Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

47 reviews

banannabaker's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This is a very good book, the characters are intricate and complicated, the history is fascinating and the place and culture are described in beautiful detail.

However, overall I did not enjoy reading it.

The cover and the blurb are misleading - describing a story about the haenyeo of Jeju and female friendship. The book is about those things, but also (and increasingly so as it progresses) about the very worst things humankind are capable of. Some parts are the kind of horrifying that makes your bones cold, and other parts are so sad it's hard to shake the scenes off when you put the book down. I read this on holiday and was relieved and exhausted when I finished it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, Genocide, and Child death

Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Alcoholism, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

bdaigneault's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Physical abuse

mikayla_h's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Violence, Grief, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

emmyreads03's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Genocide, Suicide, Grief, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Hate crime, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, and War

markcollison's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense 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? N/A

4.75

Having read another of See’s books, I knew I would fall in love with the characters, however I was not expecting to be gut-wrenchingly torn from them. This is a brilliantly written example of just one woman’s story among the life on Jeju Island and the massacre that occurred there. The depth of the novel emerges when one realises that each resident of the island had their own story, that was just as detailed and heartbreaking as this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, War, and Xenophobia

epruta's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Murder, and Police brutality

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Domestic abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicide

katyps78's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-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

4.5

Beautiful epic historical fiction about 2 women/friends/wives/mothers and their lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Racism, War, Violence, Sexual violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

ariannazylstra's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence

creative_potato's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Domestic abuse, War, Child death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Gun violence

pbuzzard's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Abortion, Bullying, Child death, and Abandonment

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Gore, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Mental illness, Murder, Hate crime, Infertility, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Violence, Body shaming, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, War, Medical trauma, Grief, Racism, Alcohol, Excrement, Physical abuse, Genocide, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Torture, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, and Gun violence