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sseul1's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A story that must never be forgotten. It’s all about sacrifice, survival, loss, and resilience. You should read this book if you want to learn more about Korean history, especially the life of comfort women during and after the Japanese colonial periods.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
• TBR since August 10, 2019
#StoryGraph: fiction historical challenging emotional sad fast-paced
320 pages | first published 2018
Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war.
Korea 1943: Hana, a Korean sea diver, has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation, enjoying an independence that few other Koreans can claim. But when she saves her little sister from a Japanese soldier, she is transported to Manchuria and forced to become a “comfort woman”.
South Korea 2011: Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace.
#StoryGraph: fiction historical challenging emotional sad fast-paced
320 pages | first published 2018
Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war.
Korea 1943: Hana, a Korean sea diver, has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation, enjoying an independence that few other Koreans can claim. But when she saves her little sister from a Japanese soldier, she is transported to Manchuria and forced to become a “comfort woman”.
South Korea 2011: Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace.
shanmcdonald's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, War, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Trafficking
mygxfm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
starrysea98's review against another edition
3.0
i’m not in love with this book. the writing is a little dull and the omniscient third person POV gets boring after a while. most of it was us being TOLD stuff as opposed to seeing/experiencing it for ourselves. some people may appreciate this style of writing but it’s not for me.
that being said, i think the subject material is very interesting and moving. less is focused on the haenyeo part and the majority of the focus goes towards comfort women - as it should! (side note but it is appalling that japan still has not properly apologised to comfort women, not only from korea but from all other parts of the world).
i appreciate that the author wanted to end on a hopeful note but i call bullshit. why didn’t hana attempt to find her family again after she was saved by the mongolians? and in all the years after the war, couldn’t she have gone back to south korea to look for emi, at least? i would have liked the story better if hana had died - yes it’s much more grim but it would have been more memorable and explains why emi never found her again. it would also have made emi’s moment with the statue much more poignant and touching.
that being said, i think the subject material is very interesting and moving. less is focused on the haenyeo part and the majority of the focus goes towards comfort women - as it should! (side note but it is appalling that japan still has not properly apologised to comfort women, not only from korea but from all other parts of the world).
i appreciate that the author wanted to end on a hopeful note but i call bullshit. why didn’t hana attempt to find her family again after she was saved by the mongolians? and in all the years after the war, couldn’t she have gone back to south korea to look for emi, at least? i would have liked the story better if hana had died - yes it’s much more grim but it would have been more memorable and explains why emi never found her again. it would also have made emi’s moment with the statue much more poignant and touching.
polyvitamine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
melissalemos's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0