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leweylibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Those parts hit at just the right time though because I had been getting a bit bored. There's not a ton of dialogue, and the pace is really slow, but when those parts hit, I was reinvested lol.
One thing that helped keep my attention was Young-sook's friendship with Mi-Ja. You learn right off the bat that they had a serious falling out, but you don't know why. You watch their friendship grow stronger and stronger, all the while thinking what could possibly be bad enough that tears them apart?? Aaaand then it happens, and you're like ah. Right yeah no that makes sense. But then Young-sook just holds such a hella grudge and can't move past it which is frustrating. The ending to this conflict felt a bit rushed, so it wasn't as satisfying to me as it could've been.
All that said, I did learn a LOT and am glad I read it!
Quotes:
- Her house is the nest where she hides the joy, laughter, sorrows, and regrets of her life. (3)
- How different it is with friendship. No one picks a friend for us; we come together by choice. We are not tied together through ceremony or the responsibility to create a son; we tie ourselves together through moments. The spark when we first meet. Laughter and tears shared. Secrets packed away to be treasured, hoarded, and protected. The wonder that someone can be so different from you and yet still understand your heart in a way no one else ever will. (36)
- Young-sook's mother used to say that the sea was like a mother while Young-sook's grandmother said that the sea was better than a mother. After all these years, Young-sook knows her grandmother to be the most right. The sea is better than a mother. You can love your mother, and she still might leave you. You can love or hate the sea, but it will always be there. Forever. The sea has been the center of her life. It has nurtured her and stolen from her, but it has never left. (79)
- I loved her. I would always love her. That was far more important than the men we were to marry. (126)
- Oh, I understood life and death, but I didn't yet have a true comprehension of all that could happen between your first and last breaths. This was a mistake I would live with for the rest of my life. (138)
- I'd watched my mother die in the sea. I'd seen Yu-ri go into the sea one person and come out another. I understood the sea to be dangerous, but what was happening on dry land confused and scared me. In the last few months, I'd witnessed several people get shot in front of me. I'd seen people on both sides beaten. Those who'd been killed or injured were all Korean--whether from the mainland or Jeju--and the perpetrators had all been our countrymen. This was unfathomable to me, and I couldn't stop shaking from fear, not even when my husband held me tight and told me he would keep us safe. (197)
- I stopped breathing, holding in air longer than could be possible, as if I were in the deepest part of the sea. When I couldn't hold it any longer, I sucked in not the quick death of seawater but instead unforgetting, unrelenting, life-giving air. (231)
- To understand everything is to forgive. (363)
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Gore, War, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
wellreadmegs's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
This book helped me learn more about the Japanese colonization of Korea and what happened to Korean before and after World War II. This book brought to light to atrocities that happened in Korea and Jeju and I really appreciated the perspective. I definitely want to keep learning more. This book spanned a large timeframe and did jump back and forth which is one thing I love about historical fiction.
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, Deportation, and Grief
Moderate: Torture, Sexual violence, and Gun violence
emvoor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: War, Death, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Sexual violence and Domestic abuse
bookben40's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Violence and Torture
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and War
kibbles15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Violence, and Genocide
Moderate: War, Domestic abuse, Rape, Mental illness, Child abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, and Sexual violence
astonecdp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Genocide, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, War, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual violence
azilisssss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Domestic abuse, Mass/school shootings, Gore, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, War, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Vomit and Pregnancy
thebookienook's review against another edition
5.0
I went into The Island of Sea Women pretty blind. I knew that it was about women who worked in a diving collective and that is it. I learned more about Korean culture and the Haenyo, the women diving collective, through the lens of this story. Lisa See does a beautiful job interweaving pieces of the past with the present day. Many times when there are shifts like this in fiction, especially when reading audiobooks it can be confusing to follow. It felt seamless to me. The audiobook was really well done, but I did find myself having to stop once or twice because of the heavy subject matter.
This is not a light-hearted, uplifting story. It’s one of survival and perseverance, the will to overcome any obstacle despite how atrocious it may be.
Graphic: Violence, War, Child death, Death of parent, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
zombiezami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Gun violence, Violence, War, Death, Murder, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Child death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, Gore, Animal death, and Genocide
Moderate: Vomit, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual harassment, Excrement, Ableism, Alcoholism, and Medical content
Minor: Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Infidelity
Starvationcorriejn's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, War, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Genocide, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Classism, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Infertility, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Medical content, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts