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bites_of_books's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
The characters are complex and multidimensional, the prose is beautiful and careful in how it describes each event and each decision made by the characters. The historical context is given without it being overwhelming or dry and it makes it all feel urgent.
I breezed through this book and I'll definitely pick up other works by Min Jin Lee. Highly recommend!
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, War, Xenophobia, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Body shaming, Car accident, Addiction, Child death, Racial slurs, Classism, Infertility, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
siomhaw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Racial slurs, Classism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Vomit, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Terminal illness, Car accident, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Ableism, Addiction, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Cancer
cagigglez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Infertility, Suicide, Miscarriage, Colonisation, War, Classism, Bullying, Violence, Sexual content, Racism, Death, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse
modryzamek's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: War and Violence
Minor: Colonisation and War
kieralyn_'s review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Suicide, Colonisation, Death, Incest, Sexual content, Hate crime, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: War
Minor: Terminal illness
kinda reminds me of "the love songs of w.e.b. dubois" and "homegoing" in the way it traces a family over generations also warning for sex b/t minors/incesta_lf05's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Some of the storylines that didn't revolve around sunja's immediate family felt a little forgotten at times but I can forgive that 🙏🙏
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, and War
Minor: Abortion and Bullying
matcha_cat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Bullying, Colonisation, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Death, War, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Miscarriage, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Alcohol, Child death, and Violence
mmccombs's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t leave this book feeling as wowed as I anticipated, I think i found this either too short or too long. So many characters came and went, to the point where I never quite felt enough depth from most of them except for Sunja. In the end though, I’m glad I finally got around to this one, it was a great sweeping story that will stay with me for a long time!
Graphic: Suicide, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Racism, Death, Misogyny, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Colonisation
Moderate: Car accident and Miscarriage
adoto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I think it does a really good job of what the author wanted to do, which is honestly reflect the varied experiences of being a Korean in Japan. It's also a beautiful ode to migrant grit and resolve. It just didn't grab me the way I expected it to. I would recommend it to a friend but never reread it.
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Classism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence, Death, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Classism, Child death, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual content, Homophobia, Colonisation, and Alcohol
Minor: Police brutality, Suicide, Sexual assault, Abortion, Mental illness, Trafficking, Miscarriage, and Cancer
serendipitous_mess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia