Reviews with content warning for Body horror - La vegetariana

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

La vegetariana by Han Kang

134 reviews

aisclaradm's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I liked much of it, but I think the story was too far-fetched and had no satisfying ending. It seemed to be building up to something incredible, but it left me wanting. Beautiful story at times and an interesting premise, but it was lacking too much to rate it higher.

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brealoadion's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

I struggled a bit with this books because it was quite what I had expected from the synopsis on the back of the book. The first part was very disturbing and gory, but really intriguing. The second part fell very flat to me and I still struggle to understand the relevance of this part other than to give a small look into where Yeong-hye was at during this time and to give a segue into the third part from her sister’s perspective. The third part was beautifully written and focused mainly on mental health issues, but I really struggle with books that don’t give a clear ending or explanation for things. However, maybe that’s a testament to what it’s like to be a human – there aren’t always going to be explanations for things.

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annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.0

i am really trying to think if there's anything i got out of this book, and i'm coming up blank.
i can't even say it was interesting because i was often bored. it was undeniably disturbing, but that alone doesn't make for a good read. it often read like, "they did this. then they did this. this is what they did." the writing fell so flat that i didn't highlight a single passage. and maybe it went over my head but i couldn't extract any meaning from it, either. after reading others' reviews, none of the mentioned themes held any weight for me, except for patriarchy. just an unpleasant, unenlightening slog. it earned one star because the first part of the three was my favorite, and at least i can say i have a favorite, even though i wouldn't say it was good.

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airr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A fictional commentary about the taboo of mental healthcare, male parental “love,” marital rape and the marginalization of women in South Korea. Sad, jolting, haunting, and triggering. For me, as a Korean woman living outside that system, it’s also an enraging mind f***.

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carmentxx's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

i’ve had to sit on this book before i made a review. i’m used to reading bizarre, disturbing and creepy books but this one may take the cake. there is no better way to describe this book other than bizarrely disturbing.
i was curious to see if we would ever get yeong-hye’s perspective after we got the perspective of the first two men. spoiler- we don’t. it’s just the sister. it’s a bizarre, disturbing account of a woman’s descent into complete and utter madness from the perspective of people around her who may well be slightly mad as well. the book begs the question- how do we know we’re not all really mad in the same disturbing way these characters are? what is madness? what is the difference between madness in men and in women?

the book isn’t perfect. the pacing is kind of weird where some bits are way too slow and some bits are a bit glossed over. but i was incessantly curious about how kang would end the book- and just as i expected, with lots of questions.

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