Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

66 reviews

word_witch's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

A perfect raging feminist read.
Kim Jiyoung is thirty three, mother to a two year old daughter and is currently a stay at home mom. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter, sister, wife and daughter-in-law. Kim Jiyoung is now talking as if she's someone else.

This book with its perfectly quoted statistics and perfectly punctuated sentences that speak more than what it has already told is a case study as to how a woman is treated in the society. It is infuriating and heart wrenching and it makes me want to break something. It is way too real to be a "contemporary fiction" and yet we all collectively pray that it remains fiction. That is the victory of this book. A small stone causing a huge ripple.

And here's to more.

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faemp3's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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heartcolored's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I was actually surprised that Jiyoung's personality disorder that was mentioned at the beginning was not the main focus of the story. Instead, it focuses on the horrible experiences that Jiyoung went through as a woman from childhood to marriage. Even though the setting was in Korea and mostly in the late 1980s, I still related to almost every situation that was mentioned throughout the story. This only proves that the oppression of women is still prevalent even in the modern times. It's also disturbing that the horrible experiences that Jiyoung went through is a universal experience for every woman from the harassment to discrimination at the workplace. I feel like this book should be a required reading for every men out there so they can have a glimpse of how difficult it is to be a woman in a patriarchal society.

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originalsillyboy's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

I read this book as part of the 2022 RM Book Challenge. The writing flowed very well, and I found this novel very easy to follow. At the same time, however, this novel did not impact me as deeply as I was anticipating. The writing style was very impersonal and matter-of-fact,

but the reason for this became clear in the final chapter.

I found the statistics that were cited throughout to be very informative, albeit rage-inducing. This book should make you angry about the ridiculous standards women - especially mothers - are expected to meet, as well as the myriad injustices, inequalities, forms of harassment, and sacrifices women around the world face.

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tprsjr's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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shio's review against another edition

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5.0

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rieviolet'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? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It was a hard-hitting and painful story and so many times, like Kim Jiyoung herself, I wanted to scream and hit something at the sheer injustice and unbearable awfulness of it all.

I really appreciated how the author chose both to include the main character's personal experiences and also to mention facts and statistical data about the general conditions of women in South Korea.

I also really liked the writing style, it was quite direct and matter-of-fact when it needed to be, but at the same time there were many beautiful passages with a more lyrical style that captured so well Jiyoung's feelings and that really moved me.

A wonderful and powerful read.

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