Linda Sue Park is a celebrated author that often incorporates her Korean heritage into her books she has written six novels in the last two decades and this... I the only one I've read. I really enjoyed this story and if I could draw a quick comparison it reminded me of a Studio Ghibli film. Not the content or character - but the pacing. It is not super plot driven, and the characters, though nice, aren't strong enough to be a massive driving force in the plot. This a just a slice of Tree-Ear's life that was particularly important to his life's journey.
Tree-Ear is an orphan in 12th century Korea living with his caretaker Crane-Man near a potters' settlement. He often observes one potter working and wishes to become his apprentice. When he begins doing chores to pay off a debt he finds himself learning more and more but feeling frustrated that he isn't being instructed how to make truly amazing items. Though the eventual conclusion of this novel went pretty much exactly how one would imagine it took some interesting paths to get there.
Once again I found it helpful to have Google handy while reading. I know very little about modern Korea and even less about olden Korea. The special pottery talked about in the book is celadon - in fact the book was inspired by a specific piece hailed as one of the finest examples of Korean artistry. Overall, I would greatly encourage anyone to read this book.
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