Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

À propos de ma fille by Kim Hye-Jin

7 reviews

shoelace's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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theliteraryteapot's review

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

4.0

Whilst not an easy read (especially as a bi woman) because the story is told through the pov of a homophobic mother, I'm glad I read this book. This short novel has a certain ambition, trying to examine several aspects of society. Homophobia, heteronormativity, ageism, poverty/low-paid job, loneliness, generational trauma (particularly passed on from mother to daughter), traditionalist society, the treatment of patients in a retirement home, ...

Maybe not perfect, this book still is quite significant, an important read. This story may feel like it's been done before but to me, growing up in a rural environment with homophobic family members, this is sadly a little too relatable (even down to the care assitant job).
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pingi444's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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yasmin_raev's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

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lizlikesfrogs's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

4.75

A great read. It reminded me of the stories my mom used to tell me from when she worked at a hospice back home. The way end-of-life care is commodified and seen as an arnous task is so real. Patients are often looked as nothing more than "things", which is heartbreaking.
The parallels between the MOM and Daughter were so well done and expressed. I liked the fact that the Mom was honest at the end and said that she might not understand Lane's and her daughter's way of life, but at least she began to acknowledge what they had together which is a great step in combating her own inner h*m*phobia.
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internationalreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

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cynicalraven's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The book follows a homophobic mother trying to understand her lesbian daughter. While it does offer a representation of South-Korean society that I appreciated (although it is not in a positive lighting), I really did not need the pov of a homophobe (and sexist too). I expected the book to be from the pov of the daughter 
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