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hannah2896's review against another edition
Not something I'd usually read but picked up as longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. The first chapter gave me false confidence in loving this book and didn't set me up well for the absolute brutality of the following chapters. Disturbing and not a particuarly enjoyable read - I wish I read reviews before picking up as I would have avoided. The chapters also seem quite disjointed which left me confused in parts. Dnf at page 77.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, War, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, and Violence
anditsreal's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Beautifully heart wrenching. Confusing at times, as I understand the chapters used to exist as separate short stories and you can feel the disjoint. It also didn't need the biographer story as a wrapper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Terminal illness, Violence, Slavery, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
insomniacsun's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Questo è un libro che ho preso d'impulso dalla lista dei nuovi arrivi in biblioteca, accecata dall'obiettivo di essere più spontanea nella scelta delle mie letture. Errore fatale.
Addio spontaneità, le mie analisi di mercato continueranno a regnare sorvane.
Purtroppo, come per tanti vedo, titolo e premessa accattivanti mi hanno fatto pensare ad un libro diverso da quello che mi sono ritrovata a leggere: più che romanzo la definirei una antologia, idea confermata dal fatto che alcuni dei capitoli sono stati pubblicati dall'autrice come racconti separati. Non c'è stato un lavoro decente nell'unire le varie storie e questo si nota particolarmente negli ultimi capitoli che ho faticato molto a finire.
Il problema più grosso che ho avuto sta nella freddezza con cui l'autrice narra di situazioni estremamente intense e cruente che occupano gran parte dell'opera. Come per ogni libro che non riesco a leggere in lingua originale, non so mai se attribuirlo alla traduzione o se sia un problema di fondo.
Non ha aiutato l'ambizione dell'autrice nel creare una unreliable narrator senza avere la capacità di creare la tensione richiesta. Inoltre, l'alone di mistero che cerca di creare in alcuni capitoli, narrandoli ogni volta da un punto di vista diverso, non funziona quanto sperato, per il semplice fatto che la protagonista, intorno a cui gira tutto, risulta molto statica nonostante attraversi millemila peripezie.
Forse un finale curato che legava tutte le parti discordanti disperse tra i capitoli poteva rendere l'opera almeno sufficiente, invece il tutto viene concluso con un epilogo molto anticlimatico che rende gran parte dell'opera al quanto inutile.
Fatto sta che sono rimasta delusa dalla realizzazione che, pur leggendo di questo personaggio subire così tante violenze, mi sentivo emotivamente coinvolta tanto quanto lo sia leggendo la lista della spesa, il che è inaccettabile.
In conclusione, è l'ennesimo libro che cerca di fare tutto senza concludere niente, lasciandosi dietro solo una scia di grande potenziale sprecato e trauma porn inconcludente.
Addio spontaneità, le mie analisi di mercato continueranno a regnare sorvane.
Purtroppo, come per tanti vedo, titolo e premessa accattivanti mi hanno fatto pensare ad un libro diverso da quello che mi sono ritrovata a leggere: più che romanzo la definirei una antologia, idea confermata dal fatto che alcuni dei capitoli sono stati pubblicati dall'autrice come racconti separati. Non c'è stato un lavoro decente nell'unire le varie storie e questo si nota particolarmente negli ultimi capitoli che ho faticato molto a finire.
Il problema più grosso che ho avuto sta nella freddezza con cui l'autrice narra di situazioni estremamente intense e cruente che occupano gran parte dell'opera. Come per ogni libro che non riesco a leggere in lingua originale, non so mai se attribuirlo alla traduzione o se sia un problema di fondo.
Non ha aiutato l'ambizione dell'autrice nel creare una unreliable narrator senza avere la capacità di creare la tensione richiesta. Inoltre, l'alone di mistero che cerca di creare in alcuni capitoli, narrandoli ogni volta da un punto di vista diverso, non funziona quanto sperato, per il semplice fatto che la protagonista, intorno a cui gira tutto, risulta molto statica nonostante attraversi millemila peripezie.
