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theimaginaryworldoffaith's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
bookishtems's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
aleks_png's review against another edition
Focusing on german rn so will be back to this :)
racoonorj's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
peachyseen's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ariane_louise's review against another edition
4.0
Would’ve been higher if we saw more of Jaehee after her chapter. Harder to follow at times because of the fragmented timeline
rockyroadbutch's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
eunjung's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Wow. I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, and honestly I wasn't entirely sold as I read through the beginning but by the end I was more emotionally caught up in the novel than I thought I would have been. Korean novels are just so fundamentally different from American/western style novels, and honestly you do yourself a disservice by only reading English written novels. Obviously some things can get lost in translation, and I haven't picked up the original (not quite sure if I want to challenge my Korean skill level that much quite yet).
But honestly, this reminded me of Haruki Murakami's writing in a lot of ways except less pretentious lol. (Look if you're a Haruki Murakami fan that's fine but like the misogyny in his writing is undeniable and off putting to me.) The main character's voice is very distinct, and he's not quite a lovable character. He very undoubtedly has his flaws, many flaws. This novel is more slice of life than some plot driven narrative, so if you're looking for something plot heavy you'll want to pick up something else. It moved rather quickly, and it's not a big book. Personally I picked up to read about how being gay in South Korea is because well it's not really talked about and the homophobia is rampant. There are probably some things readers with a lack of Korean culture knowledge probably won't pick up, but overall it was pretty interesting read.
TL;DR - You probably won't like it if 1) you have to find a main character likable 2) prefer plot driven novels but otherwise it was a good read and emotionally poignant
But honestly, this reminded me of Haruki Murakami's writing in a lot of ways except less pretentious lol. (Look if you're a Haruki Murakami fan that's fine but like the misogyny in his writing is undeniable and off putting to me.) The main character's voice is very distinct, and he's not quite a lovable character. He very undoubtedly has his flaws, many flaws. This novel is more slice of life than some plot driven narrative, so if you're looking for something plot heavy you'll want to pick up something else. It moved rather quickly, and it's not a big book. Personally I picked up to read about how being gay in South Korea is because well it's not really talked about and the homophobia is rampant. There are probably some things readers with a lack of Korean culture knowledge probably won't pick up, but overall it was pretty interesting read.
TL;DR - You probably won't like it if 1) you have to find a main character likable 2) prefer plot driven novels but otherwise it was a good read and emotionally poignant
palatab's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75