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我們的幸福時光
「每週四上午十點，是我最幸福的時光……」
你最幸福的時光是哪一刻？
一個判處死刑的男人，一個選擇走向死亡的女人，
來日不多的死刑犯和三度自殺未果的女教授，
他們何以一個求生不能、一個求死不得？
他們如何在生與死的夾縫間相遇相知、共同發現生命裡最真摯的幸福？
你最幸福的時光是哪一刻？
一個判處死刑的男人，一個選擇走向死亡的女人，
來日不多的死刑犯和三度自殺未果的女教授，
他們何以一個求生不能、一個求死不得？
他們如何在生與死的夾縫間相遇相知、共同發現生命裡最真摯的幸福？
296 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
105 people are currently reading
5507 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 418 reviews
July 18, 2015
Upravo sam podigao ocenu na 5 zvezdica...
Pročitao sam knjigu pre neka dva dana i verovali ili ne još uvek razmišljam o njoj...
Postoje mnoge sličnosti sa filmom "Dead man walking", ali postoje i mnoge razlike... Koliko me je oduševio DMW toliko me (podjednako) oduševljava i ova knjiga.
Tematika je poprilično teška - život/smrt, disfunkcionalna porodica, silovanje, ubistvo, smrtna kazna, opraštanje... Ono što mi se sviđa jeste to što roman ne prelazi u neku preteranu patetiku (poput romana koji neću imenovati a većina mojih prijatelja ovde može da nasluti koji je roman u pitanju), ne prelazi u "preaching" ili pametovanje ili nešto tome slično.
Tajna verovatno leži u poreklu autorke. Ovo nije još jedan američki blokbasterski projekat u fazonu "kako pomoći sam sebi". Da jeste verovatno bih bez razmišljanja zafrljačio knjigu u zid i poklonio je nekome prvom prilikom. Ne znam ni zašto porede autorku sa Koeljom. Nije ovo limunada od romana. On ima svoju težinu, svoju dubinu i svoju poruku...
A ovaj citat koji se našao i na koricama ne prestaje da me oduševljava:
"Ako nestanak topline označava smrt, onda trenutak kad izgubimo toplinu u srcu mora biti još jedna vrsta smrti. Postojalo je vreme kad ni on ni ja to nismo znali i samo smo želeli da umremo. Možda je i to bila vrsta smrti."
Jedina veća zamerka ne ide autorki romana već izdavačkoj kući. Ne sviđa mi se to što se romani prevode iz "druge ruke" - ovaj je preveden sa engleskog. Nadam se da nije mnogo izgubljeno u ovom prevodu prevoda.
U svakom slučaju mislim da ću se vratiti barem još jednom ovom romanu...
Pročitao sam knjigu pre neka dva dana i verovali ili ne još uvek razmišljam o njoj...
Postoje mnoge sličnosti sa filmom "Dead man walking", ali postoje i mnoge razlike... Koliko me je oduševio DMW toliko me (podjednako) oduševljava i ova knjiga.
Tematika je poprilično teška - život/smrt, disfunkcionalna porodica, silovanje, ubistvo, smrtna kazna, opraštanje... Ono što mi se sviđa jeste to što roman ne prelazi u neku preteranu patetiku (poput romana koji neću imenovati a većina mojih prijatelja ovde može da nasluti koji je roman u pitanju), ne prelazi u "preaching" ili pametovanje ili nešto tome slično.
Tajna verovatno leži u poreklu autorke. Ovo nije još jedan američki blokbasterski projekat u fazonu "kako pomoći sam sebi". Da jeste verovatno bih bez razmišljanja zafrljačio knjigu u zid i poklonio je nekome prvom prilikom. Ne znam ni zašto porede autorku sa Koeljom. Nije ovo limunada od romana. On ima svoju težinu, svoju dubinu i svoju poruku...
A ovaj citat koji se našao i na koricama ne prestaje da me oduševljava:
"Ako nestanak topline označava smrt, onda trenutak kad izgubimo toplinu u srcu mora biti još jedna vrsta smrti. Postojalo je vreme kad ni on ni ja to nismo znali i samo smo želeli da umremo. Možda je i to bila vrsta smrti."
Jedina veća zamerka ne ide autorki romana već izdavačkoj kući. Ne sviđa mi se to što se romani prevode iz "druge ruke" - ovaj je preveden sa engleskog. Nadam se da nije mnogo izgubljeno u ovom prevodu prevoda.
U svakom slučaju mislim da ću se vratiti barem još jednom ovom romanu...
