Reviews - The Liberators | The StoryGraph

3.5. Sparse and a bit disjointed. Interesting historical contexts and brutal at parts. I’d start connecting with it more then it would be disjointed again…

anna_marie_g's review

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hopeful informative slow-paced

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

3.75

miriamhc's review

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dark informative slow-paced

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

3.5

Felt very timely to read in this time of fascism. Felt mostly driven by plot and message, rather than character development or writing style, which isn’t my personal preference.

shubhidoo's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

novelnotions's review against another edition

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3.0

I enjoyed how the story traveled through time, location, and had different character perspectives to build the narrative. I found the dynamic between Insuk and Huran most compelling as well as the parts of the novel that addressed what was happening around the reunification of North Korea and South Korea and the challenges of bring together what was once divided.

livcg's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Stunning prose and masterful structure. I want to read everything Koh writes.

Content Warnings

girlreactionreads's review

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dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I really did not enjoy the beginning of this book. It felt very cold and detached and I was just struggling through it. And then came Toto. (The last paragraph before the Toto chapter is gorgeous, btw (swipe). That chapter was a sea change for the tone of the book and I fell in love after that. The rest was completely engaging. Love how the family dynamics slowly evolve. Love the side story with Robert. (The tiger drawing!) Such an intriguing peek into the North/South Korea situation—most if my knowledge of which comes from a Vietnam War class I took in college (over 30 years ago! Damn, I’m outdated!). In the end, this book won me over.

gardnerhere's review

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3.0

This novel tries to do SO MUCH in 216 pages. A generation and decade spanning epic in 216 pages? Too much. The best moments of this novel--those between Insuk, Sungho, and Huran--are exquisite, and I would happily read a novel twice this length about those three and the bitter tensions and unspoken yearnings that push and pull them apart and together. But because this novel is not about a family but about a nation divided and the scars of that division, we get too little of the best bits. Every time we turn to Robert's story, I want to skim--even when it's good--because I want to get back to the three I care so much about.

But a novel with highs this high is still a thing to celebrate, and I'm already in line for the next Koh novel.

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