Reviews tagging 'Death'

Kim Čijong — ročník 82 by Cho Nam-joo

15 reviews

jazzlibrariansbookcase's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Interesting red, very different from what I normally go for. Extremely enlightening ideas about how women have been treated in other countries, how they are still seeking equality. It made me rage at points considering how everything happened to Kim through her childhood, how her brother got all the best food, how she was put down by the males in her life. Even as an adult, it was heart breaking to read of her struggles with sexism at work and her motherhood. Quite an interesting read

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Gaslighting

clementinedays_'s review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Mental illness, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, and Vomit

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Goodreads describes this book as "The runaway bestseller that helped launch Korea's new feminist movement, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman's psychic deterioration in the face of rigid misogyny." I cannot think of a better description. This book is short, but it packs a punch. It had me angry from beginning to end. There are heavy themes of misogyny throughout the whole book as our main character, Jiyoung, simply cannot catch a break. The narrative of her life, while brief, illustrates perfectly how living under an oppressive patriarchy in Korean culture has messed with this woman's mental health and development. Though this book is specifically about a typical woman from modern day South Korea, I think there are things that happen within it that most women from various cultures can relate to, which horrifies me. I don't feel like I'm super qualified to review a book this important. I'm just a girl who likes books, but I really liked this book and what it had to say about feminism, motherhood, and being an average woman in general. The only thing I think I would change would be that I would've liked it to be longer and to have gone deeper into the psychological aspect of it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Infertility, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Medical content

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, Blood, Excrement, and Abortion

rieviolet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It was a hard-hitting and painful story and so many times, like Kim Jiyoung herself, I wanted to scream and hit something at the sheer injustice and unbearable awfulness of it all. 

I really appreciated how the author chose both to include the main character's personal experiences and also to mention facts and statistical data about the general conditions of women in South Korea. 

I also really liked the writing style, it was quite direct and matter-of-fact when it needed to be, but at the same time there were many beautiful passages with a more lyrical style that captured so well Jiyoung's feelings and that really moved me. 

A wonderful and powerful read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Stalking, Abortion, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Fatphobia, and Vomit

lain_darko's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Medical content, Abortion, and Alcohol

Minor: Death