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hinoki's review
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Maybe 2 stars is a bit harsh, but I kind of feel that reading this book was a waste of my time.
I really like "saga" books that follow multiple characters (usually a family) over a long period of time. But I feel that this book didn't work. I didn't care about any of the characters or what they were up to.
This book is full of tired beliefs about het relationships and is obsessed with women's beauty, or the lack of it. This really feels like it was written in the 90s. It reminds me of the worst parts of Practical Magic (the book.)
This book takes place in early 20th Korea during the Japanese occupation. For me, the joy of reading historical fiction is learning about a different place/time and the people who lived there. I didn't really get that from this book. I didn't learn much about Korea. The occupation was too far in the background.When one character was "suffering" from the Japanese caused food shortages, her friend always brought her food, or she was able to sell jewelry to get food. We never really *saw* her suffering, so we never really got a sense of the horror of that time period. It just sounds like an inconvenience.
I also thought it was very strange that there was no mention of "comfort women" (women sold into sexual slavery by the Japanese) maybe it wasn't as wide spread or I have the time period wrong???
It really doesn't help that I just finished Little by Edward Carey. Which is a a book where tons of tragic things happen to the characters, and there isn't really a happy ending, but it works. Everything felt heavy and meaningful where the events in this book are just meh.
I will say that I really liked the epilogueI think because it was in 1st person, so I got the chance to connect with and care about a character for the first time in the book.
I really like "saga" books that follow multiple characters (usually a family) over a long period of time. But I feel that this book didn't work. I didn't care about any of the characters or what they were up to.
This book is full of tired beliefs about het relationships and is obsessed with women's beauty, or the lack of it. This really feels like it was written in the 90s. It reminds me of the worst parts of Practical Magic (the book.)
This book takes place in early 20th Korea during the Japanese occupation. For me, the joy of reading historical fiction is learning about a different place/time and the people who lived there. I didn't really get that from this book. I didn't learn much about Korea. The occupation was too far in the background.
I also thought it was very strange that there was no mention of "comfort women" (women sold into sexual slavery by the Japanese) maybe it wasn't as wide spread or I have the time period wrong???
It really doesn't help that I just finished Little by Edward Carey. Which is a a book where tons of tragic things happen to the characters, and there isn't really a happy ending, but it works. Everything felt heavy and meaningful where the events in this book are just meh.
I will say that I really liked the epilogue
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Pedophilia
aformeracceleratedreader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
A historical fiction set on the history of modern day Korea's inception. The characters go through the time of Japanese imperialism, through WW2, through the Korean War, and into the 60s. There were a lot of characters which can be confusing as more characters and their perspectives kept getting added as we moved through time with them. There were also a ton of slow parts and the characters got so frustrating that I kind of stopped caring and wanted to dnf it. I finished but a lot of the characters didn't get the treatment or end I would've preferred. Some I thought deserved better, some deserved worse but that is life especially during times of active war.
I did enjoy the focus on the cruelty of Japanese imperialism because it seems a lot of people "in the west" don't know about it. My own motherland was also a victim of the imperialism and colonization so what was described I had already previous knowledge of.
PLEASE LOOK AT CONTENT WARNINGS as this is a historical fiction based on things that truly did happen. Nothing was in too much graphic detail but there are heavy topics within that you should be aware of.
I did enjoy the focus on the cruelty of Japanese imperialism because it seems a lot of people "in the west" don't know about it. My own motherland was also a victim of the imperialism and colonization so what was described I had already previous knowledge of.
PLEASE LOOK AT CONTENT WARNINGS as this is a historical fiction based on things that truly did happen. Nothing was in too much graphic detail but there are heavy topics within that you should be aware of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Torture, and Toxic relationship
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