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challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love is what makes a person human, as well as what makes a monster.
Almond is a deeply touching and poignant book about what it means to love, and what love means to one. Despite not understanding what love is, Yunjae shows his ability to love through the way he thinks of his grandma, the way he visits his mom, the way he eats with Dr. Shin, and the way he chooses to understand Gon. Despite having never been shown love, Gon shows how capable he is of love, how willing he is to give them if he is given the chance.
Luck plays a huge part in all the unfairness of the world. But it is also luck that brings you to meet the person that will help you understand what love is.
Almond is a deeply touching and poignant book about what it means to love, and what love means to one. Despite not understanding what love is, Yunjae shows his ability to love through the way he thinks of his grandma, the way he visits his mom, the way he eats with Dr. Shin, and the way he chooses to understand Gon. Despite having never been shown love, Gon shows how capable he is of love, how willing he is to give them if he is given the chance.
Luck plays a huge part in all the unfairness of the world. But it is also luck that brings you to meet the person that will help you understand what love is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent
Minor: Medical content
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book destroys the meaning of ratings. Every other book I've rated 5 stars looks like a selfish diary entry by comparison. This is life transcribed in a book, and yet you turn your head and it also becomes the most beautiful collection of words I've ever seen strung together. Seriously guys the writing style is so beautiful and the characters are even better please give this a chance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness
Minor: Child abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Murder
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A nice book, but for me personally not worth reading more than once.
Won-pyung Sohn explicitly illustrates her opinions on the crucial role of family, love, and empathy in a person's life, which corresponds in a rather straightforward manner with the author’s desire to show that love is the fine line between a human being and a monster.
Won-pyung Sohn explicitly illustrates her opinions on the crucial role of family, love, and empathy in a person's life, which corresponds in a rather straightforward manner with the author’s desire to show that love is the fine line between a human being and a monster.
I’d say it’s a light read thanks to the fast-paced plot, but the form is quite simple, inelaborate, without any particular rhetorical flourishes. I could easily imagine hearing it as a teenager recounts their life story late at night, in the kitchen, over a cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Violence
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sad, a tad hopeful, and very different.
I do wonder if I lost a little in the translation. There are some bits that felt almost too unbelievable for me, but I still liked it.
I do wonder if I lost a little in the translation. There are some bits that felt almost too unbelievable for me, but I still liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing
Minor: Animal cruelty
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I purchased and read the book because I had only heard positive reviews…
I have been misled and deceived.
I could not take this book, the characters and their actions, or the plot seriously. This book reads like a kdrama and having finished this book, I still don't know if this is a good or a bad thing. Take a look at the plot points (spoilers ahead):
A deranged man committed a heinous crime that resulted in the death of Yunjae's grandmother and left his mother in a coma.
Following this event, a baker assumed the role of Yunjae's caretaker, only in the sense that he provides him with financial assistance and horrible advice.
Another man approached Yunjae at the hospital, where the latter was visiting his comatose mother. The man requested that Yunjae assume the role of his long-lost son in front of his dying wife. (despite having discovered his biological son and deeming him ill-fit to meet his mother)
The biological son (Gon) is a gangster with a criminal record who attends the same school as Yunjae.
Gon bullies Yunjae, motivated by Yunjae's deception regarding his identity to his [Gon’s] late mother, whom he had not seen or spoken to for 13 years due to him being missing. This escalates to a physical altercation where Gon inflicts severe injuries upon Yunjae.
Gon decides he wants to befriend Yunjae.
Manic pixie dream girl appears, because apparently every book needs a love interest. She has a quirk for running and offers nothing to the story.
Gon runs away and gets in with the wrong crowd.
Yunjae decides he wants to find Gon, which he successfully does but he has to give something in return.
Yunjae is beat within an inch of his life and ends up in the hospital. When he awakens he is greeted by his mother who has woken up from her coma.
The end.
The plot is ludicrous. It's so absurd I want to laugh.
I should also note that I don't have any personal experience with alexithymia, so I'm not sure if my interpretation is totally accurate, but it seemed like Yunjae's condition was used for the convenience of the plot.
- - -
Anyway,
I regret to inform you that the presence of quotable lines in a book does not guarantee its quality. While it is okay to read books purely for entertainment purposes, let’s not misrepresent this book's value.
- No character exploration on an individual level
- No relationship exploration
- Unrealistic plot (that could have been interesting if it was handled with care)
If this sounds like a book you might enjoy, go ahead and read it. (please read the trigger warnings, and summary —which in my opinion, downplays the severity of some events)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Torture, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
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:
Yes
Very realistic and interesting work of fiction, definitely a page turner with pretty good writing and an intriguing plot as well as well written characters. Was a light and engaging read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, Abandonment