December 4, 2015
Rating, 5 hearts on the line ... 
... about to be broken
Loved the movie years back, and I loved the book too .... bawled my eyes out by the end
Beautiful, poetic, heartbreaking story about compassion, forgiveness, happiness, trust, faith and love told through the stories of a death row convict and a rape victim ... both struggling with the traumas and demons of their past. So different so similar. Different backgrounds, similar contempt for life ... both wounded, both afraid to trust, to get hurt again.
The story alternates between Yoon-soo's story, written on the BLUE NOTES while awaiting the execution, that let us follow his path from childhood to Death Row .... and Yoo-Jung's story that alternates the present with snippets of her past.
Jung Yoon-Soo is a young man sentenced to death for a crime of killing three people and raping a seventeen year old girl. Dirt poor, life was always hard. A drunkard violent father, that used fists-oh-too-often. A mother that had left him and his little brother Eun-soo to cope with such father, to find a new life (with another abusive bastard).
“even though all I remembered of her was her swollen face and the bruises that covered her body from our father’s beatings, I was waiting for her to come home, bruises and all, and kill our father who would start beating us again the moment he woke from his drunken slumber in that unheated room. I was waiting for her to rescue us. My very first memory in life is of wanting to kill.”
A weak brother that lost his sight due to their father ... before the bastard had the decency to off himself. Alone in the world the two of them went from orphanage to the streets and then to prison
“Misfortune poured down like a sudden rain shower.”
... and streets again, doing anything and everything to survive, losing any trust in humanity and finally ... after losing his brother ... losing all hope. Blaming everybody for his demise. Hating the world.
“They were days in which I drew forth all of the blood and violence and screams and lies and defiance and hatred that I had inherited from my father and that flowed through my veins and put them to practical use. I was an animal. I would not have known how to survive otherwise. If I had not at least been an animal, I would have been nothing.”
Moon Yoo-Jung is the only daughter of a prestigious, rich chaebol family. One would think she has it all. But Yoo-jung is not happy.
“if someone had held a stethoscope to my heart back then, they probably would have heard: Why can’t the sun revolve around me? Why aren’t you there for me when I’m lonely? Why do good things keep happening to the people I hate? Why does the world keep angering me and refusing me even the tiniest sliver of happiness?”
She is the black sheep of the family, something that her mother would rather do without.
Couldn't she be an obedient daughter and not worry her. How dare she accuse her cousin of rape. Even if it did happen, it was because she's been "wagging her tail around". She should shut up, and stop making a spectacle of herself, and do what she is told. Three suicide attempts? If you ask her mother, that's just to spoil her peace ...ungrateful daughter.
“ I was stubborn and enjoyed making other people uncomfortable. I would cuss in the peaceful faces of those who sickened me, and cackle with laughter and pity as the looks on their faces turned to shock...It was more like an old, secret wound ready to spill blood at the slightest touch, the kind of hurt that would bleed at a moment’s notice even when there was no pain.”
Yoo-jung doesn't find any joy in living. She is hurt, cynical, distrustful. She hates the world. The only person she trust to some extent is her no-nonsense aunt, Sister Monica,
who decides take matters in her own hands after her nieces last suicide attempt and makes her promise ... (well, it's that or the shrink, so Yoo-jung caves in) to accompany her to visit an inmate on death row in the Seoul Detention Center ..... Jung Yoon-Soo.
“Just like the winter rain that was only visible in the glow of the headlights, there were many things in this world that were invisible in the dark. I learned this after meeting him: just because something was invisible didn’t mean it did not exist. After meeting him, I pushed through my own darkness and figured out what that darkness was that breathed inside of me like death.”
The initial loathing and distrust slowly turn into something else that helps them to unburden their souls, get rid of the past and learn again to trust ... cherish the happy moments as short as that they may be.
“I had never been good at saying things like I’m sorry, thank you, and I love you. Other than in sarcasm, I had never used those words when I really needed them, never used them when no other words would do.”
“... his eyes wavered, and my own heart wavered in response. We were like two people standing at either side of a ravine with a rope stretched between the two of us. If one of us trembled, the other person’s hand trembled, too.”
Perfect. Heartrending but beautiful story of crime, punishment, forgiveness and love.
An emotional punch delivered by the South Korean author Gong Ji-young.
Edit 06/11/2015
P.S
There's a manga adaptation too, Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan by Sahara Mizu
... about to be brokenLoved the movie years back, and I loved the book too .... bawled my eyes out by the end
Beautiful, poetic, heartbreaking story about compassion, forgiveness, happiness, trust, faith and love told through the stories of a death row convict and a rape victim ... both struggling with the traumas and demons of their past. So different so similar. Different backgrounds, similar contempt for life ... both wounded, both afraid to trust, to get hurt again.
