Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

72 reviews

ayahelsheikh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I always worry that when a novel is translated, it won’t embody the original text, especially with a narrator as unique as this one. My worries were unfounded this time around — there was an incredible display of emotion and vulnerability for a boy who struggles to feel. 

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httponyo's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

   I found myself crying at random parts. It made my chest ache but in a good way. Gon and Yunjae are very precious children and should be protected. 
   My only problem is that the ending seemed to come a little quickly? The build up to that momet is obvious but it reads like it happened suddenly. Other than that , read the story yourself and see if it brings out anything in you. 

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randeerebecca's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • 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? Yes

5.0


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cami_chai's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • 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

5.0


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claudiashelf's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-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

4.25

❝ Mom said everything was for my sake, calling it love. But to me, it seemed more like we were doing this out of her own desperation not to have a child that was different. Love, according to Mom’s actions, was nothing more than nagging about every little thing, with teary eyes, about how one should act such and such in this and that situation. If that was love, I’d rather neither give nor receive any. But of course, I didn’t say that out loud. That was all thanks to one of Mom’s codes of conduct—Too much honesty hurts others—which I had memorized over and over so that it was stuck in my brain. ❞

The book centres around an enigmatic and complex character named Yunjae, who suffers from a rare condition called Alexithymia. This condition leaves him unable to experience emotions, which makes it difficult for him to interact with people and understand social cues. As the story unfolds, Yunjae meets an array of intriguing people, each with their own unique personalities and backgrounds. I see how Yunjae's relationship with them develops over time, how he tries to make sense of his emotions, or lack thereof, and how he navigates the world around him.

The author paints a vivid and compelling picture of Yunjae's journey, capturing every nuance of his struggles and triumphs. The book is a poignant exploration of the human condition, and the author's masterful storytelling keeps me captivated until the very end. Although the ending may have felt a little underwhelming, the book as a whole is a beautifully written, thought-provoking, and emotionally resonant tale.

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naa_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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kyullua's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
  • 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? Yes

4.0

the writting grabbed me in a way that it hasn’t happened since i was a teenager. i just had to know what happened next, you could feel yunjae devolpments in each page you read and because of that i couldn’t stop

the thing is this book is incredible if you take out the alexithimia part as it’s incredibly poorly portrayed, which is a shame considering that’s the main “thing” surroding the book.  it just feels like the author never researched what alexithimia even is

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lilmissoddity's review against another edition

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2.0

This book is a gross misrepresentation of the condition Alexithymia and misrepresentation of conditions can be a harmful thing to people. 

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dominiq_ec's review against another edition

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

5.0

This book made me cry in the ending pages, and while I don't let myself cry often, it's usually a sign of a pretty good book. 

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biab00's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 To borrow Granny’s description, a bookstore is a place densely populated with tens of thousands of authors, dead or living, residing side by side. But books are quiet. They remain dead silent until somebody flips open a page. Only then do they spill out their stories, calmly and thoroughly, just enough at a time for me to handle. 


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