Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

57 reviews

amykuc's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Going into this book I had no idea what I was going to be reading. I needed a book to match a prompt and this one worked. But what a pleasant surprise-this was a great read. Island of Sea Women is a fictional recounting of women who work diving into the sea for food for their family and to make income for their family.
The book spans over generations, moving back and forth between the mid-1940's and the 2000's. Mi-ja and Young-sook are inseparable as childhood friends until the unimaginable tears them apart. While you have an inkling of the two time periods, the author ties it up well at the end.
This was the first book I have read written by Lisa See. I'm not really a reader of world history, but I couldn't put down this book. I will be picking up more of this author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Police brutality, War, Sexual violence, and Violence

ellanorte's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

La isla de las mujeres del mar es una novela sobre amistad, mujeres, sororidad. Sobre dolor, guerra y muerte. Lee despacio este libro porque cuesta digerir. De las lecturas que más me han calado este 2021. 

Si tengo que ponerle un pequeño contra es el final, que me ha parecido muy precipitado. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Torture

wackly93's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Child death, Death, and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

hev139's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

pavonini's review against another edition

informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Really interesting book. I learned and felt a lot reading it. Would recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death

bwwilhelm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

5.0

HEED THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. This book is emotionally engaging, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone. It deals with war from the viewpoint of a young woman on a small island. Things get gruesome, and graphic in parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

This book talks about the horrors of war, REPEATEDLY. Do with that information what you will. Specific trigger stuff in spoiler text.

About halfway into the book, Young-sook's entire village is herded into the local school by armed police. Some villagers are tortured, and Young-sook's husband, son, and sister-in-law are killed. It is GRAPHIC. Also, near the end of the book, Mi-ja goes into semi-specific detail about everything her husband did to her. Not incredibly graphic, but still made very clear. R*pe, police violence, colonization, etc, are mentioned throughout, pretty much from the beginning of the story, but it's generally very matter-of-fact with little to no details.

caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

emotional informative 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

4.5

• “Every woman who enters the sea carries a coffin on her back. In this world, in the undersea world, we tow the burdens of a hard life. We are crossing between life and death every day.”

• “With arranged marriages, many wives fall in love with their husbands quickly. For some it can take years. And for others, decades of marriage will always be filled with loneliness and sadness . . . How different it is with friendship. No one picks a friend for us; we come together by choice. We are not tied together through ceremony or the responsibility to create a son; we tie ourselves together through moments. The spark when we first meet. Laughter and tears shared. Secrets packed away to be treasured, hoarded, and protected. The wonder that someone can be so different from you and yet still understand our heart in a way no one else ever will.”

• “We thought we were free, but so far the only difference in our lives here on Jeju was that the Japanese flag was lowered, and the American flag was raised. One colonizer had been replaced by another.”

The Island of Sea Women is a profoundly sad, but moving, and very well-researched, work of historical fiction. The sea women of Jeju Island will stay with me for a very long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Police brutality

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, and Vomit

purplelillyflower's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Police brutality

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

addie's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Torture

Minor: Vomit, Rape, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

spinesinaline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Excrement, Infertility, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Cancer