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jayisreading's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Police brutality, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Alcohol and Self harm
kenyoncannotread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Alcohol, Gun violence, Death, Rape, Violence, Child death, Physical abuse, Police brutality, War, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Sexual assault, Confinement, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Gore
wong_jyi's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Grief, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Addiction, Body horror, Gun violence, Rape, Gore, War, Child death, Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Suicide
gokurakuji's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
i went into the book with a preconceived notion of what the structure would be like based on the summary but my prediction(?) was OFF. so i think that threw off my enjoyment.
but the horrifying knowledge that this book is based off history that i had 0 prior knowledge of (minus the name “gwangju uprising”) was frightening.
but the last chapter? it really made me come to appreciate the book as a whole.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Alcohol, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Blood, and Violence
seulgireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Confinement, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Infertility, Cursing, Suicide, and Misogyny
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Vomit, Self harm, Cancer, and Excrement
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Confinement, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, War, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Cancer, Police brutality, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Body horror
tomoonarmy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
“have their souls also escaped their bodies, flying away like birds?”
“There will be no forgiveness.”
“our soldiers are shooting. They’re shooting at us.”
I think that this book is an important piece of literature that many people should read (check the trigger warnings before tho!!), therefore I gave it a rating bc in today’s society I think people are more likely to read books with good ratings. So pls keep in mind that this rating isn’t about the story contained inside, more so for the writing and the importance of the story itself.
If you can, please read this book.
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Infertility, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Child death, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Body horror, Child death, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Vomit, Blood, Death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Gore, Infertility, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
eline1701's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
As for the novel's content, despite the horrors that were described, the graphic descriptions always felt justified - never sensationalised, never allowing anyone to romanticise any of it. And at the same time, there was a certain tenderness to it, especially for the different main characters, who are all so deeply human.
Speaking of the characters, I thought the connections between them all were so masterfully done. For Seon-ju, it took me embarrassingly long to realise it was her, but when I did it hit me right in the chest. And Dong-ho as the red thread tying them all together when initially his focus is only on his friend... yeah.
All of that said, I don't know if I'd recommend this book to anyone. It really is just very heavy and very graphic (see below, yes, all of those are described in detail again and again), to the point where I had some restless dreams from it. It's also a bleak book, as it doesn't only cover the events of the Uprising, but also its longlasting, ongoing aftereffects, without much of a message of hope. Still, I'm grateful to have read it though and to know a bit more about Gwangju, South Korea, and the Gwangju Uprising.
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Rape, Torture, Blood, Death, Sexual violence, War, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts
svb96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Torture, War, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Police brutality, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, and Alcohol
troxellis's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Child death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Death, Grief, Infertility, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Alcohol, Self harm, and Suicide