Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht

11 reviews

patibeatriz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

jaecake's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I could read it for hours at a time, even though each chapter flipped between the two sisters in to separate timelines, the story made it easy to digest the background of the characters when needed. This sort of allows you to not have the full picture immediately and you get to hear both the sisters stories from themselves. It's fictional but very much based on the horrific truth that isn't talked about. The author includes sources and further reading aswell as a timescale of events at the end of the book. This book will have a soft place in my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Excrement, Death of parent, and Deportation

kt_schutte's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pedophilia and Police brutality

lglais's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

sassysoles82's review

challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and War

kelly_e's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Title: White Chrysanthemum
Author: Mary Lynn Bracht
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 20, 2018

T H R E E • W O R D S

Unsettling • Enlightening • Redemptive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Korea, 1943. Hana has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation. As a haenyeo, a female diver of the sea, she enjoys an independence that few other Koreans can still claim. Until the day Hana saves her younger sister from a Japanese soldier and is herself captured and transported to Manchuria. There she is forced to become a comfort woman in a Japanese military brothel. But haenyeo are women of power and strength. She will find her way home.

South Korea, 2011. Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace. Seeing the healing of her children and her country, can Emi move beyond the legacy of war to find forgiveness?

💭 T H O U G H T S

I was gifted a copy of White Chrysanthemum by a friend a few years ago, and when I needed a book to fit a 'flower in the title' prompt, it was easy to grab off of my shelf. I didn't know much besides that it was a historical fiction, and I decided to tandem read the physical book along with the audio.

I was instantly drawn into the eye-opening account of the war crimes committed against 1000s of Korean women during WWII. The history of the Japanese sex slavery, and these women known as 'comfort women' is something I knew very little about. As detailed in the author's note, it's another heinous aspect of history governments have tried to brush under the rug, yet needs to be told. The detailed descriptions of what when on with these women were hard to read, yet really drew me into the story. I also appreciated learning about haenyeo culture.

As I kept reading, my interest waned as the story moved away from the central aspect. And I don't think the dual POVs worked for the story Bracht was trying to tell. While I knew they were connected, it felt like two separate stories being told parallel to one another. Emi wanted justice and healing with what happened to her sister, and Hana was always searching for home and eventually had to adjust to a new meaning for the word 'home'.

Mary Lynn Bracht handles the unsettling content with care in her debut. I preferred the first half of the story, and the ending left me satisfied, but something throughout the middle left more to desired. I would definitely read more of Mary Lynn Bracht books in the future.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• historical fiction fans looking for something different
• readers who like stories about sisters

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Words are power, her father once told her after reciting one of his political poems. The more words you know, the more powerful you become. That is why the Japanese outlaw our native language. They are limiting our power by limiting our words." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Addiction, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

isarza's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Es un libro que me rompió el corazón y me la pasé indignada todo el tiempo. Leer los detalles de los crímenes de guerra del imperio japonés fue sumamente doloroso. 
Viendo el lado positivo me permitió investigar sobre la historia de un país lejano. La historia de Corea ha estado llena de guerras y dolor pero como dice la autora es necesario conocer el pasado para no volver a cometer los mismos errores y honrar a las victimas. Mi corazón llora por todas las mujeres consuelo. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War

rspades's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, and Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Alcohol

hollyg35's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

readersreadingnook's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent