Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Violets by Kyung-sook Shin

9 reviews

erindb's review against another edition

reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Stalking, Rape, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

doubleyou's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

It was really confusing and sad. A lot of surreal moments and towards the end it got very sad.

I was looking forward to queer elements but that was mixed with misogyny and the whole book goes really fast. There is no real ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse

jdpanda30's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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

5.0

This book made me cry my heart out, and I can't fully comprehend why.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Grief, and Domestic abuse

soffemf's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

3.25

It was a bit too descriptive imo, that it became unnecessarily long. It has an impactful ending; the type of book you would need to read again  to achieve its impact. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

saraellington_'s review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Sexual harassment

anxiousnachos's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

3.0

A and delicate novel that I never really quite got into? It’s very reflective and literary, but I struggled to push through it. 

Content warnings: domestic abuse, sexual harassment, rape, self harm, implied suicide, violence 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Rape

heartcolored's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I fell in love with the beautiful prose as soon as I read the first chapter. The author describes everything so vividly it felt like I was watching a movie. It's a slow burn but it never felt dragging because the writing is so beautiful. It's the kind of book that will linger in your mind for so long even months after reading it.

I was utterly surprised by the ending and this is the first time I've encountered such a bizarre and unsettling  way of dying. I feel like I won't be able to forget the ending even if I want to. Also, the ending further fueled my hatred for men. Seeing the photographer and Choi Hyunli live a normal life as if they didn't ruin San's life (who's now buried in the soil like the plants and flowers that she used to tend at the flower shop) angers me so much especially because it really happens in real life.

 
There are women out there whose trauma (caused by men) are only buried and repressed. They never see the light of day and that's the painful truth for the victims of assault, misogyny, and abuse. Lastly, I like the metaphor of the violets and the author's afterword made me appreciate the story even more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Death, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, and Rape

inamerata's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.0

I've wanted to read Kyung-sook Shin's work for a while, and she has a lovely, distinctive voice that I think is well translated here. However, this isn't an easy read, from its ruminations on misogyny, homophobia, depression, and isolation, right up to the end when

San is raped and kills herself

. This is a book you appreciate more than you enjoy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

Minor: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, and Suicide

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Following a rural upbringing filled with rejection and abandonment, San moves to Seoul to pursue work as a typist.  She instead falls into work at a flower shop, where tending to the flowers and plants brings her unexpected comfort.  But when painful memories begin to rear their ugly heads, San struggles to process the loneliness she feels, and the past and present blur into one.  Clean and bursting with symbolism, Violets is a portrait of a longing young woman drowning in a bustling city.  Shin Kyung-sook is a master of quiet tragedy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Animal death, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Blood and Fire/Fire injury