Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

10 reviews

thebookfestclub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, War, Rape, Death, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

adelheid's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Trafficking, War, Kidnapping, and Misogyny

thelaurasaurus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This book made me so sad and angry, while also managing to contain occasional tender moments that made the misery bearable. While the treatment Wang Di received at the hands of the Japanese wasn’t exactly a surprise,

I was really upset by how she was treated upon her return, not just by her neighbours, but by her brother

. I had to take a break to sit and have a think (and a cry) when I finished. 

I liked the Kevin storyline, but I wish that it had been slightly less depressing, and also better developed. I wanted it to both counteract the horror of what I was reading about Wang Di, and also move and engage me in the same way. 

As a side note: I knew nothing about the history of Singapore, and this book provided me with a really interesting introduction to the country. I would like to read more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child abuse, War, Violence, and Blood

myiesha_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Grief, and Confinement

Moderate: Bullying

betag1013's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, and Slavery

megmoore123's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Bullying, Sexual assault, Slavery, Child abuse, Genocide, Violence, and War

drraytay's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, War, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Blood, Slavery, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Pregnancy

rachyrexaphous's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-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? No

5.0

Great for someone wanting insight into the experience of the Japanese occupation of Singapore, good glimpse into current socio-economic and cultural stigmas of sgrean society too

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Child death, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and War

waybeyondblue's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, War, Trafficking, and Slavery

Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death, and Confinement

abbie_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

How We Disappeared depicts the horrific way women were treated both during and after the war. One of the timelines follows Wang Di, a woman forced into working as a ‘comfort woman’ for the Japanese army during the occupation of Singapore. The abuse she suffered as a comfort woman is only exacerbated when she’s able to return home. There, she is met only with stigma, shame and even rage for what had been done to her, something beyond her control. It was heart-breaking to see the way Wang Di was treated by her once loving family; after everything she endured, they could not look past the abuse she suffered at the hands of men. It was this shame and stigma that made thousands of women forced into this role during the war stay silent about their experiences for so long, erasing a devastating part of history that deserved to be heard and never forgotten.

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I loved the dual timeline (or maybe triple? Since we hear from Wang Di as both a young and old woman, as well as Kevin), it all comes together so beautifully. It shows how during war, people are forced to make choices which will reverberate throughout their lives and the lives of their descendants.

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Really can’t recommend this one enough, especially to lovers of historical fiction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence