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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Most people have no capacity for comprehending true darkness, and then they try to fix it anyway."
“I would live your life so much better than you, if I had your face.”
Frances Cha, wow, this was an interesting tale about a group of women living in the same apartment complex in Seoul, South Korea. Such an intriguing insight into Korean culture, the surgeries some women get on their faces, and life in general. Quite complex, and full of so much information.
Hard to follow at times, but enjoyable, nonetheless. Intricate, descriptive, and I really appreciated the attention to detail. Who are we behind our faces? Why do we strive to be something we are not? Accepting who we are can really change our lives. Really deep and heartbreaking. Whew.
“I would live your life so much better than you, if I had your face.”
Frances Cha, wow, this was an interesting tale about a group of women living in the same apartment complex in Seoul, South Korea. Such an intriguing insight into Korean culture, the surgeries some women get on their faces, and life in general. Quite complex, and full of so much information.
Hard to follow at times, but enjoyable, nonetheless. Intricate, descriptive, and I really appreciated the attention to detail. Who are we behind our faces? Why do we strive to be something we are not? Accepting who we are can really change our lives. Really deep and heartbreaking. Whew.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was looking for a lighter content book to read and this one definitely delivered. While there wasn’t much of an overall plot, the characters were interesting enough that it kept you coming back wanting to learn more about them. The character’s lives, desperation, the crazy beauty standards and their friendships have left me with something to think about for a while.
Finished in Daegu, South Korea
Lots I enjoyed learning about in this book and it was fun to read it whilst visiting Seoul (took book club seriously this time). Sometimes I felt there wasn't enough of a plot or character arc during any of the perspectives and I was left feeling a little dissatisfied at the end. But nonetheless, really enjoyed the insight into Korean beauty standards and societal class structures.
Lots I enjoyed learning about in this book and it was fun to read it whilst visiting Seoul (took book club seriously this time). Sometimes I felt there wasn't enough of a plot or character arc during any of the perspectives and I was left feeling a little dissatisfied at the end. But nonetheless, really enjoyed the insight into Korean beauty standards and societal class structures.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha is set in South Korea and follows four women and their work and lives. I have heard about the beauty standards in South Korea and how people aspire to attain flawless beauty standards. As a K-pop and K-drama fan I was very eager to read this book and I was not disappointed.
This is about four women,Kyuri,Miho,Ara and Wonna. Kyuri undergoes several cosmetic procedures to enhance her beauty to be one of the top employees of salon bars which entertain male customers. Miho is an artist who comes back to Korea after art school in New York. She has a troubled and complicated relationship with her chaebol boyfriend. Ara is a mute hair stylist in one of the salons in Gangnam. She is obsessed with Taein,one of the idols of a K-pop group. Wonna lives in the apartment below Kyuri and is worried about her economic status and does not want her daughter to suffer like her.
This book is not written in a conventional manner and there is no concrete beginning,middle part and ending. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the women and only very few events overlap. The ending is not very expected but I really liked it since it was way more realistic. A good read!
This is about four women,Kyuri,Miho,Ara and Wonna. Kyuri undergoes several cosmetic procedures to enhance her beauty to be one of the top employees of salon bars which entertain male customers. Miho is an artist who comes back to Korea after art school in New York. She has a troubled and complicated relationship with her chaebol boyfriend. Ara is a mute hair stylist in one of the salons in Gangnam. She is obsessed with Taein,one of the idols of a K-pop group. Wonna lives in the apartment below Kyuri and is worried about her economic status and does not want her daughter to suffer like her.
This book is not written in a conventional manner and there is no concrete beginning,middle part and ending. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the women and only very few events overlap. The ending is not very expected but I really liked it since it was way more realistic. A good read!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would live my life so much better than you if I had your face.
Following the lives of four Korean women, this book is a slice-of-life without much plot. There’s little character growth but ample character exploration.
As a non-Korean, I cannot say if the author successfully details the obsessive — and sometimes surgery-heavy — world of Korean beauty standards, but it feels realistic to me.
However, what really brought it down for me was the book felt unbalanced in that I’m not sure why Wonna’s story existed in this. It’s not that she wasn’t interesting; it’s that she felt out of place with the other characters. Though, I do love the concept of a girl down the hall being included, it just felt like her entire storyline was so jarringly different, it felt like she was piece-mealed into the book. Maybe a fourth POV could have tied her in better? But I digress.
I went in with zero expectations, and so I was startled by several moments throughout the book. It took me until the final chapters to even realize this was likely a slice-of-life book, so I spent a lot of time wondering where the plot was going to come in.
Overall, I think Cha succeeded in what she wanted to do with the three main characters, and I very much appreciated how relaxing this was to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Classism
Korean beauty standards, beauty standards