Yi Soon Shin

Summary of back of book.

An adaptation of the legend of Sunsin Yi, a young boy in sixteenth-century Korea, who, inspired by his pet turtle, designs one of the greatest battleships in history and fulfills his dream of sailing the world.

At the brink of the country falling to the Japanese forces, admiral Yi Sun-sin, the falsely-accused hero, is released from a prison cell, with the mission to save the country. With all the bureaucrats begging to surrender, Yi rejects the idea because he still has an ace up his sleeve - the legendary secret turtle ships... Can he save the nation?

When a novice French diplomat arrives for an audience with the Emperor, he is enraptured by the Joseon Dynasty’s magnificent culture, then at its zenith. But all fades away when he sees Yi Jin perform the traditional Dance of the Spring Oriole. Though well aware that women of the court belong to the palace, the young diplomat confesses his love to the Emperor, and gains permission for Yi Jin to accompany him back to France.A world away in Belle Epoque Paris, Yi Jin lives a free, independent life, away from the gilded cage of the court, and begins translating and publishing Joseon literature into French with another Korean student. But even in this new world, great sorrow awaits her. Betrayal, jealousy, and intrigue abound, culminating with the tragic assassination of the last Joseon empress—and the poisoned pages of a book.Rich with historic detail and filled with luminous characters, Korea’s most beloved novelist brings a lost era to life in a story that will resonate long after the final page.

Biography of Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Korea who defeated the Japanese armada against all the odds and In-depth study on his leadership quality. Especially, warfare historians rank Yi's triumph at Myeong-ryang sea battle, which was featured in the mega-hit Korean movie "Myeong-ryang" (Roaring Current), second only after the Salamis sea battle in which the underdog Greek fleet annihilated the overwhelming Persian armada.