The story alternates between Yoon-soo's story, written on the BLUE NOTES while awaiting the execution, that let us follow his path from childhood to Death Row .... and Yoo-Jung's story that alternates the present with snippets of her past.
Jung Yoon-Soo is a young man sentenced to death for a crime of killing three people and raping a seventeen year old girl. Dirt poor, life was always hard. A drunkard violent father, that used fists-oh-too-often. A mother that had left him and his little brother Eun-soo to cope with such father, to find a new life (with another abusive bastard).
“even though all I remembered of her was her swollen face and the bruises that covered her body from our father’s beatings, I was waiting for her to come home, bruises and all, and kill our father who would start beating us again the moment he woke from his drunken slumber in that unheated room. I was waiting for her to rescue us. My very first memory in life is of wanting to kill.”
A weak brother that lost his sight due to their father ... before the bastard had the decency to off himself. Alone in the world the two of them went from orphanage to the streets and then to prison
“Misfortune poured down like a sudden rain shower.”
... and streets again, doing anything and everything to survive, losing any trust in humanity and finally ... after losing his brother ... losing all hope. Blaming everybody for his demise. Hating the world.
“They were days in which I drew forth all of the blood and violence and screams and lies and defiance and hatred that I had inherited from my father and that flowed through my veins and put them to practical use. I was an animal. I would not have known how to survive otherwise. If I had not at least been an animal, I would have been nothing.”
Moon Yoo-Jung is the only daughter of a prestigious, rich chaebol family. One would think she has it all. But Yoo-jung is not happy.
“if someone had held a stethoscope to my heart back then, they probably would have heard: Why can’t the sun revolve around me? Why aren’t you there for me when I’m lonely? Why do good things keep happening to the people I hate? Why does the world keep angering me and refusing me even the tiniest sliver of happiness?”
She is the black sheep of the family, something that her mother would rather do without.
Couldn't she be an obedient daughter and not worry her. How dare she accuse her cousin of rape. Even if it did happen, it was because she's been "wagging her tail around". She should shut up, and stop making a spectacle of herself, and do what she is told. Three suicide attempts? If you ask her mother, that's just to spoil her peace ...ungrateful daughter.
“ I was stubborn and enjoyed making other people uncomfortable. I would cuss in the peaceful faces of those who sickened me, and cackle with laughter and pity as the looks on their faces turned to shock...It was more like an old, secret wound ready to spill blood at the slightest touch, the kind of hurt that would bleed at a moment’s notice even when there was no pain.”
Yoo-jung doesn't find any joy in living. She is hurt, cynical, distrustful. She hates the world. The only person she trust to some extent is her no-nonsense aunt, Sister Monica,
who decides take matters in her own hands after her nieces last suicide attempt and makes her promise ... (well, it's that or the shrink, so Yoo-jung caves in) to accompany her to visit an inmate on death row in the Seoul Detention Center ..... Jung Yoon-Soo.
“Just like the winter rain that was only visible in the glow of the headlights, there were many things in this world that were invisible in the dark. I learned this after meeting him: just because something was invisible didn’t mean it did not exist. After meeting him, I pushed through my own darkness and figured out what that darkness was that breathed inside of me like death.”
The initial loathing and distrust slowly turn into something else that helps them to unburden their souls, get rid of the past and learn again to trust ... cherish the happy moments as short as that they may be.
“I had never been good at saying things like I’m sorry, thank you, and I love you. Other than in sarcasm, I had never used those words when I really needed them, never used them when no other words would do.”
“... his eyes wavered, and my own heart wavered in response. We were like two people standing at either side of a ravine with a rope stretched between the two of us. If one of us trembled, the other person’s hand trembled, too.”
Perfect. Heartrending but beautiful story of crime, punishment, forgiveness and love.
An emotional punch delivered by the South Korean author Gong Ji-young.
Edit 06/11/2015
P.S
There's a manga adaptation too, Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan by Sahara Mizu
June 5, 2016
Every time I am reading a Korean novel it makes me extremely sad and self-conscious. It is so different from every other novel and reminds me of Japanese literature - very unique and heavy on reader's mind.
It was melancholic, it was sorrowful and it will stay with me for many years to come.