Forse un finale curato che legava tutte le parti discordanti disperse tra i capitoli poteva rendere l'opera almeno sufficiente, invece il tutto viene concluso con un epilogo molto anticlimatico che rende gran parte dell'opera al quanto inutile.
Fatto sta che sono rimasta delusa dalla realizzazione che, pur leggendo di questo personaggio subire così tante violenze, mi sentivo emotivamente coinvolta tanto quanto lo sia leggendo la lista della spesa, il che è inaccettabile.
In conclusione, è l'ennesimo libro che cerca di fare tutto senza concludere niente, lasciandosi dietro solo una scia di grande potenziale sprecato e trauma porn inconcludente.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Trafficking, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Confinement, Death, Body horror, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
hedgehogreads01's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
A well done story made of separated chapters (lives). First five used to be separate short stories, but they still worked for me as a part of the novel.
The second half (7th life especially) dragged slightly, but was still engaging enough.
It has several
POVs, and might be an issue for some people. I myself prefer books with 1-2 POVs, no more.
Still, liked it a lot.
The second half (7th life especially) dragged slightly, but was still engaging enough.
It has several
POVs, and might be an issue for some people. I myself prefer books with 1-2 POVs, no more.
Still, liked it a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Slavery, Medical trauma, War, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Cancer and Vomit
emmajanereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Dementia
Minor: Child death and Child abuse
french_cat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence
hegesteindal74's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Could not pu this down. Very entertaining and interesting! If you liked "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee or "Demon Coperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver you will proberbly enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Murder
happyknitter2020's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Read as listed on the Women's Prize 2024.
An absolutely amazing story. Read over 2 days & let my mind follow the complex chapters of her life. Learned about women's experiences during the 2 wars & brings to life the values of the Women's Prize.
I think this would be my winner & will be on my Top 10 books for 2024.
An absolutely amazing story. Read over 2 days & let my mind follow the complex chapters of her life. Learned about women's experiences during the 2 wars & brings to life the values of the Women's Prize.
I think this would be my winner & will be on my Top 10 books for 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Excrement, Genocide, Infertility, Murder, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Racism, and War
kirstym25's review
dark
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, War, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
I finished this Women’s Prize longlisted title a week ago and I still can’t decide how I feel about it. The novel opens in a South Korean care facility with the recently divorced narrator interviewing residents and getting their life histories which will eventually become their obituaries. Mrs Mook, a resident on the Alzheimers ward, claims that during her life she was a slave, an escape artist, a murderer, a terrorist, a spy, a lover and a mother and the bulk of the novel is devoted to her account of her life. Given that it spanned some crucial years in Korean history (North and South) and her experience included being raised in a family beset by domestic abuse, time in a “comfort station” during World War II, and escape from North Korea, I expected to be engrossed, fascinated and constantly rooting for Mrs Mook, for doing whatever it took to survive. And I was … but only to a point. I think several things about the structure and style of the book kept me from forming the emotional connection I was craving. One is the fact that it reads like a collection of short stories, and in fact many of the chapters have been separately published. This and they fact that they are ordered non-sequentially, along with some changes of names and identities, made her story harder to follow and to connect with. I think I fell into the trap of trying to organise and order the stories and identities, actively seeking out connections, rather than just going with the flow and letting it wash over me. Although some lives, particularly those connected with the “comfort stations” really hit hard. The other struggle I faced was the slight inconsistencies in the stories, wondering what they meant and what I was to do with them. Given that Mrs Mook was in an Alzheimers ward this left me with some doubts about her reliability as a narrator, which again detracted from the emotional connection. In many ways I would have preferred to experience Mrs Mook’s stories in a more more straightforward chronological fashion. However, I can see that the structure the author used enhanced the exploration of some themes, particularly identity and storytelling.
As I said at the beginning my thoughts and feelings about the book are still unclear. As for Mrs Mook? Regardless of the literal truth of her stories she was undoubtedly a bad ass, scarred by trauma, but showing strength and resilience and doing her best to live her life on her terms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Sexual violence