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helenmeigs's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book and read it in only a couple days! A complex page turner that deals with family and myth and how an individual can never be separate from them. Interesting companion to Pachinko which I read earlier this year.
han_nur's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
ifollowedthatrabbit's review against another edition
4.0
"You and I-we are descended from women whose lives have been degraded into common folktales."
Angela Mi Young Hur has crafted a unique story. She has gracely woven a modern folktale using complex threads such as immigration, racism, misogyny, violence against women, mental problems, forgiveness, siblinghood, and more.
There’s so much meaning in this story. I feel like a can’t write a proper review, one that could make it justice without revealing too much information.
I don’t want to give you spoilers, so I’ll just tell you that the main character of this story, Elsa Park, must find and understand her mother’s stories in order to finally live her own life. She never understood why her mother used to tell her all these folktales when she was a child, therefore she didn’t understand their true meaning. The only way to understand her mother and herself is by seeing beyond the words of these tales.
Thanks to Erewhon Books, NetGalley and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Angela Mi Young Hur has crafted a unique story. She has gracely woven a modern folktale using complex threads such as immigration, racism, misogyny, violence against women, mental problems, forgiveness, siblinghood, and more.
There’s so much meaning in this story. I feel like a can’t write a proper review, one that could make it justice without revealing too much information.
I don’t want to give you spoilers, so I’ll just tell you that the main character of this story, Elsa Park, must find and understand her mother’s stories in order to finally live her own life. She never understood why her mother used to tell her all these folktales when she was a child, therefore she didn’t understand their true meaning. The only way to understand her mother and herself is by seeing beyond the words of these tales.
Thanks to Erewhon Books, NetGalley and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
audthecodewitch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
birchmezz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
belovedsnail's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A bit messy, but wonderful.
Moderate: Child death
sgpapagikos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
This is a devastating book about mental illness and family secrets and domestic abuse. A young scientist struggles with her relationships and work, and when her mother dies, she experiences a collapse, unable to find a path back, unable to find coherence in her life and the lives of her brother and father. Seeking a kind of therapy through folklore, she batters her way forward, moving and thinking erratically. This novel captures schizophrenia and paranoia in a remarkable, first-person narrative, and aptly describes the kinds of confused reactions from those who unknowingly witness it.
enoyes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5