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gabriella_'s review against another edition
5.0
A lot of this book I personally resonated with. While I am not Korean, the mother-daughter bonding, themes of feeling disconnected from culture, grief, and transcending love of food hit very hard. Zauner finds a way to bring a personal story up and close to the reader. She has a way with words.
I can’t express how grateful I am to read this book. It feels like a warm hug. I hope anyone who has struggled with grief, especially those who mourn a mom or motherly figure, walk away from this book with even a shred of comfort. There is so much I want to say, so much thanks I want to pay the author for being as vulnerable as she was. And so much I want to thank her for, for expressing how painful her journey has been.
Some lines of this book really stuck with me, and I’ll end this review with one that made me audibly sob.
When one person collapses, the other instinctively shoulders their weight.
Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Blood, Mental illness, Grief, and Cancer
Moderate: Cursing
hanbuckley19's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Car accident and Blood
kcelena's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Grief, Infidelity, and Medical content
Moderate: Abortion
handful_of_frogs's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Minor: Racism
skylaturner's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Terminal illness, Medical content, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Excrement, and Vomit
Moderate: Car accident and Addiction
bookswithgeorgia's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Car accident, Vomit, Death of parent, Abortion, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Cancer, and Blood
alyx's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Vomit, Body horror, Chronic illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Excrement, Cancer, Blood, Cursing, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, Drug use, and Mental illness
Minor: Racism, Emotional abuse, Car accident, and Abortion
smaber23's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Drug use, Grief, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death, Abandonment, Abortion, Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
alylentz's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Vomit, Racism, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
caseythereader's review against another edition
5.0
- The writing is really stark - Zauner does not hide how awful her mother's illness was. Much of the book feels like her still fighting through her initial thoughts and feelings - it's all very close to the bone, still.
- As nearly every review has mentioned, the descriptions of cooking and food in this book are wonderful. I'm not terribly familiar with Korean food, and yet I still felt like I was right there in the kitchen with her.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Moderate: Abortion and Drug abuse