Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

25 reviews

emcbuckett's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book feels more like a biography than the kind of historical fiction I’m accustomed to. Very, very historically based. It’s very informative and I feel like I learned a lot about the culture and historical conflict. That being said, it’s NOT an easy read. I think it’s worthwhile, but it’s TOUGH. Content warnings should be taken seriously. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child death, Death, Violence, War, and Grief

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Torture

banannabaker's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a very good book, the characters are intricate and complicated, the history is fascinating and the place and culture are described in beautiful detail.

However, overall I did not enjoy reading it.

The cover and the blurb are misleading - describing a story about the haenyeo of Jeju and female friendship. The book is about those things, but also (and increasingly so as it progresses) about the very worst things humankind are capable of. Some parts are the kind of horrifying that makes your bones cold, and other parts are so sad it's hard to shake the scenes off when you put the book down. I read this on holiday and was relieved and exhausted when I finished it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, Genocide, and Child death

Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Alcoholism, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

passionatereader78's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective 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

4.5

This is a heartbreaking read! I had to put this book down several times.  It's well written.  It's a great example of how messy and complicated friendship is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, War, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Pregnancy

Minor: Religious bigotry, Rape, Torture, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

epruta's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Murder, and Police brutality

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Domestic abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicide

melbell016's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

This is a sad and heartwrenching story. The atrocities are nausea-inducing. But it is also a beautiful story of friendship, strength despite immense loss, courage, and the difficulty and pain of finding forgiveness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Murder, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Death of parent, War, Genocide, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Torture, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cancer

entropyseeker's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

There's so much loss and grief in this book, but to be able to read about what happened on Jeju through the lens of haenyeo was touching, heartbreaking, and beautiful. Definitely read the tw though 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, War, Child abuse, Murder, Colonisation, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Sexual violence, and Torture

chemicallykat's review against another edition

dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was really intense and dark and sad

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Classism, Alcoholism, Genocide, Child abuse, Misogyny, Violence, War, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Terminal illness, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

ebba94's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, War, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Torture

alisonw's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Just realised I never reviewed this, it’s been a few months so I can’t be as clear with the review but I highly highly recommend this book.

Firstly a TW: It deals with extremely heavy subjects of loss, war, corruption, all kinds of abuse, murder including all ages, all very graphically so please be warned if you think you can’t handle that. 

But if you’re unsure, don’t let that put you off. This book tells the true story of the people of Jeju and all they have gone through in the last century through a fictional narrative and the graphic elements are there because they happened, reading them feels similar to the sobering feeling of going to a concentration camp has, it’s horribly sad but feels like a necessity to be able to respect and remember - in my case as a European who was taught nothing about Korea’s history, it felt so important to acknowledge and learn about these events for the first time.

The author is masterful at weaving history and fiction together, none of the fictitious story line feels forced to bring in a historical event, while at the same time the story does not steal from the history, I would actually say it helps give it more blood and feel more tangible rather than cold facts on a page about somewhere far away. 

Highly highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Colonisation, Grief, Pregnancy, Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Child death, Death, Murder, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Confinement, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Slavery

entre_fanon_y_weil's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Torture, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Genocide, and Violence