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dittotrainer's review against another edition
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
passionatereader78's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Religious bigotry
melbell016's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer
jedore's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
“You should be more careful out there,” the doctor says. “You have a dangerous job. I mean, do you see men doing it?”
“Of course not!” Young-sook exclaims. “The world knows that the cold water will cause their penises to shrivel and die.”
This is my fourth Lisa See book...and the second one that made my all-time favorite list (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the first). Lisa is an amazing author, goddess of research, and master of character development.
I've gotten a glimpse of the horrific treatment of Koreans by the Japanese (Pachinko) and the U.S. (The Peoples' History of the United States), but this story was an intimate and personal journey into the lives of those living on the island of Jeju. Wow, just wow...as I close the cover of what feels like every book I read these days, my faith in humanity lessens. The ability of one "tribe's" ability to completely disassociate and commit horrors against "outsiders" is mind boggling.
The story also cemented a personal opinion that I've been pondering for some time now, one based both on my own life experiences and the thousands of books I've read.
Women are, in general and by far, the stronger sex.
In the face of poverty, war, and other intense hardships, I've observed (personally or literally) many a man fall apart and their women carry them (as well as their children). The haenyo divers of Jeju took this to a whole other level as they were not only capable of carrying their men emotionally, but physically as well.
A week after closing the back cover of this book and I still find myself thinking about the perfectly imperfect heroines of this story and replaying many of the scenes in my mind. Add this to the fact that I have a more complete knowledge about history (so I can do what I can to stop it from repeating) and it's no wonder it's an all-time favorite.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcoholism
galexy_brain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Vomit
Minor: Cancer, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
bwwilhelm's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
This book talks about the horrors of war, REPEATEDLY. Do with that information what you will. Specific trigger stuff in spoiler text.