Reviews

The Starlet and the Spy by Ji-min Lee, Chi-Young Kim

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dhughes10's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

bibliopage's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is short (at just around 166 pages) but it packs a meaty punch and a clever insight into how ordinary Koreans were affected by the Korean War (1950-1953). At the center is Alice, a young woman who is trying to reckon with her past. And guiding the plot are these behind-the-scene dialogues that Alice and Marilyn Monroe have. I thought the book was expertly researched and enjoyed learning more about a war that doesn't often get discussed in literature.

picotly's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5-3
Best read in one or two sittings. Alice's story is the strongest aspect of the book and I thinkbit does a really good job if looking a war as a traumatic, far reaching epxerience. Marilyn featured less than I expected but I think the book was more focused on Alice as a whole so I didn't mind too much. Translation felt a bit clunky sometimes but I will say that I was really interested in the use of comparisons throughout the book. They made me, weirdly enough, but really consider them as a way of making powerful connections through everyday things which I feel like you don't really see a lot of as a writing style.

cheyenneisreading's review against another edition

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3.0

The ending was a bit off to me but overall a fast read that taught me more about the Korean War, which I know very little about tragically

selina__b's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.0

lilyrich's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

It was originally a little hard to get into because there seemed to be a lot of strange and unnecessary similes, but then I realized it was translated from Korean so I pushed through. The premise is also a little misleading, because Marilyn Monroe is introduced a third into the book then is not actually a huge character. I don’t actually think her character was super necessary because Alice/Ae-sun as a character was extremely complex on her own. The story was as beautiful as a story about war can be, and reading about war from the perspective of a civilian was gripping.

nd2712's review against another edition

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4.0

Set against the very raw aftermath of the Korean War, this little gem of a novel examines how post-war Korea welcomed Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe through the eyes of the PTSD-addled translator who guided her through the country. Though the translator is fictional, the realities of the war she suffered through are harrowing, intimate and horrifying, with Lee's brilliant prose expertly soaking up the atmosphere of being trapped in a war zone.

For being so small- this book just about hits 160 pages- there is so much detail packed into every page. The horrors of war are embedded on every single pore of the main character, Alice. Lee captures with great skill the disillusion of post-war Korea, of the struggle between capitalism and communism that played out on their shores, of the refugee crisis and the struggle to return to normality once the conflict has played out. The author describes in her note as 'the forgotten war', and this book is a brilliant way to learn about the conflict, particularly if you are in the West.

This novel not only offers a brief glimpse into the life of the troubled movie star, but her very appearance in this book mirrors the absurdity of the post-war Korean state and is a brilliant subject for this story. Though she doesn't feature often, she is important: she represents all that one could become, even when the image up close is not as beautiful as it could be. An astonishing, accomplished debut about unlikely friendship and the aftermath of war on the women.