-------------------------
„Nasze szczęśliwe czasy” Gong Ji-Young to powieść pełna emocji, pełna bólu, cierpienia, pełna smutku i tłumienia uczuć. To historia wiary i uleczającej siły miłości. To także opowieść o tym, że zwykła rozmowa, słowa, skierowane do kogoś, kto czuje to samo co my, mogą sprawić cuda i pozwolić na wybaczenie samemu sobie. Pozwalają wyzwolić stłamszoną wieloletnią rozpaczą duszę i pozwolić jej znaleźć ukojenie.
To wyjątkowa historia, pełna wschodniej melancholii i uniwersalnego piękna, która pozostawia w sercu poczucie spokoju i wiedzę, że: Żaden człowiek nie jest tylko dobry ani tylko zły. Każdy z nas stara się, jak najlepiej przeżyć kolejny dzień swojego życia. Jeżeli istnieje jakaś uniwersalna prawda, to jest nią stwierdzenie, że każdy walczy ze śmiercią. Czyni to każdy z nas, jest to reguła stara jak sam czas i nie da się jej zmienić.
It was melancholic, it was sorrowful and it will stay with me for many years to come.
-------------------------
„Nasze szczęśliwe czasy” Gong Ji-Young to powieść pełna emocji, pełna bólu, cierpienia, pełna smutku i tłumienia uczuć. To historia wiary i uleczającej siły miłości. To także opowieść o tym, że zwykła rozmowa, słowa, skierowane do kogoś, kto czuje to samo co my, mogą sprawić cuda i pozwolić na wybaczenie samemu sobie. Pozwalają wyzwolić stłamszoną wieloletnią rozpaczą duszę i pozwolić jej znaleźć ukojenie.
To wyjątkowa historia, pełna wschodniej melancholii i uniwersalnego piękna, która pozostawia w sercu poczucie spokoju i wiedzę, że: Żaden człowiek nie jest tylko dobry ani tylko zły. Każdy z nas stara się, jak najlepiej przeżyć kolejny dzień swojego życia. Jeżeli istnieje jakaś uniwersalna prawda, to jest nią stwierdzenie, że każdy walczy ze śmiercią. Czyni to każdy z nas, jest to reguła stara jak sam czas i nie da się jej zmienić.
July 29, 2014
I seriously can't get myself together after reading this book enough to express my feelings on it. It made so many emotions enter my heart that I am finding it hard to put into words, but nonetheless, I shall try my best.
I want to start off this review by saying that I think everyone should read this book at some point in their life. It has the potential to change the way we look and see others. And the way we look at ourselves as well. I think that everyone would be able to benefit from this book in some way.
One of the main things that is expressed in this book is the fact that no one is completely good or completely bad. We have all done good in our lives and we have all sinned. As you read about and connect with Yunsu who had been found guilty of murder and many other wrong doings, you really get to see him for the soul within, rather then just the crimes he had committed.
You get to see that he feels, loves, hurts, wants, and forgives just as any ordinary person does. He is a human being. You realize that he is not just some horrible animal stuck behind bars. He is a person with a good heart hidden underneath the scars of his past.
This book really shows how people can have a change of heart. It really exemplifies how a once so called "demon" can turn into an "angel". It just really shows how people can turn over to the next chapter of their lives and become a completely different person with a new outlook on life.
Considering the fact that this book delves into some pretty dark topics such as, rape, murder, child abuse, suicide, and self hate, I would recommend it to only those who can handle mature content. There are some things in this story that some may find very disturbing, so keep that in mind if you are sensitive to those subjects. It truly shows how violence leads to more violence and hate leads to more hate.
However, despite the dark topics that are within the book comes uplifting themes such as, love, forgiveness, religion, god, hope, and a change of heart.
I think that this book will really make people think twice before judging someone based on the choices they have made in the past. It will also bring the controversy of weather the death penalty is wrong or right to your mind. I know that after reading this book my opinion on the death penalty has definitely changed a lot. Especially considering the fact that this novel really shows how inmates on death row become completely new people. Many end up having a true change of heart and become sorrowful and disgusted with what they have done in the past.
The thing that broke my heart the most in this book was a quote that was stated "We kill them once they become angels." I literally began to tear up after I read that line. It really makes you think as to weather the death penalty is serving more good or bad.
I really got attached to the characters in this book. They went through so many horrible and traumatic things, which truly explains why they did some of the things that they did, and why they act the way that they do. At certain points I wanted to scream at the author to just leave the characters alone because they experienced so many heartbreaking and awful things. I just wanted to give them all a huge hug and take away their pain. I wanted to comfort them.
If you are considering reading this book, do it! That is all that I can say. You won't regret it.
