angievansprang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Genocide, Death, Child death, War, and Torture
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
isaclaire's review
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Police brutality, Child death, Blood, Death, Torture, Violence, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Police brutality, Rape, and Self harm
tomoonarmy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
“have their souls also escaped their bodies, flying away like birds?”
“There will be no forgiveness.”
“our soldiers are shooting. They’re shooting at us.”
I think that this book is an important piece of literature that many people should read (check the trigger warnings before tho!!), therefore I gave it a rating bc in today’s society I think people are more likely to read books with good ratings. So pls keep in mind that this rating isn’t about the story contained inside, more so for the writing and the importance of the story itself.
If you can, please read this book.
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Infertility, Death of parent, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Child death, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Injury/injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Body horror, Child death, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Vomit, Blood, Death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Gore, Infertility, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
annalu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Gun violence, Rape, Death, Injury/injury detail, Police brutality, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Alcoholism
sevensableyes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
It's a heartwrecnhing and tragic story about the Gwangju uprising. It was uncomfortable to read. It's beautifully written (another review I read on here goes into detail about the English translation, which was interesting).
I would highly recommend looking into content warnins before reading this book. Some things took me by surprise.
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, War, Torture, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Injury/injury detail, Body horror, Self harm, and Medical content
Moderate: Grief and Alcoholism
fireflyonaquest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Rape and Suicide
eline1701's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
As for the novel's content, despite the horrors that were described, the graphic descriptions always felt justified - never sensationalised, never allowing anyone to romanticise any of it. And at the same time, there was a certain tenderness to it, especially for the different main characters, who are all so deeply human.
Spoiler
Speaking of the characters, I thought the connections between them all were so masterfully done. For Seon-ju, it took me embarrassingly long to realise it was her, but when I did it hit me right in the chest. And Dong-ho as the red thread tying them all together when initially his focus is only on his friend... yeah.
All of that said, I don't know if I'd recommend this book to anyone. It really is just very heavy and very graphic (see below, yes, all of those are described in detail again and again), to the point where I had some restless dreams from it. It's also a bleak book, as it doesn't only cover the events of the Uprising, but also its longlasting, ongoing aftereffects, without much of a message of hope. Still, I'm grateful to have read it though and to know a bit more about Gwangju, South Korea, and the Gwangju Uprising.
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Police brutality, Rape, Torture, Blood, Death, Sexual violence, War, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts
ka_cam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Death, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, Body horror, Police brutality, Child death, Grief, and Rape
Moderate: Gun violence, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Self harm, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism
viviireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide, Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence
svb96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Torture, War, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Police brutality, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, and Alcohol