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sarah984's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
medium-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
This book was okay. The history and culture dealt with are tragic and interesting, but I didn't think the story was that well executed. The dual timelines felt unnecessary since we know from the beginning that Junja will survive the war, and because she dies in the prologue we don't get her perspective on her postwar life. The romances, especially with her first love, felt very superficial considering all that comes later - lots of love at first sight but not really that many interesting character interactions. The entire final third of the book is about men for some reason, which isn't really what I'm looking for in a book ostensibly about haenyeo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Vomit, Confinement, Fatphobia, Ableism, Animal death, Homophobia, Medical content, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
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