To the author 공지영, I just want to say 감사합니다 for writing a masterpiece.
I want to start off this review by saying that I think everyone should read this book at some point in their life. It has the potential to change the way we look and see others. And the way we look at ourselves as well. I think that everyone would be able to benefit from this book in some way.
One of the main things that is expressed in this book is the fact that no one is completely good or completely bad. We have all done good in our lives and we have all sinned. As you read about and connect with Yunsu who had been found guilty of murder and many other wrong doings, you really get to see him for the soul within, rather then just the crimes he had committed.
You get to see that he feels, loves, hurts, wants, and forgives just as any ordinary person does. He is a human being. You realize that he is not just some horrible animal stuck behind bars. He is a person with a good heart hidden underneath the scars of his past.
This book really shows how people can have a change of heart. It really exemplifies how a once so called "demon" can turn into an "angel". It just really shows how people can turn over to the next chapter of their lives and become a completely different person with a new outlook on life.
Considering the fact that this book delves into some pretty dark topics such as, rape, murder, child abuse, suicide, and self hate, I would recommend it to only those who can handle mature content. There are some things in this story that some may find very disturbing, so keep that in mind if you are sensitive to those subjects. It truly shows how violence leads to more violence and hate leads to more hate.
However, despite the dark topics that are within the book comes uplifting themes such as, love, forgiveness, religion, god, hope, and a change of heart.
I think that this book will really make people think twice before judging someone based on the choices they have made in the past. It will also bring the controversy of weather the death penalty is wrong or right to your mind. I know that after reading this book my opinion on the death penalty has definitely changed a lot. Especially considering the fact that this novel really shows how inmates on death row become completely new people. Many end up having a true change of heart and become sorrowful and disgusted with what they have done in the past.
The thing that broke my heart the most in this book was a quote that was stated "We kill them once they become angels." I literally began to tear up after I read that line. It really makes you think as to weather the death penalty is serving more good or bad.
I really got attached to the characters in this book. They went through so many horrible and traumatic things, which truly explains why they did some of the things that they did, and why they act the way that they do. At certain points I wanted to scream at the author to just leave the characters alone because they experienced so many heartbreaking and awful things. I just wanted to give them all a huge hug and take away their pain. I wanted to comfort them.
If you are considering reading this book, do it! That is all that I can say. You won't regret it.
To the author 공지영, I just want to say 감사합니다 for writing a masterpiece.
April 22, 2022
roman koji se u cijelosti i vrlo usredotočeno bavi pitanjem krivice i oprosta, pokajanjem, odgovornosti i žaljenjem. ključne teme su s jedne strane želja za životom, a s druge strane njen nedostatak dok paralelno vodi priču o jeong yun-su, osuđeniku na smrt i yu-jeong, imućne i naizgled uspješne mlade žene, ali iza koje je trostruki pokušaj samoubojstva i krajnje nezadovoljstvo svojim životom. njih dvoje povezat će monica, yu-jeongina teta, časna sestra, koja posjećuje yun-sua u zatvoru, a kao dio rehabilitacije nakon 3. neuspjelog pokušaja samoubojstva, u posjete u zatvor počinje dolaziti i yu-jeong. iskustvo susreta s osuđenikom na smrt iz korijena će promijeniti njen doživljaj života i smrti, ljubavi i mržnje, krivice i oprosta, Boga i religije.
mnogo je ovdje teških i mučnih tema (silovanje maloljetnica, zanemarivanje i zlostavljanje djece od strane roditelja, vršnjačko nasilje, ubojstva i pljačke, otrovani obiteljski odnosi, prostitucija, bolest i neimaština, pitanje smrtne kazne...), ali ji-young gong vješto je sve prekrila velom mogućeg oprosta, pomirenja i iskupljenja kroz ljubav i razumijevanje, pri tome ne zapadajući u mamac klišeja, neuvjerljivosti ili nategnutosti. vrlo realno i moguće (i sa strane kriminalaca i krivnje, a i sa strane mogućnosti pomirenja), autorica nenametljivo nudi mogućnost osobne promjene u smjeru Dobra.
mjestimice mrc kvrgavo, ali to pripisujem nespretnom prijevodu - s korejskog na engleski, s engleskog na hrvatski - vjerojatno se putem dio originala izgubio. međutim, cijelo djelo je u konačnici dovoljno bistro i čisto da mu nema zamjerki.
