Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

A Vegetariana by Han Kang

81 reviews

nadiarausa's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

Before I share a few initial thoughts, for anyone interested in reading the book, please be aware of a few TW/CW: there are two instances of SA, the first in part one and the other in part two, as well as a few instances of self-h*rm and su*c*de attempts. 

As for my initial thoughts: I think a lot of people missed the point of this book. It certainly wasn’t about convincing anyone to be vegetarian or vegan, it wasn’t even just to relay gory and creepy things (though much of the “creepy” imagery in this book was honestly quite beautiful to me); it’s about the harm of misogyny, patriarchy, and the lack of autonomy women have, and how this affects the physical and mental health of women in patriarchal societies. 

Han Kang did a beautiful job weaving a story that gives a fantastical horror vibe to the very real world that women (or women-raised folks) live in. I would love to read this in Korean as well! I’d be interested to see how similar or different things are between translations. 

One thing on translation that I will note: I wish they’d used the names of the dishes rather than listing ingredients. I get that they were trying to clarify if there was meat in this or that dish, but it felt so weird to read something like japchae (잡채) translated as “stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables and meat.” It’s like saying “wheat noodles with tomato sauce and meat” instead of just saying spaghetti. But otherwise, with only having read the English translation, the translator seemed to do a good job.

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linnybear's review against another edition

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Well that was a reminder to check trigger warnings from time to time :x

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bridge_to_narnia's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

Well written, but I don't think it was for me.

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dawndiscusses's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The most endearing part was Han's exploration of the impossibility of a truly ethical life, the impact of which I think has softened to some of the other perceived flaws others have pointed out. I'm generally not a fan of art that requires extra research (e.g. author interviews, discussion threads etc) to get a grasp on, but in this case I'm glad I followed my curiosity. Having watched Han discuss the project and reading a lot of the wonderful clarity provided by people in this community, I am moved by her willingness to open herself up and confront a subject matter that has plagued her for so long. Not in attempt to find a solution, but in the desire to explore what it means to be human. For that alone and the earnestness with which both she and translator Deborah Smith carried this project out, I really enjoyed it.

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rachaelcandoit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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alexiasp's review against another edition

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

2.0

What did I just read? I am disturbed.
This is marketed as a "feminist" novel (I guess?), but it seems to be more about Yeong-Hye's mental illness? 

Yeah I am confused. Also, this has literally every trigger warning.

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beatriks's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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horrorclassics's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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anenome's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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mbhcad's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m not entirely sure what this novel is about, but that doesn’t stop it from being gripping the entire way through. Han Kang creates a subject whose very existence upends the lives of those around her, laying out like spilt entrails the inescapable violence of patriarchy. Yeong-hye, the titular housewife-turned-vegetarian, is constantly manipulated and violated by the men around her who have decided her expression of autonomy is an unbearable offense. A spectacularly written read that left me feeling hollow, but not in a bad way.

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