Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

58 reviews

elchiang78's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Colonisation, Pregnancy, and Torture

krisawesome's review against another edition

2.5

Pacing is odd, Young-sook isn’t an especially engaging protagonist, and some of the personal conflicts were super predictable and felt a little trope-y to me (and not in a good way).

Although I had been warned about some of the descriptions in this book, I was still not fully prepared for how brutal some of the instances were. I’m usually fine to read those if I’m aware of them ahead of time but the end of the “Life-Giving Air” chapter (and a bit of the following one) were too much even for me. Note that I don’t blame See for including them, and I wouldn’t have even been all that surprised if I’d read them without warning - it’s not like she’d pulled punches earlier in the book either. But they’re hard to get past, is what I’m saying.

The 2008 chapters feel like they’re a little phoned in, compared to the research and effort that See obviously put into the main timeline. 

Stars were earned mostly by the anthropological and historical elements, as difficult as the latter were to read about at times. It was especially fascinating to read about the haenyeo and their matrifocal society.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, and Excrement

Other warnings: drowning, mutilation

purplelillyflower's review

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Police brutality

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

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

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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

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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

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. 

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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. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content

sarah_spunda's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence