Reviews

The Court Dancer by Kyung-sook Shin

smart_girls_love_trashy_books's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

-POTENTIAL SPOILERS-

I really wanted to like this book. It has a lot going for it, such as being about time periods and countries not really explored in books. I was a bit cautious when I learned this was a translation, but still tried my best to get into it. My best was not enough.

The biggest issue was the fact that everything felt detached, distant and rushed. Much like when I read Kiku's Prayer, I don't know if this is from the original text, the translator, or a little bit of both, but it's why I can't really trust many translated books. Everything was just told, so it made the few character moments that I did like, that should've meant something, feel more like they came out of nowhere. Like the scene where she sees herself like the stolen artwork at the museum. That should've amounted to something, but it didn't. We're told she lost a child but it's just said and never mentioned again. And later on, when she miscarries at a ball and is traumatized over it, it completely skips over all of her trauma, saying 'it has been six months later'

The whole book is written in that very dry style so even though I should've liked this story about finding identity and love among a turbulent time, I couldn't. The characters feel very bland and one-note, many events are written like a textbook of the time, with major events spelled out as background information even though they don't have anything to do with the main story, and things just happen. The characters don't really develop or grow or feel any different. Even the huge event that the synopsis says happens, does happen....at the very end of the book. It's barely a climax in my opinion.

I wanted to like this book so much. It's a unique setting with good themes and the potential for good characters, but the style kills it. It's dull, dry, tells everything instead of showing it, and for half of it feels more like a textbook of the period. I keep giving translated books a chance because they write about interesting things you don't often see here in the West, but I have to also hope they are written in engaging ways, and so far that track record is terrible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide

Moderate: Xenophobia

Minor: Death of parent and Miscarriage

simpukkasini's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

sayoes's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

2.75

powderysweetgirly's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

Oh man, when I say I cried, I cried! I honestly thought I'd give this book a 3 or 3.5 because the beginning was so boring to me, but it really picked up at part 3. This story does such a wonderful job of describing such complex topics and emotions. I don't even have words to describe the realism and wonder of this book. I just can't explain my emotions to this book, but I love it so very much

chantellereads's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

moshalala's review against another edition

Overdue

moth_dance's review against another edition

3.0

It's okay.

Nothing in the way this book is written really stood out to me. I found myself forgetting about a few characters and their situation in the story. The plot wasn't as interesting as I wanted it to be.

But I might return to it at another time for a reread.

quiteliterary's review against another edition

3.0

this was so dramatic i don’t know how to feel about it lol

pitaku's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition

2.0

I really really struggled with the writing style of this book. Everything was so freaking slow, and not in a pretty poetic way. In a “it takes 3 chapters for one small event to happen” way. 

I also freaking hated how Victor, a white Frenchman, had the entire epilogue from his POV when the story is about a Korean woman. He ain’t shit and the sex scenes between them were so freaking dry and boring, I’ve seen better scenes on daytime soap operas. Totally omittable. 

While the book itself was not my favorite, I am still grateful I read it so that I could learn a bit about Korea from a time period I knew nothing about prior to opening this book. It’s tied to real people and real events and I had a lovely little Wikipedia binge one night while I dug deeper into the setting. 

But it’s never a good sign when the Wikipedia page is more riveting than the novel.