphan's fate was quite discernible from the start, I enjoyed watching him rise to the challenge of presenting Min's vase. Although it arrived a bit late for me, the moment when Tree-ear had to stand up for himself, I confess, made me shed a tear or two. His journey was a beautiful one, something like Santiago's in The Alchemist or even the Buddha's journey away from home.
The episode about the concubines' suicide was poetic, but a bit disturbing. I think it's important to be honest with kids about what really happened in history, and this and other sections' brutal honesty were admirable. While this and other details felt accurate and well-researched, I am not sure how accurate it is that an orphan could rise through the ranks and become the apprentice of a respected potter in 12th-century Korea. Given the culture's focus on luck, and given the bad luck associated with orphans, it seems more likely that Tree-ear would live a life of poverty. This kept nagging me - I felt that the author was doing a little bit of imposing an American/Western "rags to riches" or "little orphan Annie" framework onto a foreign setting, and something in that felt a bit off.However, the characters made up for it. I fell in love with Tree-ear's humble attitude, and I found myself wishing that I could see that attitude in more of my own students and peers. Min worked well as a father figure/gatekeeper, and his change toward the end was sweet and felt sincere. I also loved Min's wife; she might have been my favorite minor character! Her little acts of kindness toward Tree-ear serve as a nice reminder to readers that even the smallest gesture can save someone's day - or life!
