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santreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I sit in my dark room sobbing quietly as I write this 'review'. This isn't going to be coherent but WOW, this book!!
Absolutely stunning writing. The character sketches, the underlying grief and sadness of each character and the situation, the incorporation of a social/political issue of Korea in the stories - just WOW.
These stories weren't anything great, anything that felt like huge monumental stories - I feel like you'll read this book after seeing this review and expect to be wowed and maybe you will and maybe you won't, but it made me feel things. It made me feel the character's pain and love and loss and made me want to write. And for that I'm grateful.
Absolutely stunning writing. The character sketches, the underlying grief and sadness of each character and the situation, the incorporation of a social/political issue of Korea in the stories - just WOW.
These stories weren't anything great, anything that felt like huge monumental stories - I feel like you'll read this book after seeing this review and expect to be wowed and maybe you will and maybe you won't, but it made me feel things. It made me feel the character's pain and love and loss and made me want to write. And for that I'm grateful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer, Child death, and War
sydneybedell's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer, Misogyny, and Sexism
whatannikareads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I truly think this may be my favorite short story collection of all time. The stories all felt purposeful in their inclusion and placement. I felt like it spoke to my soul as an existential twenty something year old and has empathized with my experiences in love, friendship, family, and being an asian woman in society. I think it speaks deeply both to those who understand women’s places in Korean society and in general can be applicable to other cultures.
My only qualm is not fully understanding the reasoning behind the way some stories ended or panned out, especially Michaela was hard for me to piece together. But I literally devoured every piece of this book, including the translator’s note—which includes very important info about the Sewol Ferry Disaster—and the author’s note, which felt like it was addressed to my younger self.
I don’t gravitate to short story collections at all but this one proved me wrong! I’m so glad I took a chance on this one.
My only qualm is not fully understanding the reasoning behind the way some stories ended or panned out, especially Michaela was hard for me to piece together. But I literally devoured every piece of this book, including the translator’s note—which includes very important info about the Sewol Ferry Disaster—and the author’s note, which felt like it was addressed to my younger self.
I don’t gravitate to short story collections at all but this one proved me wrong! I’m so glad I took a chance on this one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Misogyny