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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
loved! read it in one sitting, actually. maybe its because i have lived and watched exactly the korean american experiences that are referenced here, but this felt so near and dear. the constant bombardment of plastic surgery promotion (whether that be ads or the people around you), subtle corporate hostility, generational anger, cliques of korean students at american schools, and the oh so sterile talk of love and marriage… everything felt so real. it felt healing to have these things acknowledged and to witness these admirable though humanly imperfect characters overcome these hardships in their own imperfect ways.
some little quirks that i would point out:
-it does kind of linger on some of the worst parts of korean misogyny and almost villainizes men (nearly every male character fails the women in this book. granted there are also female-female conflicts, but the misogyny is shown in an almost pessimistic way, so it does feel like a real downer at multiple points) however i found the end to be subtle, beautiful, and hopeful, emphasizing how women build and heal each other.
-it does almost sound as if the author is making plastic surgery a “good” thing in the characters lives but its treated with enough caution that the downsides and the benefits are weighed appropriately
-i do think that the “resolution” felt rushed and the characters lacked development (there are 4 perspectives within 268 pages) but i still appreciate what the author was able to do within the page count. like i would totally read for another 300 pages and have them live out their lives longer but i also like that i can imagine how their lives would go on after
big thumbs up from me! i would recommend to all my girl friends.. though maybe not my korean mother…
some little quirks that i would point out:
-it does kind of linger on some of the worst parts of korean misogyny and almost villainizes men (nearly every male character fails the women in this book. granted there are also female-female conflicts, but the misogyny is shown in an almost pessimistic way, so it does feel like a real downer at multiple points) however i found the end to be subtle, beautiful, and hopeful, emphasizing how women build and heal each other.
-it does almost sound as if the author is making plastic surgery a “good” thing in the characters lives but its treated with enough caution that the downsides and the benefits are weighed appropriately
-i do think that the “resolution” felt rushed and the characters lacked development (there are 4 perspectives within 268 pages) but i still appreciate what the author was able to do within the page count. like i would totally read for another 300 pages and have them live out their lives longer but i also like that i can imagine how their lives would go on after
big thumbs up from me! i would recommend to all my girl friends.. though maybe not my korean mother…
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4,5 estrelas. A forma como o lugar que a beleza ocupa na vida de diferentes mulheres coreanas é delicadamente desenvolvida ao longo da narrativa. A escrita da autora cativa e consegue prender desde o começo, trazendo reflexões importantes sobre a pressão estética enfrentada pelas mulheres.
emotional
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
I really liked this book, not sure how I feel about the ending. While I understand the open ending reflecting how life is and that we don't know if people are going to get a happy ending or not, personally, I would have liked a bit of closure.
I really liked how they befriended the older woman at the end, and all the girls had a slight found family in their building.
Good glimpse of how life is for low-income girls in Korea, and how much the beauty standards affects one's fate.
Good glimpse of how life is for low-income girls in Korea, and how much the beauty standards affects one's fate.
“She doesn’t understand that I will never have the capacity to shoulder the responsibility of another life when I am scrambling like a madman in my own.”
“I will build myself up so high in such a short time that when he leaves me, I will become a lightning storm, a nuclear apocalypse. I will not come out of this with nothing.”
4.5 stars for the first read of 2021, hopefully a good omen for the rest of the year - I loved Cha's writing style and all of the characters were so interesting and well-conceived with really different backstories; definitely one I would like to re-read.
“I will build myself up so high in such a short time that when he leaves me, I will become a lightning storm, a nuclear apocalypse. I will not come out of this with nothing.”
4.5 stars for the first read of 2021, hopefully a good omen for the rest of the year - I loved Cha's writing style and all of the characters were so interesting and well-conceived with really different backstories; definitely one I would like to re-read.
I was looking forward to reading this book the moment I heard about it, and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed the simple but precise prose; after reading so many novels that took a poetic or fantastical bent it was nice to have a story written out plainly.
The characters were fantastic and what I liked the most was seeing the girls rough background. As a foreigner, South Korea often gets portrayed as 'safe', 'clean' and 'vibrant' so to be given characters who specifically highlight the more working class sides of South Korea was interesting. On top of that, it was engaging to see what the girls thought of each other and how, despite their disagreements sometimes, it wasn't all pitched as this massive cat fight that male authors sometimes like to see women's interactions as. It was just women, surviving together.
The characters were fantastic and what I liked the most was seeing the girls rough background. As a foreigner, South Korea often gets portrayed as 'safe', 'clean' and 'vibrant' so to be given characters who specifically highlight the more working class sides of South Korea was interesting. On top of that, it was engaging to see what the girls thought of each other and how, despite their disagreements sometimes, it wasn't all pitched as this massive cat fight that male authors sometimes like to see women's interactions as. It was just women, surviving together.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like the author was trying to have a Tales of the City kind of vibe to this novel but it just came off too tense and focused on the characters internal monologue for how the story concludes to feel real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Medical trauma
Moderate: Rape
3.5
We see how beauty and the pursuit of it shapes the lives of four women in South Korea.
It's insightful, it's a very easy read but it doesn't provoke more questions. So while enjoyable, it won't be very memorable.
We see how beauty and the pursuit of it shapes the lives of four women in South Korea.
It's insightful, it's a very easy read but it doesn't provoke more questions. So while enjoyable, it won't be very memorable.