I don’t have all that much to say about this book. I find its impact more interesting than the book itself: this is one of the most successful Korean books of the last decade and reading it became a political statement. The book itself is an unflinching depiction of everyday sexism, many of the scenes will be familiar to most women, and very successful at that. It was just that for me I found the prose distinctly underwhelming. The author chose a matter-of-fact kind of language that, while effective, did not align with my personal taste.

My favourite part was the framing device which I thought was really clever and the final chapter really packed a punch in a way the rest of the book didn’t for me. The first and the last chapter sound like a fairly different book while the middle felt like an endless parade of sexism without much story around it. While this might very well be true to life (and rumours are, the book is at least in part biographical), I did not always enjoy my time with the book.

Ultimately, I think this was let down by its comparison to The Vegetarian which is a way more literary book as opposed to this more matter-of-fact novel and as such something that worked a lot better for my personal taste than this one did. As a companion piece it works well though because it illustrates the points The Vegetarian makes in a more straight-forward manner.

I loved that this book felt like fiction and nonfiction at the same time - it was a story but it was a deep insight into a woman’s life, almost biographical. A fantastic look into Korea life and women in Korea.

Truly an unmissable mix of fact and fiction.  I couldn't put it down and learned so much about women's lives in Korea which are sadly too close to home.

An absolutely brilliant read that I couldn't put down. I can't recommend it enough. Such an important book detailing the pressures women face, in Korea in particular, but that is representative of gender imbalance worldwide.

An incredible book about what it is to be a woman in Korea today. 
I absolutely loved how informative this book was, even when I felt completely heartbroken for Jiyoung. 
An instant classic.

There's a reason that this is doing well in the award circuit, you have to look at this one as a story slightly separated from the UK in 2020 but it has a truly universal appeal with it's storytelling and frank female feelings.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley. 

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. 
Natalie.

The mix of real statistics and a fictional story really surprised me and added to the overall power of this story. While Kim Jiyoung wasn't an exciting read it was a necessary one, it touches on what it means to be a woman not only in Korea but around the world.

I found this exploration of what life is like for women in South Korea really fascinating. The text includes a lot of factual information and data which almost makes you feel like you're reading non fiction. A short novel that makes a big impact.

Kim Jiyoung, born 1982 is the calmest howl of anger I have ever read. Telling the seemingly ordinary story of an ordinary woman living in Korea, the book dissects a world of misogyny and a country where women are considered second-class citizens. Billed as a Korean #MeToo, this book’s power comes from its frightening banality.

Such a lovely, slender volume. I very much enjoyed reading about the hardships of being a woman in Korea and it truly opened my eyes to her experiences

5 stars because this is a very important book that everyone should read. everyone! this is why feminism is important.
but also 3 stars because the writing isn't the best and it reads like a report, which it is. this is what we find out at the end of the book and what we also see is that even through the male therapist has seen everything that Kim Jiyoung has been through and all the discrimination that women experience he still didn't get it. 
so an average of 4 stars.

A short read, but one that I had been hearing a lot about in various news outlets over the past month or so, and one that felt like a worthwhile read. Usually if a publisher has made the effort to translate a title into English, then it usually has a good chance of living up to the critical acclaim.

It certainly was an eye-opener into some of the male/female inequalities in modern day South Korea, and one that resonates here in the UK too. Littered with facts that were footnoted with relevant articles, it felt like a journalistic long read with some fictional scenarios thrown in for good measure. This isn't a bad thing, it made for a good story, and one that makes you consider how difficult women do have it in modern society when their liberties of a career and social life are thrown into disarray as soon as marriage and children become a thing.

This did feel like a semi-autobiographical novel, which again is no bad thing - and like a lot of Asian literature that makes it into English had an element of quirky surrealism - certainly at the beginning. My one regret from this read is that perhaps the most interesting part of the main character (her almost schizophrenic adoption of other people's personalities/speech/behaviours) was limited to the short opening chapter or two, with the remainder of the book a flashback on her life as an insight to the causes of this disorder. 

Certainly one for fans of other Asian literature in the theme of recent books like Convenience Store Woman. A good read.

This is such an eye-opening book. Even though it's fiction, the author said it was easy to write because it was based on her own experiences, which is both saddening and infuriating. The book highlights how sexism is deeply embedded within Korean culture, and although small steps have been made in terms of the law, the culture and customs retained means that little change has actually happened. 

The book focuses on one woman's particular live - Kim Jiyoung - and it's a very intimate account that makes you want to reach out and help in any way you can. 

This book made me appreciate the opportunities I have (and realise how lucky I am simply to have been born and raised where I have), but reminded me that there is much work still needed to be done around the world to gain equal rights and opportunities for women.

