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alongapath's review against another edition
3.0
At age 80, Young-Sook is approached by a teenager who wants answers to difficult questions about Young-Sook and her childhood friend, Mi-Ja. This great grand-daughter of Mi-Ja is trying to piece together the broken friendship which has kept Young-Sook and Mi-Ja apart for decades. Young-Sook ends up mulling over the events of her long life which makes up the bulk of the novel. This deeply researched novel felt like a textbook about the political history of Korea, the haenyeo women divers and their matriafocal culture.
I credit my average rating to the main character, Young-Sook, who didn't really have a personality, other than being ego-centric, and whose sole emotion was bitterness. Throughout her life, she simply did what was expected of her and didn't have an original thought. I was far more interested in Mi-Ja who brimmed with energy and was an adept judge of character.
To me, this best friends-turned-enemies storyline reminded me a lot of [b:Snow Flower and the Secret Fan|40873273|Snow Flower and the Secret Fan|Lisa See|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532005164l/40873273._SY75_.jpg|1453585], making me think that See is a one-trick-pony. Having only read these two See novels, I am hesitant to continue pursuing her.
I listened to the audio version which was an easy way to tackle the Korean vocabulary and the non-fiction parts. But [a:Jennifer Lim|8600141|Jennifer Lim|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has an incredibly harsh way of narrating, going from whispery prose to screeching dialogue, making me pull out my ear buds and constantly adjust the volume. Young-Sook's speaking voice was especially shrieky which may have negatively influenced my aversion to the main character.
All that aside, I learned an amazing amount about Korea and the endless hardship it has endured since WW2. Like Forrest Gump, Young-Sook finds herself in the midst of multiple historic events but, unlike Gump, she wears the scars of each encounter.
I credit my average rating to the main character, Young-Sook, who didn't really have a personality, other than being ego-centric, and whose sole emotion was bitterness. Throughout her life, she simply did what was expected of her and didn't have an original thought. I was far more interested in Mi-Ja who brimmed with energy and was an adept judge of character.
To me, this best friends-turned-enemies storyline reminded me a lot of [b:Snow Flower and the Secret Fan|40873273|Snow Flower and the Secret Fan|Lisa See|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532005164l/40873273._SY75_.jpg|1453585], making me think that See is a one-trick-pony. Having only read these two See novels, I am hesitant to continue pursuing her.
I listened to the audio version which was an easy way to tackle the Korean vocabulary and the non-fiction parts. But [a:Jennifer Lim|8600141|Jennifer Lim|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has an incredibly harsh way of narrating, going from whispery prose to screeching dialogue, making me pull out my ear buds and constantly adjust the volume. Young-Sook's speaking voice was especially shrieky which may have negatively influenced my aversion to the main character.
All that aside, I learned an amazing amount about Korea and the endless hardship it has endured since WW2. Like Forrest Gump, Young-Sook finds herself in the midst of multiple historic events but, unlike Gump, she wears the scars of each encounter.
bridget_in_md's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating story of a group of women who dive off the island of Jeju (South Korea) and their way of life. Incredible, heartbreaking story of friendship and life btwn two girls who grow into women.
sdefelice's review against another edition
3.0
Learned a lot I didn’t know about Korea and the divers. Struggled with Young-sook’s grudge and all the darkness in the story.
annamarialectora's review against another edition
5.0
(Demano perdó perquè us torna a sortir la ressenya, l'havia escrit pel mòbil i a l'ordinador no em sortia...)
Les haenyeo... No les coneixia. Si bé tots els relats em poden emocionar, saber que aquests fets són la narració d'una realitat fa augmentar les sensacions. No és un llibre sentimentaloide, però està explicat amb molta sinceritat y resulta ser molt emotiu. I encara que hi ha parts que siguin comuns amb altres històries i no siguin noves per mi, no vol ir que pensi que són menys dures de pair-les.
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(Pido perdón porque os vuelve a salir la reseña, la escriví en el mòvil y en el ordenador no salía...)
Las haenyeo... No las conocía. Aunque todos los relatos me pueden emocionar, saber que estos hechos son la narración de una realidad hace aumentar las sensaciones. No es u n libro sentimentaloide, pero está narrado con mucha sinceridad y llega a ser muy emotivo. Y aunque hay partes que son comunes con otras historias y no son nuevas para mí, no quiere decir que piense que son menos duras de digerir.
Les haenyeo... No les coneixia. Si bé tots els relats em poden emocionar, saber que aquests fets són la narració d'una realitat fa augmentar les sensacions. No és un llibre sentimentaloide, però està explicat amb molta sinceritat y resulta ser molt emotiu. I encara que hi ha parts que siguin comuns amb altres històries i no siguin noves per mi, no vol ir que pensi que són menys dures de pair-les.
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(Pido perdón porque os vuelve a salir la reseña, la escriví en el mòvil y en el ordenador no salía...)
Las haenyeo... No las conocía. Aunque todos los relatos me pueden emocionar, saber que estos hechos son la narración de una realidad hace aumentar las sensaciones. No es u n libro sentimentaloide, pero está narrado con mucha sinceridad y llega a ser muy emotivo. Y aunque hay partes que son comunes con otras historias y no son nuevas para mí, no quiere decir que piense que son menos duras de digerir.
narthasaurus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
michelled67's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Although I didn’t connect with the book, it was well written. The history of the island and its people were interesting. My enjoyment level was a 3 but I rounded up because it was well written.
kellwarner's review against another edition
4.0
This book was suggested to me by a friend, and I'm very glad I read it. I enjoyed being immersed in this interesting culture. The tragedy at the heart of the story was a bit much for me during this tough time of year, though.
moonelle's review against another edition
4.0
A heart wrenching story of friendship, loss, betrayal and forgiveness. I would have liked to have had a warning for the graphic death of a child because I was not expecting it at all and was deeply affected and had to stop and sob for a long time. There’s a part of me that’s angry that it’s in there at all and another part that knows it was there to stay true to the history and horrors of Jeju. It was clear the history was well-researched and for that history to be told is important. I just had no idea going into this book that that was what I’d be reading. There are actually many, many deaths but one is incredibly disturbing.
sabrinahend's review against another edition
5.0
so devastating and so beautiful I cannot explain how good this is. lisa see gets it right every single time. such an intricate and nuanced discussion of grief and love and friendship I loved every second
did make me cry, sob even
did make me cry, sob even
tiggybother's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and War