Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Almendra

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Almendra by Won-pyung Sohn

144 reviews

martasshelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

I really liked all aspects of this book: the caracters are well built and interesting, they're complex and more than just one things; the story is never predictable even when it feels like it could be it ends up surprising you in the next corner; and the pace of it aligned with the main character growth is so well done, with rythm and sense.
Yunjae is an amazing character to read. I loved how the author made me feel so many emotions through a teenage boy who doesn't feel them. It was sometimes brutal and almost unbearable, other times sweet and funny.
Special mention to the final notes - I love reading Author's notes and Translator's notes, they feel like a peek behind the scenes of creativity and the world behind the book. Specially the Translator's ones, for someone reading in english (not my native language), it's always interesting to read them.

Content Warnings

isul's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“What does love mean?” Mom asked mischievously. “To discover beauty.” After Granny wrote the top part of the character 愛, then the middle part, 心 (meaning “heart”), she said, “These three dots are us. This one’s mine, this one’s yours, this one’s his!” Mom’s eyes teared up but she turned and went back to the kitchen. And there it was, the symbol 愛, with the three dots of our family.

I really thought this book was going to make me full on spiral, like a lot of other sad Korean-Lit (e.g. Please look after mom), but luckily I finished it before it could overtake me. Something about the ending made me realize it was YA and reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, (or maybe it was just the actual mention of it being YA in the author's note). Of course there's nothing wrong with YA, plus it was the ending I personally needed, but it changed the way I perceived the book (a personal flaw). As for the contents and themes, I will be reflecting on it for some time, but a more thorough analysis will have to wait.

Content Warnings