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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
a rose scented rosary. a dog chained up in the yard. a basin of flour. a stoneware jar with a broken lid. a willowy persimmon tree. a pair of blue plastic sandals. the peità. a retrospective tableau of mother as seen by her children and of wife as seen by her husband all coming to the jarring collision that “mother was a whole person with hopes and dreams before she was mom.”
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought this was a fabulous book that tugged on my heart strings. A very powerful story of a mother's disappearance and the subsequent reflections of her children, husband and even mom herself. This story of familial love, with all its imperfections, are painfully and lovingly exposed through the narrative of each character. I had a little trouble with the author's second person narration initially but as the novel went on I found it to be very powerful. I highly recommend this book.
Parts if this book were very emotive but I found it a real slog to read. This was partly the narrative style and the chapter structure I just found a bit frustrating and my interest would waver. Not enjoyable overall unfortunately.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very sweet Korean novel about an ever self-sacrificing mother who goes missing from her family. Slowly through the recollections of her distracted children and wayward husband, her life is told. It was fascinating for what it reveals of the changes in Korean society in the post war years - from intense hardship & starvation, being married off very young to avoid being raped by stray soldiers to a modern consumer society. It was moving, especially the perspectives of the different characters and the insights into the nature of loss and regret and the gradual revealing of a life that was also very private & hidden (a secret passion, the shame of illiteracy). However it felt like a work on a single note here of sentimental nostalgia & while moving, I'm not sure it took me any place new intellectually.
بقيت هذه الرواية في مكتبتي لمدة ليست طويلة ولكنني نادمة بأنني لم أقرأها حتى الأمس شعرت بالفقد،بالكسر،وكل شعور سيء يشعر به الانسان اثناء قرأتي وودت لو كانت النهاية اوضح
This book reminded me of all the times my mother has ever told me “you’ll see how hard your life is going to be when I am gone” and there was a lot more crying by imagining and overthinking that statement rather than actually reading the book.
The amount of grief and trauma mothers go through & the sacrifices they make for everyone without being appreciated or even noticed as their own person breaks my heart.
The amount of grief and trauma mothers go through & the sacrifices they make for everyone without being appreciated or even noticed as their own person breaks my heart.