mnogo je ovdje teških i mučnih tema (silovanje maloljetnica, zanemarivanje i zlostavljanje djece od strane roditelja, vršnjačko nasilje, ubojstva i pljačke, otrovani obiteljski odnosi, prostitucija, bolest i neimaština, pitanje smrtne kazne...), ali ji-young gong vješto je sve prekrila velom mogućeg oprosta, pomirenja i iskupljenja kroz ljubav i razumijevanje, pri tome ne zapadajući u mamac klišeja, neuvjerljivosti ili nategnutosti. vrlo realno i moguće (i sa strane kriminalaca i krivnje, a i sa strane mogućnosti pomirenja), autorica nenametljivo nudi mogućnost osobne promjene u smjeru Dobra.
mjestimice mrc kvrgavo, ali to pripisujem nespretnom prijevodu - s korejskog na engleski, s engleskog na hrvatski - vjerojatno se putem dio originala izgubio. međutim, cijelo djelo je u konačnici dovoljno bistro i čisto da mu nema zamjerki.
October 2, 2024
"What I mean is that for people who hate their mothers—let me rephrase that—for people who grow up without knowing a mother’s love, the part of us that can grow only when it receives the love that we are entitled to as children remains stunted somewhere deep inside of us."
Mun Yujeong has tried to kill herself three times. Her aunt, a nun named Sister Monica, offers her an alternative to therapy: to join her for a month while she visits a death row inmate, Yunsu. She agrees and, through conversations and visits to this guy, they both learn to love life, forgive, and that caring about others is as important as caring about yourself.
'Out Happy Time' broke me. I lowkey knew this would not be a happy time. A friend had recommended me the book a year ago and had explained what it was about (maybe even spoiled the ending?), and yet it still swept me off my feet. It's a bittersweet experience though, reading this one - because it is so much about how sad things happen but then good things too, and it's somehow telling my brain that this sadness too shall pass. But in the mean time, I just messaged the friend who suggested me to read this and told her to f*ck herself, this made me feel better.
This book may not be for everyone. I almost DNF it since the first 30-50 pages felt slow and boring, and I wasn't really into the story, but slowly but surely it started getting personal in a few things. So, idk, if you have ever thought having an awful "mother" had messed up with your head, maybe read it? It's a beautiful book nonetheless, slow but rewarding.
Mun Yujeong has tried to kill herself three times. Her aunt, a nun named Sister Monica, offers her an alternative to therapy: to join her for a month while she visits a death row inmate, Yunsu. She agrees and, through conversations and visits to this guy, they both learn to love life, forgive, and that caring about others is as important as caring about yourself.
'Out Happy Time' broke me. I lowkey knew this would not be a happy time. A friend had recommended me the book a year ago and had explained what it was about (maybe even spoiled the ending?), and yet it still swept me off my feet. It's a bittersweet experience though, reading this one - because it is so much about how sad things happen but then good things too, and it's somehow telling my brain that this sadness too shall pass. But in the mean time, I just messaged the friend who suggested me to read this and told her to f*ck herself, this made me feel better.
This book may not be for everyone. I almost DNF it since the first 30-50 pages felt slow and boring, and I wasn't really into the story, but slowly but surely it started getting personal in a few things. So, idk, if you have ever thought having an awful "mother" had messed up with your head, maybe read it? It's a beautiful book nonetheless, slow but rewarding.
July 13, 2017
Một cuốn sách khá hay nhưng đã hết trước khi chạm được kì vọng ban đầu của tôi, khi phần tôi yêu thích là phần tự thuật của Yoon Soo quá ít, suy nghĩ của Yoo Jeong thì hơi lan man lặp lại, còn tình yêu của hai người được nhắc đến trong tựa sách thì có phần mờ nhạt khiến tôi hơi hoài nghi rằng phải chăng tình cảm Yoo Jeong dành cho Yoon Soo chưa đạt đến ngưỡng để gọi là tình yêu, và "Yêu người tử tù" có vẻ là tên ai đó đặt theo chủ quan chứ không phải được dịch từ tựa gốc (mà tôi thường thích sách được giữ nguyên tựa gốc hơn).
Khai thác mối quan hệ trớ trêu đầy nghịch lý giữa Yoo Jeong - cô gái đã hơn một lần tìm cách tự giết chính mình, và Yoon Soo - một kẻ giết người đang chờ ngày thi hành án tử trong trại giam, Yêu người tử tù khiến tôi nhớ đến Xuyên thấu của Ryu Murakami với cặp nhân vật có nhiều nét tương đồng. Chỉ có điều, khác với sự bệnh hoạn được khai thác triệt để trong Xuyên thấu khiến người đọc đôi lúc ghê tởm sợ hãi, Yêu người tử tù hướng đến góc nhìn nhân văn và gần gũi với cuộc sống hơn.
