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Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

À propos de ma fille by Kim Hye-Jin

29 reviews

sercem_w_ksiazkach's review against another edition

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

1.25

 the main character is a homophobic ass and such a selfish person. she makes her daughter's sexuality about herself, wondering how could this have happened to her. she calls her daughter's girlfriend "that girl" and only stops being outwardly bigoted when her daughter literally gets mauled in an anti-gay-rights protest. and even then she doesn't care for other people who got hurt, only about herself. reading about her irritated me and i don't see value in reading this book. i just hate redeeming deadbeat parents. and if i wanted to hear homophobic bullshit i would listen to my own parents or i'd pull out a pride flag or totebag in public 
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lukests's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

4.0

This was very well done. The inner struggle the main character faces as she refuses to accept her daughter's queer identity, trying desperately to get her to adhere to societies expectations all while facing her own mortality and future made for a very emotional read. 

The author has done a great job of laying the main characters trains of thought out on the page and having us understand this woman's battle with her own emotions. 

A really enjoyable, short read for anyone looking for a good queer novella! 
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lauren16297's review against another edition

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

3.0

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josina's review against another edition

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

3.5

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h4rm0ny's review against another edition

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

3.0

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alliereads_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad

4.0

A really beautiful and infuriating read. Kim Hye-jin paints a really complex portrait of an aging woman struggling with her mortality, her sense of duty to the world, and her responsibility as a mother. While I didn’t find the protagonist likeable, I did find her relatable, which may be more important. I chose to read this for pride month, and while it’s not your typical happy lesbian love story, it is a really poignant book about acceptance. 
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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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kate_ka's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Die Perspektive finde ich interessant. Fand es aber dadurch, dass ich eher wie die Tochter bin, sehr schwer, mich mit der Erzählerin zu identifizieren. Glaube, es ist ein Buch, das mir mehr und mehr zeigt, je tiefer ich darüber nachdenke.
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loxeletters's review against another edition

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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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is an exploration of the mind of an elderly woman who has to come to terms with the fact that her daughter is a lesbian. It's not a happy or particularly uplifting book; in fact, the protagonist is (intentionally) frustrating and unlikeable. 
A second, big part of the story is that the narrator works as a carer at a nursing home. This way, the theme of accepting other people's differences is connected to the fear of growing old alone, and of dying lonely. Another theme is that of being a person - which is discussed very explicitly in relation to the MC's patients, and implied in the way she refuses to refer to her daughter as anything but that - her daughter. Not a person of her own.
Thirdly, the book discusses capitalism, the gruelling reality of work and alienation, and living on the line to poverty.

As is typical for Korean fiction, the book is quite understated. It does not present a neat solution. The world of this book remains relatively bleak throughout its entirety. 

While the ending may be frustrating or unfulfilling to some, I enjoyed the realism of it. The beauty of female relationships shone, even in harrowing conditions. And it serves as a fruitful critique of capitalism and contemporary society.

TW for homophobia and an extremely toxic mother-daughter relationship.
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seanamcphie's review against another edition

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reflective tense medium-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

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