Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

49 reviews

bwwilhelm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

HEED THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. This book is emotionally engaging, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone. It deals with war from the viewpoint of a young woman on a small island. Things get gruesome, and graphic in parts.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

This book talks about the horrors of war, REPEATEDLY. Do with that information what you will. Specific trigger stuff in spoiler text.

About halfway into the book, Young-sook's entire village is herded into the local school by armed police. Some villagers are tortured, and Young-sook's husband, son, and sister-in-law are killed. It is GRAPHIC. Also, near the end of the book, Mi-ja goes into semi-specific detail about everything her husband did to her. Not incredibly graphic, but still made very clear. R*pe, police violence, colonization, etc, are mentioned throughout, pretty much from the beginning of the story, but it's generally very matter-of-fact with little to no details.

caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

• “Every woman who enters the sea carries a coffin on her back. In this world, in the undersea world, we tow the burdens of a hard life. We are crossing between life and death every day.”

• “With arranged marriages, many wives fall in love with their husbands quickly. For some it can take years. And for others, decades of marriage will always be filled with loneliness and sadness . . . How different it is with friendship. No one picks a friend for us; we come together by choice. We are not tied together through ceremony or the responsibility to create a son; we tie ourselves together through moments. The spark when we first meet. Laughter and tears shared. Secrets packed away to be treasured, hoarded, and protected. The wonder that someone can be so different from you and yet still understand our heart in a way no one else ever will.”

• “We thought we were free, but so far the only difference in our lives here on Jeju was that the Japanese flag was lowered, and the American flag was raised. One colonizer had been replaced by another.”

The Island of Sea Women is a profoundly sad, but moving, and very well-researched, work of historical fiction. The sea women of Jeju Island will stay with me for a very long time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Police brutality

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, and Vomit

janinab's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder

spinesinaline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Excrement, Infertility, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Cancer

naturemamareads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

dieerlesene's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A beautiful and tragic story about friendship, love, forgiveness and grief. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, Torture, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Sexism

Minor: Miscarriage

barefootamy's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

Minor: Rape

sunpuddles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ writing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ insightfulness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ readability
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ plot development
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ character
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pace

This book was both well-written and difficult to read. The story of family love and friendship were beautiful, but also heart-wrenching and the scenes of death and torture during the Korean War were horrendous. I had to stop reading and read a few other, more light-hearted books in the middle. I’m glad I finished it though. The story of the haenyeo was so interesting and I loved the theme of strong women looking after their families and controlling their destiny. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism

tripscurlies's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love stories about women friendships and their complexities and this one was excellent. There are many tragedies in this book, and it had me weeping at the end, so be warned about that. It also takes place over several decades on Jeju, which is a part of the world that I hadn't looked into prior and found incredibly interesting. I really felt that the author put a lot of research into it and it makes me want to seek about more information. Overall, I would highly recommend this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content