May 14, 2024

Beautiful

This was a such a beautifully written story. While I really enjoyed the suspense of 죽이고 싶은 아이, this book is my new favorite by 이꽃님. Told in a series of letters between a teenage girl in the present and a woman in the 1980s, the story touched on a variety of topics and emotions, with a mix of funny, sad, angry, and heartfelt moments throughout the story. I loved getting to know both of the main characters and their lives.

The ending made me cry for sure, but I'm still very glad that I read this. I did suspect that the woman in the past was going to be her mother from the very beginning, and the payoff was very worth it. The last two letters in particular, from 은유's father and mother, made me very emotional.

From a language learning perspective, this was really helpful for me. It was my third book in Korean, and it exposed me to more informal language as well as many ways to express one's emotions. On a side note, one of my favorite dramas is Reply 1988, and this reminded me of it (even if it was also different for sure) in the best way possible. I was also already familiar with some of the historical events and cultural practices present in the book, which was helpful. For example, the 1988 Seoul Olympics and how Korean people used to use briquettes to heat their homes.

Overall, whether you're looking for approachable language learning material or a heartfelt story, I would 100% recommend this. 5 stars.

Gradings:12
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on December 8, 2024
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easier than구미호 식당L29
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similar in difficulty to오백 년째 열다섯L23
on May 14, 2024
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on May 14, 2024
on May 14, 2024