Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

17 reviews

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Goodreads describes this book as "The runaway bestseller that helped launch Korea's new feminist movement, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman's psychic deterioration in the face of rigid misogyny." I cannot think of a better description. This book is short, but it packs a punch. It had me angry from beginning to end. There are heavy themes of misogyny throughout the whole book as our main character, Jiyoung, simply cannot catch a break. The narrative of her life, while brief, illustrates perfectly how living under an oppressive patriarchy in Korean culture has messed with this woman's mental health and development. Though this book is specifically about a typical woman from modern day South Korea, I think there are things that happen within it that most women from various cultures can relate to, which horrifies me. I don't feel like I'm super qualified to review a book this important. I'm just a girl who likes books, but I really liked this book and what it had to say about feminism, motherhood, and being an average woman in general. The only thing I think I would change would be that I would've liked it to be longer and to have gone deeper into the psychological aspect of it.

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louisar's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-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

5.0

This book is one of the saddest I’ve ever read, but also one of my favorite books ever. It perfectly articulated for me what I’ve known for years about the pain women experience on a daily basis, simply for being women. The ending was a clever twist, the book was fast-paced and informative, and sure as hell am I buying it and recommending it to everyone who has difficulty understanding who misogyny works and is prevalent today. 

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rinka's review against another edition

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

5.0

This book shook me to the core and made me cry out of frustration (not because of the book but because of the reality it portrays) but I couldn’t put it down. It‘s amazing.

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kaiulanilee's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective tense medium-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

3.75

This book is incredibly strong because it lays the facts out for you to look at and leaves it there. I think depending on the reader this could be hit or miss, but regardless I think it’s an incredibly effective way of showcasing the very insidious ways that misogyny often takes. I think for women this might be a bit exhausting to read but for men this should be required reading. 

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beatriks's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad 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

4.5

It’s a short life story, but filled with facts and stats with references. It gives very clear insights into the lives of Korean women of my age in a misogynist society.  The men in the book really don’t understand. 
This book really makes me angry. 

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lish_e's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

It’s sad that this book is so relatable. Also, it’s weird to rate this book, as the topics and stories are so real. 
The author uses statistics with citations to proof her point and to show, that the story of Kim Jiyoung isn’t uncommon. A lot of the experiences the main character has aren’t specific to South Korea and happen to a lot of women around the world. When I talked about this book, sadly a lot of women could relate and experienced something similar.  
A hard-hitting book that I highly recommend. 


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alexture's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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