Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Tränen im Asia-Markt

A heart-wrenching story about loss, grief and everything that comes with losing a mother. It also shows how to regainin a sense of belonging and how keep in touch with your roots through food.

This book resonates deeply with me and is one of my all time reads, even though it wasn’t easy to digest at times.

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zreadz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This is a beautiful story. As an only child, I found myself relating deeply to Michelle Zauner, even though my relationship with my parents differs from hers. I went into this book blind, and I’m glad I did—knowing its content beforehand might have made it too painful to read, as I imagined myself in her shoes throughout. The memoir’s first-person perspective immerses you in one of life’s scariest and most certain realities: the death of those we love and the inevitability of having to move on afterward. When we witness this in others, we often distance ourselves to stay sane, avoiding the overwhelming grief of another. This book doesn’t allow for that distance, offering profound insight into the process of grieving someone who raised you, shaped you, and is a part of you. I also appreciated the exploration of Korean culture and being taken on a journey through grief, food, and, above all, everlasting love.

I recommend this book to both those who have lost loved ones and those who haven’t yet. I’d even recommend it to those who have witnessed or struggled to understand someone else’s grief, grappling with what it truly means and how it sits within you. It’s a tough and tragic read, but reducing it to just those two words would be an injustice. I loved reading about identity, coming of age, and the matriarchal dynamics that influence mother-daughter relationships. Like Zauner, I’m not religious, but like Nami, I’d like to believe our loved ones are happy somewhere, and that our ancestors help us navigate the enormous emotions of grief, love, sadness, anger, and joy that life brings. Our memories, our tastes our worldviews are gifts imparted on us by the ones we love.

Thank you Chongmi, Halmeoni, and Eunmi.

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therecoveringbookworm's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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annamary54's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I cried about 8 times reading this. Just beautiful. An incredible look into a complicated yet typical mother/daughter relationship. Also a love letter to Asian food and Korean cooking. I wanted to spend this whole book emotionally eating.

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sfsonja's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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didionhead's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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qa9's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

5.0

What a beautiful memoir. Zauner reflects in such honest grief over a complex mother she lost too soon.

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lil_owl_reads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

There were points during reading when I had to literally stop or I knew I’d be inconsolable and in tears if I didn’t take a break and put the book down.
All the food descriptors are beautiful and made me crave so many Korean dishes. Love is not always clearcut, but food is. Food always seems to show love.
Reminder to hug your mom. Thats the main conclusion.

Not full spoiler but maybe…

I did not realize this was about the Japanese Breakfast singer until much later than I probably should have

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