Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Old Woman with the Knife

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo

24 reviews

ka_cam's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

3.75

This book’s preside reads like a thriller when the book itself reads more like a character study- I think this set up coming in left me more bored than I otherwise would be. There’s some thriller/action elements but a lot of it is Hornclaw reflecting on her life and working through the last tasks of her career, and how they weave into her past assassinations and entanglements. I’d have liked it to commit more to examining hornclaw, I found the background on her some of the most compelling sections.

Content Warnings

jukietoss's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely loved this quirky, literary mystery/thriller. The translation was gorgeous, with a beautiful rhythm and cadence in its writing. The pacing of the book was so well-executed, and I was pulled in by the story and characters. I appreciated that we had a primary protagonist whom I found compelling and complex but also had omniscience into other characters in a way that advanced the plot and added texture to the story.

This was a book about so many things, and I love how they were all woven together--it was a story of aging, of society's treatment and expectations of the elderly, of the parts of us that soften and long for connection even when we've tried to train ourselves out of that. It's a story of discipline, of revenge, of skill/mastery and of a gradual diminution of mastery as our bodies and minds progress. It's a story of relationships despite one's best efforts to avoid them.

This book was beautiful, compelling, and full of heart in really unusual ways. I really enjoyed not knowing where we were headed and just giving in to the ride. The whole thing kept me surprised and drawn in.

Content Warnings