Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Lemon, by Kwon Yeo-sun

6 reviews

liv_jones's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

An interesting exploration of grief, guilt, and the lasting impact of the death of a teenager on various people who knew her. I thought that the concept was intriguing but I expected it to be a somewhat different book, more of a murder mystery, but instead it focuses much more on the fallout of the murder rather than the murder itself. There are some lines that really pack a punch, and I particularly like the chapters where the narration is in the form of a one-sided conversation as you can get a real sense of character. I wouldn’t say that I really enjoyed this book as I just felt that something was missing from it, but I am glad that I read it nonetheless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death

Moderate: Murder, Cancer, Death of parent, and Police brutality

Minor: Alcohol, Terminal illness, and Eating disorder

kcelena's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Body horror, Eating disorder, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Bullying, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness

helenamarijke's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Classism, Kidnapping, Death, and Grief

Minor: Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness

elskabee's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

 I don't think it was until the very end of this short book that I got what I was truly reading about. Don't let the synopsis misguide, this is primarily literary fiction and is about grief and tragedy rather than crime and mystery. For a book so focused on death and loss, it's ultimately bittersweetly hopeful with its emphasis on human connection and continuing to move forward in life.

The complexities of the crime aspect are fascinating at first but quickly become a backdrop to brief but powerful insights into the lives of the character's touched by the tragic death. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Eating disorder

Minor: Kidnapping

internationalreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Cancer, Classism, Death, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Grief, Kidnapping, Gore, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/injury detail, Terminal illness, Violence, and Mental illness

thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Terminal illness