Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

129 reviews

katherine_alexis's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, War, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Rape

raaahella's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-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

4.75

This book was one that left a huge piece till the end. I find this a regular plot device, but also feel the authors never get to truly rustle with the decisions the main characters will feel over this "brand new information," revealed on the second last page. She is not the only author who does this, so I will not fault her for it. 

It was a good book at understanding our expectations of others and how we expect or think they will view us. It also showed why holding onto hate just leaves you with regret. Great life lesson book. And a beautiful historical story about a matriarchal society. 

I would highly recommend anyone to read, if only for the Korean historical part.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Genocide, War, and Racism

The length of the story was a bit too much. I began to loose interest until they spoke about the book Heidi. Then the story picked up again with Chun Lee's character. Would have like to have read what the letters they sent to her mother actually said. And curious if they understood the blocking out of information from America.

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, War, Violence, Death, and Misogyny

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Rape, Pregnancy, Vomit, Colonisation, and Death of parent

Minor: Medical content and Alcohol

azilisssss's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

julesmcf's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

This was the most captivating book I've read in a long time, covering  a range of topics: friendship,

betrayal and forgiveness

, the strength and endurance of women, their spiritual connection to the island and sea, and a changing time and world. I've learned so much about Korean history and the hanyeo. This is an extremely well- researched and written book. I highly recommend you to read it!

However, it is not a light read as it deals in detail with the cruelties that were committed in the  end of the 1940s and 50s on Jeju.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and War

Moderate: Murder, Rape, Domestic abuse, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Fire/Fire injury

camillemelaleuca's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-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

4.5

heartbreaking

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Grief

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: War, Torture, Sexual assault, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

rieviolet's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

3.0

I started this book with very high expectations and maybe that wasn't a good idea because it just added to my disappointment. 

The sections with historical, social and cultural informations were very interesting (at least for me) but I don't think that they were very well integrated into the narration and I can see how someone might find them a bit too much didactic and dry.

The historical events that are the basis for this story were brutal and certainly they cannot be brushed aside, but I still think that an author can approach the portraying of violence in a way that does not feel gratuitous (as it did for me in this case). I don't think that such a violence was well transposed on the page, at times it just felt like a list of atrocities, just for shock value. 

In general, I just didn't get along much with the writing style, I found it eithera bit plain or a bit too much overdone, without much subtlety in terms of both narration and characterization. 

Speaking of characters, I have to say that I struggled to connect with them, even when it came to the main character, Youngsook, there were very few moments when I felt really engrossed in her story and her feelings. I think that the characters' emotions were not so well portrayed, they were either too much melodramatic for my taste or kept hidden or just vaguely hinted at, so that I struggled as a reader to actually understand their depth and to be interested in the unfolding of the various relationships.

I wasn't so keen on the big final reveal, the events of the last chapters
just felt like too much for me, too over dramatic, too out of nowhere, just too much. The ending itself was also very abrupt. 

I really liked the setting and the historical/cultural background but the story, the characters and the writing style quite dampened my enjoyment of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Gun violence, War, Colonisation, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Child death, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Ableism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Excrement, Vomit, Blood, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse

Minor: Cancer, Body shaming, and Alcoholism

biblioghoul's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Child death, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Racism

henrylee1202's review against another edition

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

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

4.75

I literally loved this book. It captivated and immersed me from the very start because of the amazing writing. I learned so much about Jeju's culture.

As much as I hated that Young-sook chose to be angry for so long, it was realistic and I liked that the author didn't try to flip the story too quickly (or I guess too late...).

Definitely a life-changing book that I will be thinking about often for my entire life. I'm also really fascinated by the author who has no ethnic(?) connection to Korea whatsoever but worked so hard to research for this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Gore, Rape, Violence, and Death

Moderate: War

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, War, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, Torture, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Excrement, Vomit, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Cancer