Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

60 reviews

banannabaker's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This is a very good book, the characters are intricate and complicated, the history is fascinating and the place and culture are described in beautiful detail.

However, overall I did not enjoy reading it.

The cover and the blurb are misleading - describing a story about the haenyeo of Jeju and female friendship. The book is about those things, but also (and increasingly so as it progresses) about the very worst things humankind are capable of. Some parts are the kind of horrifying that makes your bones cold, and other parts are so sad it's hard to shake the scenes off when you put the book down. I read this on holiday and was relieved and exhausted when I finished it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, Genocide, and Child death

Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Alcoholism, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

kimberlynpeterson50's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

An amazingly detailed glimpse into a culture, country, and era I knew almost nothing about. See’s physical descriptions made me feel like I were walking through the villages myself, and I felt her characters’ depth of emotion viscerally. Friendship, family, and tradition are wrapped up in an immensely readable package.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Police brutality, Rape, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, and Genocide

skyebird16's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Vomit, Grief, Gore, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, Toxic friendship, Child death, Excrement, and Genocide

Moderate: Colonisation and Rape

Minor: Animal death and Alcohol

mmorice's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Wonderful book with an interesting insight in Korean history from a woman's perspective. Loved reading about the matriarchical culture of diving in Jeju. Very intense scenes describing the war repercussions on their island.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Genocide, Body horror, Colonisation, and Child death

franzicalzelunghe's review against another edition

emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, War, Genocide, Grief, Death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Child death

mel_lo77's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Genocide, War, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Rape

emmyreads03's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Genocide, Suicide, Grief, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Hate crime, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, and War

mikeiswhere's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

4.5

This book was significantly more disturbing than I expected it would be after reading the blurb, but I am glad to have learned from it. A very powerful and emotional book which had me much more invested than I expected.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Torture, Child death, and Death

katyps78's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Beautiful epic historical fiction about 2 women/friends/wives/mothers and their lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Racism, War, Violence, Sexual violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

melbell016's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

This is a sad and heartwrenching story. The atrocities are nausea-inducing. But it is also a beautiful story of friendship, strength despite immense loss, courage, and the difficulty and pain of finding forgiveness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Murder, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Death of parent, War, Genocide, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Torture, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cancer