Chúng ta thường chỉ quan tâm đến những vụ án động trời bằng con mắt nhiều tia nhìn phán xét của người ngoài cuộc và có lúc dành tất cả sự chỉ trích cay nghiệt ta có cho kẻ thủ ác, cũng như thường đặt câu hỏi "vì sao hắn làm vậy" chỉ bởi muốn thỏa mãn sự tò mò tọc mạch của bản thân rồi vô tình đem lợi nhuận về cho mấy bài báo giật title vô trách nhiệm, thay vì thực sự muốn hiểu điều gì dẫn đến những hành động man rợ đó. Khi một bản án được thành lập cũng là lúc khán giả - những kẻ không liên quan - rời khỏi khán đài. Còn đối với kẻ tội đồ, tất cả vẫn còn tiếp diễn ít nhất là cho đến ngày hắn ta tiếp nhận bản án tử hình.
Mạch truyện Yêu người tử tù bắt đầu từ khi người tù ấy đang "chờ chết", cộng với người đọc được cung cấp (dù cũng không nhiều) điểm nhìn của chính Yoon Soo, nên ác cảm đối với anh ta phần nào được xoa dịu. Thay vào đó là sự thương xót và có thể là cả đồng cảm, giống như những gì Yoo Jeong đã cảm thấy. Tất nhiên không phải tên tù nào cũng giống Yoon Soo. Có những trường hợp ta cho rằng không thể thông cảm được. Nhưng tôi cho là đúng khi nhân vật nào đó trong truyện nói rằng một kẻ có ác đến mấy thì cũng không phải khi nào anh ta cũng ác. Đứng trước thòng lọng, những tên từng là kẻ giết người không ghê tay nhất cũng có thể sẽ khóc nấc lên cầu cứu như một đứa trẻ con.
Trước đây khi đọc Thánh giá rỗng của Higashino, tôi vẫn cho rằng tử hình là hình phạt xứng đáng đối với một số kẻ. Nhưng bỗng dưng một trích dẫn trong Yêu người tử tù (ôi thật sự là tôi không thích cái tựa này một tí nào) làm tôi lật lại vấn đề để suy nghĩ thêm một chút:
Trừ những người bị nhận hình phạt ra,
Thì chế độ tử hình là chế độ chẳng có liên quan gì đến những người bình thường như chúng ta cả.
Vì nó chỉ có ý nghĩa với những người bị nhận hình phạt đó.
Họ phải chịu đựng sự đau đớn về mặt tinh thần nhiều tháng trời,
Cũng như họ tuyệt vọng vì thể xác và tinh thần của họ sẽ buộc phải chia làm đôi.
Còn chúng ta - chúng ta không cần bất kỳ một ý nghĩa nào của chế độ tử hình.
Nhưng chúng ta cần biết bản chất của chế độ tử hình là gì.
Chúng ta hãy công nhận rằng bản chất của chế độ tử hình, đó là sự-trả-thù.
Albert Camus - Suy nghĩ về tội tử hình
Nếu đúng là vậy thì chúng ta có thực sự cần đến tội tử hình - treo cổ, xử bắn, tiêm thuốc độc hay một cái ghế điện... - để làm nguôi đi phẫn nộ nhất thời của ta? Và nếu kẻ phạm tội đã thật sự hối cải, y có xứng đáng được nhận thêm một cơ hội sống dù chỉ là một cuộc sống gò bó trong nhà đá đến hết đời - chắc chắn có những người chỉ ước ao có vậy?
Tất nhiên vấn đề không thể chỉ nghĩ ngây thơ đơn tuyến như vậy được, nhất là khi tôi chỉ là tay mơ trên lĩnh vực tư pháp, quản lí nhà nước... vân vân mây mây. Nhưng cũng đáng để nghĩ ngợi đấy chứ!
Thực ra cuốn tiểu thuyết của Gong Jiyoung không nhằm giải quyết những câu hỏi lớn lao đến vậy. Nó chỉ là một mẩu chuyện nhỏ của một cá thể bé mọn nào đó trong hàng trăm hàng ngàn câu chuyện xung quanh song sắt nhà tù, chưa kể những góc khuất mà có khi ta chết rục xương dưới mồ rồi cũng không được đưa ra ánh sáng... Nhưng đúng là nó có sức gợi thế đấy, hoặc đột nhiên tôi trở nên hơi đa cảm. Cũng chẳng biết, tự dưng lại lan man thế này đây.
