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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am very much gripped by the idea of a child illustrating a graphic memoir of their parents life as a way to bond and to remember (I’ve thought more than once of doing this with my father) and have enjoyed other graphic novels with such a premise. So I was a bit jarred at the end to realize this is not in fact the story of her mother but rather a fictionalized amalgamation of various stories Gendry-Kim heard of people who were separated from their families during the Korean War. I think finding that out removed some grace I had in my heart for the meandering, somewhat confusing narrative of the book. Because while I had thought it to be maybe vignettes told in the way they’d been recounted by Gendry-Kim’s mother finding out that the entire thing was her own narrative she plotted out left me a little confused as to why she would choose to tell it in the way she did. With changing times and changing narrators it was a bit hard to keep track of what was going on and hard to recognize and remember each of the characters as they appeared when they popped up.
That SAID it is moving as a story of families torn apart and I of course teared up at the part of the book of the two old sisters being reunited in the Red Cross’s efforts to link up family members that had been separated between North and South Korea over 60 years prior. Very emotional and tender.
But while I enjoyed parts of this I think the story telling could have been a bit earlier to follow, maybe MORE historical context and extra info about what was happening in Korea would have been good. And I genuinely think at the start it should be made super clear that this is a work of fiction because the whiplash of finding that out at the end was very unpleasant.
That SAID it is moving as a story of families torn apart and I of course teared up at the part of the book of the two old sisters being reunited in the Red Cross’s efforts to link up family members that had been separated between North and South Korea over 60 years prior. Very emotional and tender.
But while I enjoyed parts of this I think the story telling could have been a bit earlier to follow, maybe MORE historical context and extra info about what was happening in Korea would have been good. And I genuinely think at the start it should be made super clear that this is a work of fiction because the whiplash of finding that out at the end was very unpleasant.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
wished the author's note was at the beginning of the book as I think it would've made the narrative much clearer as this is a fictionalization of real refugees' stories. reading about the reality that many Korean families faced after being separated during the war is heartbreaking and puts into such stark relief that while this happened not that long ago, many of the survivors are elderly and may not be reunited with their families in the north.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, War
Moderate: Animal death, Abandonment
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The Waiting is a fictionalized account of the very real pain felt by many Korean families who were separated during the Korean War, based on the author’s mother’s experience. Despite changing details for the sake of the very real pain felt by her mother and the other two individuals she interviewed, this graphic novel sheds light on a part of history often overlooked in the grand scheme of the Korean War. Definitely worth reading, though the story will weigh on you, as it should.
"É uma ficção, mas ao mesmo tempo é uma verdade baseada em fatos".
Toda vez que leio sobre a Guerra da Coreia cresce em mim a curiosidade de ler de fato sobre isso, porém tenho medo das atrocidades que sei que descobrirei.
Como a autora fala no final, embora seja ambientada na Coreia, esse livro não fala apenas da separação de lá, afinal várias outras guerras ceifaram e dividiram famílias.
Enfim, mais um ótimo livro da autora.
Toda vez que leio sobre a Guerra da Coreia cresce em mim a curiosidade de ler de fato sobre isso, porém tenho medo das atrocidades que sei que descobrirei.
Como a autora fala no final, embora seja ambientada na Coreia, esse livro não fala apenas da separação de lá, afinal várias outras guerras ceifaram e dividiram famílias.
Enfim, mais um ótimo livro da autora.
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No