Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

La vegetariana by Han Kang

140 reviews

snarkycrafter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This is Lit Fic, and a very good one at that. But as with all Lit Fic, there are many layers that caused you to critically think and discover the true meaning of the novel. It’s a great book, but not for those who like to have everything spelled out. This book requires you to uncover the meaning of things, the purpose of certain literary choices. It’s not an enjoyable, fluffy read. You will be uncomfortable, you will be confused, you won’t know how you feel sometimes. That’s how I felt, and yet I could not deny that I saw myself in certain things. 

I think it’s a very interesting and compelling commentary on gender, norms and societal expectations (especially for women) in South Korean culture.

“Her calm acceptance of all these things made her seem to him something sacred. Whether human, animal, or plant she could not be called a person…” 

So dehumanizing of women. Only sacred as long as we remain submissive and pliant. 

Her brother in law wants to film her having sex with a man. And is talking about it like it’s a done deal, “if he were to choose a man to have sex with his sister in law it couldn’t be him[self]…” he assumes simply that she’ll be ok with it if he corners her into the situation.

“It’s your body. You can treat it however you please. The only area where you’re free to do just as you like, and even that doesn’t turn out just as you want it.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Medical trauma

ainaruizdegauna's review against another edition

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.75

Desde un punto de vista objetivo, la puntuación de este libro debería ser mayor, puesto que los temas que trata son altamente relevantes y las metáforas usadas son eficaces al hacerlo. Sin embargo, la puntuación que le doy al libro es de 2,75 ya que hay pasajes extremadamente gráficos y desagradables. Sé que están escritos así a propósito, y consiguen su cometido, pero no es el tipo de cosas que me gusta leer. Por ello, quiero aclarar que la puntuación que le he dado es simplemente por disfrute personal, no refleja lo valioso que es el libro. Si sois sensibles, leed los avisos de contenido y plantearos si realmente queréis leer esto o no.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

thomasina's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

I didn't enjoy it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

adrizeuza's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

3.5

I feel like this book usually draws very extreme reactions, but for me it was okay! Certainly engaging, I kept wanting to pick it up and see where the story was going. Horrible men, and desperate women that have become desensitized to their awful lives and are on the brink of burn out, basically, but written in a way that felt compelling and authentic, instead of phoned in as is the case with a lot of books in a similar vein that have come out in recent years. The last section felt dragged out though. I think overall the main theme (the violence we inflict on each other so casually) was interesting and explored in a very original way (especially for the time), but also a bit superficial and repetitive... I felt like in every scene where I was hoping to have a conclusion drawn that made me go "wow", it just ended abruptly and we switched to another moment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma

karmachamillionaire's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

Minor: Vomit

carojust's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

It's a given that the hype behind a book really dilutes the experience of reading it, as I kept expecting the wrong things from "The Vegetarian." It wasn't shocking material like reviewers say, but quite the opposite -- a delicate, honest portrait of two sisters dissolving from the construct of reality, and the lost men tethered to them.

This short book is told in three parts, from the perspectives of Yeong-hye's husband, her brother-in-law and her older sister, In-hye. Yeong-hye is the vegetarian, her decision to fiercely avoid meat ends up disrupting her loveless marriage and her already strained relationship with her family. It offends them. Her wasted, bra-less body offends them.

I appreciate the metaphors and message of this story, and there's a lot to deconstruct. Considering the vitriol that comes with any mention of feminism, and women continuing to lack agency and safety, this book's horror feels so dampened by today's reality.

The way this ends will leave you emptier than how it starts, so be warned if you're not into that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

bella613's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This was... difficult to read.
I knew this going in but I don't think I was prepared for it to be quite so much. It was shocking and at the same time not unusual (devastatingingly, nothing that happened felt unreal)
I like the unnerving feeling of the horror genre, but this is a bit different and I would definitely not recommend if you feel triggered when reading about certain topics. It was not an enjoyable read but I'd still say it was a good experience and a work of art. I felt strong second hand violation and disgust.

I have been vegan and vegetarian and more recently pescatarian and also have a weird relationship with food and putting things in my body. I wonder how differently I took this book than the average person (although can I really say my experience with food is not average?)
This book is not really about food or vegetarianism at all. It is incredibly personal and uncomfortable and thought provoking. There is hardly a moment of kindness or compassion ever shown to the main character, even in the way that the book is told from multiple perspectives and still not her own. No one listens to her about her dream and no one seems to truly see her, only what they want her to be in relation to themselves. 

This is one that's gonna be uncomfortably in my brain for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Blood

mimithorp's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

nico_lechat's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide attempt

crybabybea's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Kafka-esque exploration of autonomy and the violence that people, especially women, face under patriarchal standards and the pressure to conform socially and culturally. Bizarre is a great descriptor for this, it's definitely the weirdest book I've ever read. Definite elements of horror here with lots of gory imagery, especially about animals and meat. The overall tone of the novel is extremely alienated and isolated, as the story revolves around the main character, Yeong-hye, but is never written in her POV. Instead, we see her descent into psychosis through the eyes of three people in her family; her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister. 

This is clearly a novel that was written with the intention to make readers think and reflect, I think it is a testament to Han Kang's skill as a writer that everyone comes away from this experience with different thoughts and analyses. 

The writing is super allegorical and it's clear that each event happens for a reason and is designed to make the reader reflect and analyze. I found the writing style to be the main issue that kept me from giving it 5 stars; it jumped around in POV and tense, which, although it was written very well, became hard to follow at times.

I definitely feel like there were bits that went over my head and this is a book that deserves a reread with more concentration and reflection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Eating disorder, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Incest

Very graphic depictions of animal torture and death. Not quite incest but the

main character's brother-in-law has a sexual obsession with her and ends up assaulting her.

There are multiple depictions of abuse against the mentally ill main character, both at home and in a mental facility.