The Healing Season of Pottery Paperback – October 22, 2024

This book is such a gem! Very interesting life enhancing happiness giving. I am shy of saying more than “highly recommended” for fear of spoiling the fun! Hope you find it interesting and inspirational…

Thank you Netgalley and Algonquin Books for the ARC.Some books I fly through in a matter of hours and then there are some, like this one, that I read over the course of a few months to really let the words resonate. The title perfectly captures the essence of the book - healing. I really felt for out main character, Jungmin and found myself experiencing the highs and lows of life and being burnt out as she healed.A big part of me really wants to quit everything and "restart" and I think that's why I really enjoyed the slow pace of the story. At times I wanted to rush and finish it in one go, but couldn't and realized I needed to trust the process.I really enjoyed exploring an area of Korea that wasn't Seoul and getting to know characters from various walks of life. Seeing a community being built right in front of you is a lovely experience and I was enamored with every personality that visited the pottery shop. The moments of people healing weren't big action moments in the novel, but it was written in a manner that gave it enough importance without making it a thing.For lovers of slow-paced and character driven stories, I believe this would work really well for them. Nothing big happens at all but just getting to see the characters evolve over the course of the pages is satisfying.Solid 3.5 read for me.

This was alright book. I didn't have a bad time reading it, but it is very mellow, and not much happens. I enjoy art and pottery and food, and this book had lovely descriptions of enjoying the smaller things in life. There's a slow burn romance throughout the book that culminates into a VERY underwhelming conclusion, truly giving us nothing. I'm glad I finished it, if only because I haven't read much/any translated fiction and it was nice to try it out.Over halfway through the book, previously told entirely from one person's inner perspective, we suddenly get a handful of other people's inner perspectives thrown at us for a couple of chapters, so we understand their backstories? It was fairly disorienting to suddenly have these windows into other characters' minds, and felt odd and out of place.Throughout reading it, it didn't feel like the author had a story they wanted to share with me, as much as they wanted to write a good book. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but there was something about the way it was written (or translated) that felt overly formal. Not quite pretentious, that's too strong a word, but a step or two below it.My final critique is that I just HATE deckle edges on books. A sensory nightmare- it feels bad, looks bad, and makes it difficult to turn the page! With the product photos I had no way to know that was what I would be receiving and honestly I may have skipped the book entirely if I'd known. That is how much I dislike a deckle edge as opposed to a clean cut edge.

What a lovely, slice-of-life story. Characters are well written, and the story itself was sweet, and gave off an almost calming vibe. I was drawn in almost from the first page. I'll be looking for more books by this author.

This is a very sweet novel about a woman who finds a pottery shop with some great coffee and strong women who help her start piecing her life back together after battling depression. I was hooked the first chapter because I felt some of the same emotions in my past and could relate. This book is easy to read and slow paced. I didn't find myself reaching for it constantly. It took me awhile to finish it. Perfect for a rainy day.

It took me a few pages to get into it but I enjoyed it. A pretty fast read with a sweet, melancholy feeling.

A very good read

the point of this book--to slow down and enjoy your life--sometimes seeps too strongly into the writing, which is also going to feel painfully slow to some. for those who persist, they'll find a sweet and hopeful story that was lovingly translated into beautiful, clear prose. the protagonist's tale will be relatable to many struggling with the stress of modern life, coupled with the deep desire to get out and enjoy tiny things to spark joy for living once more. if you enjoy a simple parable stretched into book-length, this will delight you. but if you would rather have characters as spiky and messy and weird and dark as you are, this is not it for you.I think you will see that reflected into the reviews, which are currently split between "this is lovely!" and "this is immensely boring!"--figure out what type of book you're looking for, and you'll know whether this one is for you.