Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Whale by Jae Won Chung, Cheon Myeong-kwan

10 reviews

unboxedjack's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Death of parent, Grief, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Child death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Rape

notthatcosta's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I have a lot of strong feelings which I'm struggling to articulate right now...

Honestly for the first half I thought I was going to love this book but it really fell off towards the end. Even though the pacing and the distribution of the narratives was uneven, there was a sense of momentum and build towards purposeful twists and turns. However, the last act sadly descended into pure mystery porn. If I wanted to read A Little Life I would simply read A Little Life.

Compared to Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (the only other Korean novel I've read to date), this was so much more vulgar, brutal and unabashed in a way that took me off guard but also kept me engaged. It had a lot to say and wasn't afraid to take big swings.

The parts focused on Geumbok (pre-transition, I stress) were excellent and I wish the rest was cropped out, because everything after the fire was frustrating and felt ultimately pointless compared to what came before it. Everything from prison onwards was a long, arduous and torturous indulgence into Chunhui's suffering with a payoff that felt as unearned as her suffering. It just didn't feel very purposeful like the story of her mother did...I just want to understand what the intention there was??? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Death, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Abandonment, Bullying, Alcohol, Death of parent, Sexism, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Murder, Body horror, Car accident, Classism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Violence, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Incest, Toxic relationship, War, and Mental illness

rabzia_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Child death, Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Classism, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Murder

nerwenie's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

2.0

The more I read the more I lowered the rating which is a shame as it is well written. It feels like the author put anything that crossed his mind when he was writing. This book is full of sexism, rape, lots of description of women’s bodies, saying that when you get close to your 30s your youth and prime has passed and you are basically already old. 
I finished it completely but it wasn’t what I was expecting at all for a “bestseller and masterpiece in the Korean literature “.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Child death, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Infidelity, Death, and Abandonment

sawyertaylor's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

• Loveable characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury

etherealsuju's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Torture, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, and Mental illness

lovleephtogrl's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity

Minor: Car accident, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Death

lorenag5's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Child abuse, Colonisation, Mental illness, Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Torture, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault

vb_marie's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

2.5

This book is unratable... I both loved and hated it. It's creative, gripping, and thought-provoking. It is also very provocative and crude, which isn't my fave. If you like Kurt Vonnegut, you might like this book. I especially recommend reading it in the view of analyzing it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Rape, Torture, Suicide, Death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, Bullying, and Child death

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Abandonment, Car accident, Excrement, Animal death, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence

ddnreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

This book revolved around a family and their detailed lifestyle, adventures, and misfortunes. At first, we met the girl Chunhui, known as the queen of red brick. However, this book will take us back to people who live long before Chunhui, and the history of Chunhui mother herself, geumbok.

This book remind me a lot with Beauty is Wound by Eka Kurniawan. 

For me, the storytelling and pace is not my favourite. I'm just not patient enough and I found myself struggled to finish this book. It stretches going back and forth from the past to present.

Character wise, I have this love hate relationship with geumbok. For a woman in that time to be able to do what she did is an applause. However, there were questionable decisions of her that made me go 🤧.
The accountability for the characters' action is concerning. It threw so effortlessly rape and SA. I found it uncomfortable and disturbing. It might be common for the setting based on the time and place the book is in, but it doesn't make it bearable to read. 

If you love speculative fiction, magical realism combined with historical trivias, this book is perfect for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Torture