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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A sweet story about found family. It was hard to connect to them. The writing was stiff, possibly because it was a book in translation.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Dull, slow moving, too many characters to keep track of.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't usually like doing Goodreads reviews, I just do personal reviews. However this book is just so phenomenal for anyone feeling a little lost, or maybe even wondering if they might be lost; maybe you've just split up with a friend or partner or a parent, maybe you're questioning where you are in life right now. It's just a story, it flows naturally. The author mentions at the end of the book that she didn't have any plans when she started it, she just let the characters go where they needed to go and added new ones as they popped up. I really felt that reading this book. There's an air of mystery around the characters, as if the book respects their privacy. You get in their heads yet you don't know anything much about them for a long while, just like as if you're getting to know someone for the first time. This book felt like a friend, fully fleshed out and deeply complex and wholeheartedly comforting and understanding.
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
If you've been in a relatively mainstream bookshop recently (Waterstones or Daunt, for example) you might have noticed the emerging trend for a certain kind of literature, all stacked side to side on one of the promotional tables. These are mostly Japanese, sometimes Korean, they all feature some variation on a cosy, calm space, such as a bookshop, a library, a cute cafe, a convenience store or a spa, many of them seem to involve cats, and they all apparently centre around some idea of escaping the rat race and finding comfort or fulfilment in the small pleasures and routines of a humble life. Given the working culture and social expectations in South Korea and Japan, it's not surprising that this brand of mundane escapism has caught on; given the current fascination with Japanese and Korean culture, it's easy to see its appeal in the West too. It's sort of like an Orientalist hygge.
I was pretty sceptical about what I might get out of this kind of literature, but in the spirit of open-mindedness I decided to try it. Unfortunately, this example of the genre is relentlessly inane. The dialogue is pretty excruciating, although this might be a function of the translatability of spoken Korean, since the rest of the translation flows fairly well. The characters, such as they are, have emotional struggles and experience the pressures of the highly achievement- and filial piety-oriented Korean society, but none of these struggles or pressures are explored in nearly enough depth to make them interesting. It seems like preserving the saccharine, 'uplifting' tone is the priority. There's very little in the way of moral ambiguity or 'on-screen' conflict. Nice people do nice things and make each other feel nice.
I imagine that this genre has better and more thoughtful books within its corpus, but I can't say I have any real inclination to find out
I was pretty sceptical about what I might get out of this kind of literature, but in the spirit of open-mindedness I decided to try it. Unfortunately, this example of the genre is relentlessly inane. The dialogue is pretty excruciating, although this might be a function of the translatability of spoken Korean, since the rest of the translation flows fairly well. The characters, such as they are, have emotional struggles and experience the pressures of the highly achievement- and filial piety-oriented Korean society, but none of these struggles or pressures are explored in nearly enough depth to make them interesting. It seems like preserving the saccharine, 'uplifting' tone is the priority. There's very little in the way of moral ambiguity or 'on-screen' conflict. Nice people do nice things and make each other feel nice.
I imagine that this genre has better and more thoughtful books within its corpus, but I can't say I have any real inclination to find out