Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

46 reviews

ntvenessa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A gem. This is a tale about poverty, suffering, colonialism, identity, salvation, endurance, family. Min Jin Lee's background as a historian shines through and Pachinko is exemplary of great historical fiction. It is factually consistent and you will learn much of Japan's colonisation of Korea, a topic not so in regular discourse. It is also emotional, generous, and sensitive to these historical facts. The characters are distinct and each have personalities which make sense for their context. It is intergenerational. The story is just so well crafted. This makes sense given how much time and dedication Lee spent workshopping drafts. I am normally averse to thick novels, but Pachinko has me unafraid -- it is exactly as long as the story needs to be, and moreover, it is easy to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Suicide, Car accident, and Abortion

Minor: Child death and Homophobia

adelll's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Death

mckenziecampbell's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicide and Police brutality

aindrila's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

If you want your heart torn out and shredded into a million pieces, then this book is for you.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual violence

vonvestra's review against another edition

I listened to chapters 1-4 on an audiobook.

In chapter 4, the main character is sexually harassed by three other individuals. She is bullied and called xenophobic and sexist terms.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence

wai's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Amazing novel centered around one Korean family's generational struggles during and post-war Japan. If you're not very interested in character driven stories, this book may not be for you. It depicts the complexity of Japanese racism against Koreans and the differences in responses from those living it depending on their circumstances. The only drawback is that due to the length of time and the large amount of characters we meet, there are some situations and characters that we don't see enough of, and could honestly fill a whole novel themselves. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Suicide

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Trafficking