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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Wow! There is so much about the history of Korea, and of Jeju specifically that I had no idea about. Heartbreaking in so many ways, and yet the resilience of the human spirit showed through.
Beautiful, I learned so much. I love RH theme of friendship, forgiveness, and redemption. The description of the ocean was gorgeous and compelling.
I think I would have preferred to ready about the Haenyeo of Jeju Island in a nonfiction book. I found the educational tone detracted from the story. I also wish I knew there would be so much violence and brutality in this story, this made it a very difficult read.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
Beautifully written story about a part of Korean history I knew nothing about. Immediately caused me to go into a deep spiral online into the history of JeJu and hyaenyeo culture. When a book makes me want to know more about a topic, I’ll automatically want to rate a book higher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, War
This is the third Lisa See book I’ve read and I find that I always learn something in reading her novels. They are often about places/time periods I’m less familiar with, and are incredibly well researched.
A lot of “typical” Lisa See elements are in this book as well - a story that spans multiple decades/generations of a family, a core female friendship that is tested by tragedy, a unique job/lifestyle for the protagonist.
Overall a good first book of the year!
A lot of “typical” Lisa See elements are in this book as well - a story that spans multiple decades/generations of a family, a core female friendship that is tested by tragedy, a unique job/lifestyle for the protagonist.
Overall a good first book of the year!
Very beautiful read. Technically, I thought it was well-paced and organized in a productive way. It was a good mix of "historical" and "fiction," and I learned a lot while also feeling a lot.
I loved the way the author explores deep feelings of loss and trauma and how they evolve through familial relationships and time. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is that I wished for the same depth of exploration of healing. It did happen, but not until the last five pages. The resolution was too quick and left me wanting more.
Overall, though, this book provided a compelling story and interesting things to think about (my two favorite things).
I loved the way the author explores deep feelings of loss and trauma and how they evolve through familial relationships and time. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is that I wished for the same depth of exploration of healing. It did happen, but not until the last five pages. The resolution was too quick and left me wanting more.
Overall, though, this book provided a compelling story and interesting things to think about (my two favorite things).
I really loved this book. The power of women in this matriarchal society was incredible to read and the tragedy and the history of the island gutted me.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I love historical fiction that covers a subject, culture, time-period, etc that I have no knowledge about going in. This book was fascinating to me because of the subject matter but also the sublime writing of Lisa See. It is well worth your time.