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wellreadmegs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This was a slow burn but also a really interesting read. This is the second book I have read about the haenyeo women and I find them fascinating. This strong, independent matriarchal society in the 1900s. This book was a slow burn and it took a little bit for the story to fully develop but I found Mi-ja and Young-Sook's relationship to be so interesting and tumultuous.
This book helped me learn more about the Japanese colonization of Korea and what happened to Korean before and after World War II. This book brought to light to atrocities that happened in Korea and Jeju and I really appreciated the perspective. I definitely want to keep learning more. This book spanned a large timeframe and did jump back and forth which is one thing I love about historical fiction.
This book helped me learn more about the Japanese colonization of Korea and what happened to Korean before and after World War II. This book brought to light to atrocities that happened in Korea and Jeju and I really appreciated the perspective. I definitely want to keep learning more. This book spanned a large timeframe and did jump back and forth which is one thing I love about historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Torture
greymalkin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Evocative and immersive, with characters that feel like real people. The story itself is a hard one though, with many difficult and brutal events that made me keep reading compulsively- not so much because I lost track of time but because they were so stressful and upsetting that I had to keep reading to know that all hope was not lost. I learned so much about that area and historical incidents that I wasn't aware of, and a deeply fascinating tradition. The reason for the fracture in their friendship was legitimate and seeing the way that the war atrocities of others poisoned them for so long was heartbreaking. I really felt for the characters and I was pleased that there was no "magical solution", just the everyday grace of people trying to live their lives under unspeakably difficult conditions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and War
Minor: Rape
anna_dunn's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is absolutely heart wrenching. But also beautiful. It covers some very heavy material and I learned so much about jeju and the haenyeo. I love the sisterhood and matriarchal values. I would absolutely recommend this book, but just make sure you’re in the right headspace before getting into it because it is incredibly sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Torture
bookben40's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed it, but the main character was not my favorite. I wish it would have focused more on the diving aspect
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and War
astonecdp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautifully written historical fiction. I learned so much about the time, place and people (especially women) of Jeju, Korea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Sexual violence and Suicidal thoughts
katiecentabar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Torture, and War
Minor: Suicide
thebookienook's review against another edition
emotional
informative
5.0
“Fall down eight times, stand up nine. For me, this saying is less about the dead paving the way for future generations than it is for the women of Jeju. We suffer and suffer and suffer, but we also keep getting up. We keep living. You would not be here if you weren't brave. Now you need to be braver still.”
I went into The Island of Sea Women pretty blind. I knew that it was about women who worked in a diving collective and that is it. I learned more about Korean culture and the Haenyo, the women diving collective, through the lens of this story. Lisa See does a beautiful job interweaving pieces of the past with the present day. Many times when there are shifts like this in fiction, especially when reading audiobooks it can be confusing to follow. It felt seamless to me. The audiobook was really well done, but I did find myself having to stop once or twice because of the heavy subject matter.
This is not a light-hearted, uplifting story. It’s one of survival and perseverance, the will to overcome any obstacle despite how atrocious it may be.
I went into The Island of Sea Women pretty blind. I knew that it was about women who worked in a diving collective and that is it. I learned more about Korean culture and the Haenyo, the women diving collective, through the lens of this story. Lisa See does a beautiful job interweaving pieces of the past with the present day. Many times when there are shifts like this in fiction, especially when reading audiobooks it can be confusing to follow. It felt seamless to me. The audiobook was really well done, but I did find myself having to stop once or twice because of the heavy subject matter.
This is not a light-hearted, uplifting story. It’s one of survival and perseverance, the will to overcome any obstacle despite how atrocious it may be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
julesmcf's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
This was the most captivating book I've read in a long time, covering a range of topics: friendship, betrayal and forgiveness , the strength and endurance of women, their spiritual connection to the island and sea, and a changing time and world. I've learned so much about Korean history and the hanyeo. This is an extremely well- researched and written book. I highly recommend you to read it!
However, it is not a light read as it deals in detail with the cruelties that were committed in the end of the 1940s and 50s on Jeju.
However, it is not a light read as it deals in detail with the cruelties that were committed in the end of the 1940s and 50s on Jeju.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and War
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Fire/Fire injury
camillemelaleuca's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.5
heartbreaking
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and War
rieviolet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I started this book with very high expectations and maybe that wasn't a good idea because it just added to my disappointment.
The sections with historical, social and cultural informations were very interesting (at least for me) but I don't think that they were very well integrated into the narration and I can see how someone might find them a bit too much didactic and dry.
The historical events that are the basis for this story were brutal and certainly they cannot be brushed aside, but I still think that an author can approach the portraying of violence in a way that does not feel gratuitous (as it did for me in this case). I don't think that such a violence was well transposed on the page, at times it just felt like a list of atrocities, just for shock value.
In general, I just didn't get along much with the writing style, I found it eithera bit plain or a bit too much overdone, without much subtlety in terms of both narration and characterization.
Speaking of characters, I have to say that I struggled to connect with them, even when it came to the main character, Youngsook, there were very few moments when I felt really engrossed in her story and her feelings. I think that the characters' emotions were not so well portrayed, they were either too much melodramatic for my taste or kept hidden or just vaguely hinted at, so that I struggled as a reader to actually understand their depth and to be interested in the unfolding of the various relationships.
I wasn't so keen on the big final reveal, the events of the last chapters
just felt like too much for me, too over dramatic, too out of nowhere, just too much. The ending itself was also very abrupt.
I really liked the setting and the historical/cultural background but the story, the characters and the writing style quite dampened my enjoyment of the book.
The sections with historical, social and cultural informations were very interesting (at least for me) but I don't think that they were very well integrated into the narration and I can see how someone might find them a bit too much didactic and dry.
The historical events that are the basis for this story were brutal and certainly they cannot be brushed aside, but I still think that an author can approach the portraying of violence in a way that does not feel gratuitous (as it did for me in this case). I don't think that such a violence was well transposed on the page, at times it just felt like a list of atrocities, just for shock value.
In general, I just didn't get along much with the writing style, I found it eithera bit plain or a bit too much overdone, without much subtlety in terms of both narration and characterization.
Speaking of characters, I have to say that I struggled to connect with them, even when it came to the main character, Youngsook, there were very few moments when I felt really engrossed in her story and her feelings. I think that the characters' emotions were not so well portrayed, they were either too much melodramatic for my taste or kept hidden or just vaguely hinted at, so that I struggled as a reader to actually understand their depth and to be interested in the unfolding of the various relationships.
I wasn't so keen on the big final reveal, the events of the last chapters
just felt like too much for me, too over dramatic, too out of nowhere, just too much. The ending itself was also very abrupt.
I really liked the setting and the historical/cultural background but the story, the characters and the writing style quite dampened my enjoyment of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Cancer