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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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, and Murder
nini23's review against another edition
I intensely disliked this, how the hell did this misogynistic crap get long-listed for the International Booker? This is a re-translation to boot, they found this worth translating twice? Why not translate more of Park Wan-Suh's works instead?
Thanks to publisher for ARC.
Thanks to publisher for ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
paulap's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was a ride. It mainly focuses on two women, Geumbok is the mother and Chunhui is the daughter. We follow first the mothers story from running away from her town to establishing herself as a business woman. Then, we follow Chunhui, growing up being different and learning the family business of making bricks, up to her last days. It also has glimpses on how the Korean society was changing throughout all this time.
This book also makes a commentary about misogyny by exaggerating and almost twisting it to a point in which it almost felt non-sensical. I am not sure how successful it was at that, although I fond some of the commentary quite poignant. Other times, it was just too brutal to a point in which it was not furthering anything and I wanted to stop reading.
In terms of the writing style, it feels very whimsical and detached. We do not get to know the thoughts of the characters in detail (I think intentionally), and therefore the book does not try to make an emotional connection with the reader by sharing feelings and thoughts. There is a lot of foreshadowing throughout the book as well, which sometimes worked but sometimes didn't. There is also touches of magical realism, which increase the feeling that it almost reads like a fairy tale. And mostly, the book was violent and brutal from beginning to end, so if that is not your thing, maybe stay away from it.
This book also makes a commentary about misogyny by exaggerating and almost twisting it to a point in which it almost felt non-sensical. I am not sure how successful it was at that, although I fond some of the commentary quite poignant. Other times, it was just too brutal to a point in which it was not furthering anything and I wanted to stop reading.
In terms of the writing style, it feels very whimsical and detached. We do not get to know the thoughts of the characters in detail (I think intentionally), and therefore the book does not try to make an emotional connection with the reader by sharing feelings and thoughts. There is a lot of foreshadowing throughout the book as well, which sometimes worked but sometimes didn't. There is also touches of magical realism, which increase the feeling that it almost reads like a fairy tale. And mostly, the book was violent and brutal from beginning to end, so if that is not your thing, maybe stay away from it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
thomasdj's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and War
purplemuskogee's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have really struggled to finish this one. It's written like a tale with many short chapters focusing on different generations of women in a family - the "old crone", the daughter with the magical scent, the daughter who is a giant... I found it well written, the translation is very smooth, but the content was incredibly disturbing and seemed gratuitous at times. There is a rape at every page or almost, murders, sexual assault of vulnerable people, and I am still not sure wbere the book was going. I found the writing interesting and the format original but it wasn't for me.
FREE ARC sent by Netgalley
FREE ARC sent by Netgalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail