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mollyok's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
brisingr's review against another edition
4.0
look, deciding to read this just as i miss my own mom was not the smartest decision i have ever made. but this was absolutely beautiful. i cannot remember for the life of me how i stumbled upon this book, but i'm glad i did because the writing in this is so gorgeous!! (you can tell the author's previous medium is poetry) a beautiful and touching story of mother-daughter relationship, and the kind of pain that women hold and carry, generation to generation.
embot77's review against another edition
4.0
By the end of chapter two, and I'm tearing up. By chapter 12, the review "Koh remarkably and beautifully translates the language of the mothers as the language of survivors" makes a lot of sense. While smaller details leave me by the end of the book, the overwhelming themes of sacrifice and survival in similar-yet-waring cultures (country-wise and family-wise) take shape in mother-daughter responsibilities. To what extent does sacrifice become selfish?
I enjoyed this not just as a memoir but a secondary-source for the Jeju Massacre (which I was previously unaware of).
I enjoyed this not just as a memoir but a secondary-source for the Jeju Massacre (which I was previously unaware of).
j0yce's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
unread's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
not super remarkable imo it's a diaspora memoir with a mother and a complicated relationship with said mother
thealexarachelle's review against another edition
4.0
This was pretty sad, I could feel her longing for her parents, especially her mother throughout the whole thing, but I know it was not written to feel bad for her. But at the end of the day everything is temporary and the way you perceive it, has an impact on the way that you live. Something I’m learning everyday.