Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Love in the Big City: Roman by Sang Young Park

21 reviews

nenaveenstra's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Ik vond het interessant om te zien hoe herkenbaar sommige aspecten van dit boek waren, terwijl andere dingen een totale cultuurshock vormden. Ook in de Nederlandse vertaling is het Zuid-Koreaanse gevoel gebleven, en ik had echt even het gevoel alsof ik ergens anders was. Ik vond het mooi en verdrietig om te zien hoe erg de hoofdpersoon worstelde met zijn eigen identiteit, en de liefde die hij niet van zijn ouders had gekregen leek te zoeken bij willekeurige mannen. Ik moest af en toe echt even het boek wegleggen om te reflecteren op mijn eigen leven.

Een minpuntje vind ik dat het boek is opgedeeld in vier verschillende delen, en dat die delen lijken geschreven voor een publiek dat de andere delen niet gelezen heeft. Daarmee bedoel ik dat er soms dingen overbodig worden uitgelegd, omdat je dat letterlijk tien bladzijden geleden nog gelezen hebt. Misschien zijn ze eerder in een ander format gepubliceerd?

Ook vind ik het taalgebruik soms wat simpel. Dat ligt niet aan de auteur, maar aan de vertaler - die heeft ongetwijfeld zijn best gedaan om zo trouw mogelijk te blijven aan het origineel, maar daardoor voelde het soms wat clunky. Ook stonden er heel veel referenties in naar dingen uit de Koreaanse popcultuur die niet werden toegelicht voor de lezer, dat vond ik jammer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Homophobia

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Abortion, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual content

himangi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Homophobia, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit and Stalking

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Sexual content

Moderate: Medical content, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Cancer, Gaslighting, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abortion, Cursing, Child abuse, Vomit, Death, Classism, Outing, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Grief, Infidelity, and Blood

morebedsidebooks's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Cancer, Car accident, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, and Chronic illness

scifi_rat's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Cancer, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Medical content, Abortion, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity, Transphobia, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Fatphobia, Outing, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

thelittle_seokmin's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Grief and Infidelity

Minor: Death, Medical content, Outing, Car accident, Bullying, Vomit, Blood, Abortion, and Adult/minor relationship

annekay's review against another edition

funny reflective sad fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Stalking and Emotional abuse

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, and Cancer

lilly_anne's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Vomit, Body shaming, Cancer, Abortion, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Car accident

rieviolet's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

4.0

I was very much impressed by the first and second sections ("Jaehee" and "A Bite of Rockfish, Taste the Universe"). I found that the author did really well in exploring the main character's thoughts and feelings and translating them onto the page. So many episodes (especially those that had to do with prejudice and discrimination, and with his relationship with his mother) affected me deeply and broke my heart. 

I didn't like as much the third and fourth sections ("Love in the Big City" and "Late Rainy Season Vacation"). I think those parts just resonated less with me and I wasn't as much captured by the narrative (which sometimes jumped a little confusingly between time lines) and by its style. 
The ending felt a little bit abrupt, I wasn't expecting nor I actually wanted a perfect resolution (I think it would have clashed too much with the overall tone of the novel and the narrative line), I just would've liked it to finish at a different point, in a slightly different way.
Also, I really liked the main character's sense of humour, his funny and a bit dry voice made for a very engaging narrative but I think that this wittiness was more evident in the first section and then became a bit more sparse in the following ones. 

All in all, this was a really good book and I'm very glad I've got to read about the experience of queerness in South Korea. 

I have to briefly mention the "Acknowledgements" section because reading the author's own words made me really emotional. I especially loved and was moved by the very last paragraphs.

When I write - or when I'm going about my day - I sometimes feel as vague and uncertain as if I'm all alone wandering through a cloud of dust, but sometimes I feel a warmth, like my hands have touched something. I want to call that something love. I know all too well how this emotion called love, how the word itself, can easily crumble into nothing, but all I can do is tightly grip this tiny bit of warmth and embrace it with all my might. Just so I can live on as myself. Just so I can live this life as myself and myself alone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Medical content, and Sexual content

Moderate: Outing, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity

Minor: Death and Car accident