What readers think of The Young Will Remember, plus links to write your own review.

The Young Will Remember is a beautifully written historical novel set during the early days of the Korean War. It follows a Chinese American news correspondent trapped behind enemy lines in North Korea and the quiet courage of those who risk their lives to help her reach safety.

Before reading this novel, I knew very little about the Korean War. Eve J. Chung renders its brutality with clarity and restraint, illuminating the immense human cost of the conflict. I was particularly moved by the portrayal of the "comfort women," whose suffering was largely unknown to me and is handled with heartbreaking care.

This is a book for readers who appreciate richly textured, character-driven historical fiction and would make an excellent choice for book clubs. When it's published, I'll be adding it to my own library — and I'm already recommending it to family and friends.

When I got to the end of this book, I thought "Wow" this is a book that will linger with me for a long time. I am a fan of historical fiction, especially when I learn about something that I hadn't previously been familiar with. Although I knew a certain amount about Japan's colonial relationship with Korea, I was pretty vague about the Korean war itself. To see it portrayed from these women's experiences was illuminating and very moving. The writing itself was beautiful, and I often found myself wanting to highlight various passages. This will be an excellent choice for book clubs. I highly recommend this book, and I'm eager to listen to the audio version when it's released. However, it's likely that it best appreciated by starting with the written version first.

I enjoyed this book - it is set in North Korea during the Korean War, a time and place I have not read about before. It has a plucky heroine. Would recommend.

This book is hauntingly beautiful. The author fully captures the resilience of the human spirit in very difficult situations alongside the varied emotional reactions of the different characters. The inclusion of letters and newspaper clippings between each chapter increases the historical depth of the narrative and gives additional context beyond what the characters are experiencing. The imagery is stunning and poignant while not being distracting.

The Young Will Remember by E J Chung

The plot keeps pulling the reader in and the prose flows smoothly. The author's writing is very descriptive, allowing the reader to readily visualize and feel what is happening. At times I felt as though I was right there dodging bullets with the civilians in the novel. And some of the most powerful descriptions were related to the bombing raids and the terror felt by the civilians.

The novel focuses on two story lines. One is of a Chinese American female war correspondent, and the other is of a young woman taken from her home by the Japanese and how her mother never stopped searching for her.

It would have been easier to understand several of the events if I had brought more knowledge of the Korean War to the novel; particularly the history leading to the war.
But from reading the novel, I gained considerable insight into the Korean War including what was happening politically, militarily, and internally to the civilians.

There were postscripts at the end of each chapter. Some added another layer of information to the story and others further explained the war or military situation and conditions. I found the title of the novel intriguing, but it was not until I reached the last chapter that I discovered the author's meaning.

Not everyone will experience the novel as I did. My father was a navigator during the Korean War flying C47 planes carrying the wounded out of the war zone. There were references, in the novel, to the C47 and the hospital flights. The date for one of the chapters was Dec 5, 1950. As I read the date, I stopped and just stared at the page. That would have been my father's 30th birthday; and I could not help but wonder if my father was flying that day.

I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more about the Korean War. I would also recommend it for book clubs that read historical fiction, particularly war-related novels. I think the novel could generate very stimulating discussions about the terrors of war and its impact on civilian populations

It is 1950 and Ellie Chang, a war correspondent is a Chinese American.
She is in Korea to report on the war, as a female she has more problems with gaining access but she does get a flight that unfortunately crashes. She alone survives and is help by a Korean woman who whom she will stay and move around with through most of the war, trying hard to get back to the Americans.

The book gave a very realistic account of the Korean war, one I knew very little about. The impact on the population who had no say in what was happening and yet their lives were forever ruined.

The book is a very informative read, unlike other reviewers I found it a slow read in parts, wishing perhaps for less description,

All in all a good read for anyone interested in historical fiction.

I grew to appreciate this story of war gradually as I read it. The character development was strong if slightly slow to grab me. Kudos to Eve J. Chung for bringing attention to a largely "forgotten" war. The use of an American woman journalist in the midst of the fighting was ingenious. It was a well crafted method to bring the abuse of Korean persons, especially women, to the attention of readers. I personally feel the need to read more of this historical period after reading The Young Will Remember.

The Young Will Remember is a complex story with strong character development, an engaging setting, and an honest historical context. The characters are nuanced and presented through multiple points of view. I especially appreciated the emotional journey Ellie experiences throughout the novel. I haven't read much historical fiction set during the Korean War, particularly one that includes perspectives from North Koreans, Chinese, Chinese Americans, and Americans.

My main critique concerns the inclusion of telegrams from U.S. politicians and letters from Emma and Ella. While I understand the intent to include the perspective of U.S. military leadership, these sections didn't add much to the story or move it forward and could have been handled differently or omitted.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to readers interested in historical fiction about an underrepresented time period with complex characters.