Scan barcode
mooonflower's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
ewurster's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
mkifer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stephenhunsaker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A slow read but one that builds to a truly devastating but hopeful ending with profound reflection on what anger, forgiveness, and friendship mean. While that sounds like vague platitudes, this book actually investigates them to such a deep and painful level that the feelings carry on long as reading. It is books like this that give me profound respect for historical fictions and the amount of research that goes into them.
jencunn2024's review against another edition
2.0
This probably had all the individual elements of a ghost novel, but it was boring and tedious through large sections for me. Then there were other moments brilliance from the historical novelist Lisa See. This was my first experience with her writing but I have been intending to read her other novels as well so I hope they are better from what I’ve read in reviews. I do want to stress that I thought her research here was state-of-the-art. I thought the writing was so-so overall. It took me a while to peg what it was that bothered me about it. It just didn’t really come together in many parts.
I think I finally figured out more about my gut reaction to the writing. First, I don’t like the way I’d be reading and then suddenly it would change to “oh, here’s all the historical background you need for this part, and then I’m going to punch you in the stomach with some horrible thing.” It felt like a set-up every time.
And the other thing that bothered me a lot with the writing was that a few moments are written extremely well like the part on her first dive with Yuri and a few others later on, but so much of it is the author/narrator telling rather than showing. She would talk about how this is what so-and-so said rather than using enough dialogue and descriptions to show the scene, exchanges, jokes, and story moments, leaving more opportunities for us as readers to anticipate, speculate, think, feel, and empathize on our own. But again, there are a few moments where Lisa See executed spectacularly. I think the inconsistency frustrated me.
I think I finally figured out more about my gut reaction to the writing. First, I don’t like the way I’d be reading and then suddenly it would change to “oh, here’s all the historical background you need for this part, and then I’m going to punch you in the stomach with some horrible thing.” It felt like a set-up every time.
And the other thing that bothered me a lot with the writing was that a few moments are written extremely well like the part on her first dive with Yuri and a few others later on, but so much of it is the author/narrator telling rather than showing. She would talk about how this is what so-and-so said rather than using enough dialogue and descriptions to show the scene, exchanges, jokes, and story moments, leaving more opportunities for us as readers to anticipate, speculate, think, feel, and empathize on our own. But again, there are a few moments where Lisa See executed spectacularly. I think the inconsistency frustrated me.
kiannavs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
beknoel's review against another edition
5.0
The tone and style of Young-Sook's narration is so steeped in Korean (and haenyeo) culture that it completely transported me to Jeju. The reactions and feelings that Young-Sook had in the book were sometimes so different than my own due to those cultural differences. Somehow that made me feel for Young-Sook even more. She was not afforded a life of safety or choices. She always did her best to do the right thing as she navigated hardships that would be unimaginable to me.
The book is heartbreaking and gruesome at times... but I believe it's important to look at these atrocities that have been committed with open eyes. We need to know the past so we can honor the victims and we need to know the truth so we can see past propaganda. I was never taught about what happened to Korea in school. That is a shame.
I would say this is a must-read.
The book is heartbreaking and gruesome at times... but I believe it's important to look at these atrocities that have been committed with open eyes. We need to know the past so we can honor the victims and we need to know the truth so we can see past propaganda. I was never taught about what happened to Korea in school. That is a shame.
I would say this is a must-read.
thepaperbackplanner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.0
I chose this book based on a recommendation from my local bookstore and because learning about Korean women’s history seemed super interesting. And I was right, it was! I loved learning about the women divers of Jeju Island. But I do have to give a HUGE CW for assault, death, drowning, murder, and like every war crime. This one is definitely filed under “why didn’t I learn more about this in school??” Overall an important and well-crafted read, just make sure you’re in the right headspace before you start.
allisonleigh's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
callienicole's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5 stars.
This book is about an island near Japan (?) where the women support the family by diving and harvesting sea creatures to eat or sell. I'm often interested in fiction books set in other cultures, so this one caught my eye.
Langauge: Some mild to moderate curse words, but pretty light on the cursing. Some crude language in different conversations.
Sexual Content: This book had more sexual content than I expected. Nakedness is described matter-of-factly in the context of the women getting ready for diving. One of the characters gets married and the relationship is described in more detail than I liked, though in a matter-of-fact way as well (it was rather cringeworthy). Molestation and rape play a part in this story as well.
Violence: I listened to the audio of this book, so I got a little confused about who was doing what, but at one point there is a pretty brutal retaliation against the people of the island by Japanese (?) soldiers. Many people are killed and some of the deaths are described. Other characters die by ocean-related causes.
Religious: This book describes in detail the traditional religion of these island people, which is ancestor worship. Characters worry about having a son who will perform ancestor worship for them when they die. The island is referred to as a "goddess". Different religious legends are described. The part that bothered me the most was when a shaman "channels" different spirits in a pagan ritual. As a Christian I believe any sort of seance or ritual to speak to the dead is forbidden in Scripture - this was just a fictional portrayal of the rituals that have probably been performed by people of this island, but it still bothered me because of my beliefs. I skipped past those sections as much as I could.
Ick Factor: Just some icky descriptions of their fertilizer options and how they fed the pigs. Maybe it was the way the narrator read the text, or maybe it was the way it was written, but it was just a little cringeworthy.
Aside from the in-depth religious aspects and the sexual content, I really enjoyed the story of this book and reading about a pretty unique culture and history. In the end the story is about friendship and forgiveness. I thought the ending was more sad than I like, but still kind of sweet. If you are interested in this one, it was okay.
This book is about an island near Japan (?) where the women support the family by diving and harvesting sea creatures to eat or sell. I'm often interested in fiction books set in other cultures, so this one caught my eye.
Langauge: Some mild to moderate curse words, but pretty light on the cursing. Some crude language in different conversations.
Sexual Content: This book had more sexual content than I expected. Nakedness is described matter-of-factly in the context of the women getting ready for diving. One of the characters gets married and the relationship is described in more detail than I liked, though in a matter-of-fact way as well (it was rather cringeworthy). Molestation and rape play a part in this story as well.
Violence: I listened to the audio of this book, so I got a little confused about who was doing what, but at one point there is a pretty brutal retaliation against the people of the island by Japanese (?) soldiers. Many people are killed and some of the deaths are described. Other characters die by ocean-related causes.
Religious: This book describes in detail the traditional religion of these island people, which is ancestor worship. Characters worry about having a son who will perform ancestor worship for them when they die. The island is referred to as a "goddess". Different religious legends are described. The part that bothered me the most was when a shaman "channels" different spirits in a pagan ritual. As a Christian I believe any sort of seance or ritual to speak to the dead is forbidden in Scripture - this was just a fictional portrayal of the rituals that have probably been performed by people of this island, but it still bothered me because of my beliefs. I skipped past those sections as much as I could.
Ick Factor: Just some icky descriptions of their fertilizer options and how they fed the pigs. Maybe it was the way the narrator read the text, or maybe it was the way it was written, but it was just a little cringeworthy.
Aside from the in-depth religious aspects and the sexual content, I really enjoyed the story of this book and reading about a pretty unique culture and history. In the end the story is about friendship and forgiveness. I thought the ending was more sad than I like, but still kind of sweet. If you are interested in this one, it was okay.