This book was not an easy read, and I found myself both very angry and very emotional whilst reading it. The story details Kim Jiyoung's life, from being a young child to being married with one child, and displays the harsh sexism that she, and every other woman like her, goes through on a daily basis. The story is interspersed with facts which just make the reality of life in South Korean for women seem even less hopeful. This was a tough read but ultimately a necessary one and I'm looking forward to buying my own physical copy to share out to family and friends!

5 Stars

"Women these days – what have you got to whine about?"

I don't think I've ever felt so apalled and infuriated when reading a book before. This book is about Kim Jiyoung, and follows her life from childhood through to marriage. Throughout her life she's been a target for discrimination because she is a woman. This is a very hard-hitting, impactful novel about what life is like for a woman living in Korea. Cho Nam-Joo comments on the injustice for females in Korean schooling systems, work and wider society. Even during childhood, from little things like boys being first to eat we are given the idea that in Korean culture, women are always secondary. This book is an exploration of that unchanging nature of women's secondary position in a patriarchal society. 

It bought tears to my eyes, and I would recommend this to every women out there, especially Asian women.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. 

This book has received glowing reviews in both South Korea and worldwide since publication. It’s a short novel that explores a lot of important issues faced by women, particularly in South Korea. These include sexual harassment at work, sexism towards female children and double standards within relationships and how these permeate every aspect of South Korean women’s lives.  

Reviewing a book of this type is always tricky, especially when it’s already received almost universal positive reviews. Sometimes when I know a book has been lauded and I'm struggling to see why, I have a quick scan of reviews to see if there are any dissenting views, mostly to reassure myself that I am not losing my mind if nothing else. I didn’t really find any for this book. That is not to say there is really anything wrong with it because there isn’t, but I had some issues with it.   

I’m not sure if it was the translation, but the portrayal of the important messages often had a complete lack of subtlety. I understand that there is a point trying to be made, but there were times I felt like I was reading a Case Study in an HR manual as opposed to a novel.. This was further compounded with the interjection of real-life statistics and footnotes which, in a fictional story, is rather jarring. 

I also wish more would have been made of Jiyoung’s ability. This was an intriguing idea which was sadly abandoned almost immediately. 

Although I too am a woman born in 1982, I suspect this book wasn’t written for me as the context in which I live is really rather different. Some of the issues Jiyoung experienced were ones which I have experienced too, but not in the same way as it might resonate with a woman living in South Korea.  There’s nothing wrong with this book at all, it was an interesting and thought-provoking read, I just didn’t quite get what all the fuss was about.

I honestly cannot fully explain how much I adored this book. This was the perfect combination of feminist and entertaining without sounding preachy and still informative. This book was just irrefutable and made you feel the pain the characters felt. I cough myself on the verge of tears multiple times simply because the situations were so real and yet so painful to read. They were situations we have all been through has women, but watching another suffer them really puts into perspective how backwards our world still is. I am very familiar with Korean culture and have heard of these very incidents many times, and I guess that played a part in how much I resonated and related with this story. The ending left me with such a mix of emotion I was literally speechless as I sat in my car staring at that last page. However open ended or cruel it might have come off, it was also realistic and representative of our current society. The truth is a hard pill to swallow as they say.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK for the ARC.

This was interesting and unexpected. At the beginning of the book we meet Korean housewife, Kim Jiyoung, who is experiencing some sort of mental breakdown. The book then takes us back through Jiyoung's life - from her birth in a society that prefers boys, her childhood, teen years, career and motherhood. Her life is described almost clinically, like a case study - chock full of statistics and the reality of being a woman. While some aspects are specifically Korean, many of the same issues are faced by women all over the world - giving an added poignancy to Jiyoung's story. Don't expect any deep characterisation - most of the characters are one-dimensional - but that is sort of the point - Jiyoung isn't developed because she isn't a character. She's every woman. The book explains itself well - its arguments are always well explained and never ham-fisted. That said, I would have liked some circle back to Jiyoung's eerie behaviour (imitating dead relatives) at the start of the novel. The ending fails to deal with this delicious concept set up at the beginning. Overall, this is a short read, brutal in its simplicity, and quite possibly destined to become a feminist classic.

I’d heard so many people rave about this book and I wasn’t sure it would live up to the hype. I was wrong.

This one is a quick read. It’s fairly simple but there is power and beauty in its simplicity. Highlighting sexism and misogyny in South Korea that is still happening today makes this book a hugely important read, not just for people in South Korea but for everyone worldwide. You feel Kim Jiyoung’s pain and confusion throughout her life when men are put before women. The ending is clever and tinged with sadness. It feels as though sexism in South Korea could never be stopped.

100% recommend this book.