Quay về Yêu người tử tù, mặc dù mối quan hệ giữa Yoo Jeong và Yoon Soo chưa đến mức làm tôi bị cuốn theo rồi nước mắt tuôn rơi, không muốn nói rằng kì thực là nó hơi bị mờ nhạt so với kì vọng mà cái tựa (tiên sư cái tựa, again) vẽ ra cộng với mấy thứ kể lể ở đoạn đầu, thì những nhân vật cùng hành động nội tâm của họ cũng đủ duyên dáng để tôi đọc xong sách và thấy tương đối hài lòng.
Hình như có phim, để tìm xem thử. Đọc truyện cũng có cảm giác như đang xem phim vậy, nhưng nếu có phim thì tôi muốn nó phải cô đọng, nổi bật chi tiết hơn thế này.
Khai thác mối quan hệ trớ trêu đầy nghịch lý giữa Yoo Jeong - cô gái đã hơn một lần tìm cách tự giết chính mình, và Yoon Soo - một kẻ giết người đang chờ ngày thi hành án tử trong trại giam, Yêu người tử tù khiến tôi nhớ đến Xuyên thấu của Ryu Murakami với cặp nhân vật có nhiều nét tương đồng. Chỉ có điều, khác với sự bệnh hoạn được khai thác triệt để trong Xuyên thấu khiến người đọc đôi lúc ghê tởm sợ hãi, Yêu người tử tù hướng đến góc nhìn nhân văn và gần gũi với cuộc sống hơn.
Chúng ta thường chỉ quan tâm đến những vụ án động trời bằng con mắt nhiều tia nhìn phán xét của người ngoài cuộc và có lúc dành tất cả sự chỉ trích cay nghiệt ta có cho kẻ thủ ác, cũng như thường đặt câu hỏi "vì sao hắn làm vậy" chỉ bởi muốn thỏa mãn sự tò mò tọc mạch của bản thân rồi vô tình đem lợi nhuận về cho mấy bài báo giật title vô trách nhiệm, thay vì thực sự muốn hiểu điều gì dẫn đến những hành động man rợ đó. Khi một bản án được thành lập cũng là lúc khán giả - những kẻ không liên quan - rời khỏi khán đài. Còn đối với kẻ tội đồ, tất cả vẫn còn tiếp diễn ít nhất là cho đến ngày hắn ta tiếp nhận bản án tử hình.
Mạch truyện Yêu người tử tù bắt đầu từ khi người tù ấy đang "chờ chết", cộng với người đọc được cung cấp (dù cũng không nhiều) điểm nhìn của chính Yoon Soo, nên ác cảm đối với anh ta phần nào được xoa dịu. Thay vào đó là sự thương xót và có thể là cả đồng cảm, giống như những gì Yoo Jeong đã cảm thấy. Tất nhiên không phải tên tù nào cũng giống Yoon Soo. Có những trường hợp ta cho rằng không thể thông cảm được. Nhưng tôi cho là đúng khi nhân vật nào đó trong truyện nói rằng một kẻ có ác đến mấy thì cũng không phải khi nào anh ta cũng ác. Đứng trước thòng lọng, những tên từng là kẻ giết người không ghê tay nhất cũng có thể sẽ khóc nấc lên cầu cứu như một đứa trẻ con.
Trước đây khi đọc Thánh giá rỗng của Higashino, tôi vẫn cho rằng tử hình là hình phạt xứng đáng đối với một số kẻ. Nhưng bỗng dưng một trích dẫn trong Yêu người tử tù (ôi thật sự là tôi không thích cái tựa này một tí nào) làm tôi lật lại vấn đề để suy nghĩ thêm một chút:
Trừ những người bị nhận hình phạt ra,
Thì chế độ tử hình là chế độ chẳng có liên quan gì đến những người bình thường như chúng ta cả.
Vì nó chỉ có ý nghĩa với những người bị nhận hình phạt đó.
Họ phải chịu đựng sự đau đớn về mặt tinh thần nhiều tháng trời,
Cũng như họ tuyệt vọng vì thể xác và tinh thần của họ sẽ buộc phải chia làm đôi.
Còn chúng ta - chúng ta không cần bất kỳ một ý nghĩa nào của chế độ tử hình.
Nhưng chúng ta cần biết bản chất của chế độ tử hình là gì.
Chúng ta hãy công nhận rằng bản chất của chế độ tử hình, đó là sự-trả-thù.
Albert Camus - Suy nghĩ về tội tử hình
Nếu đúng là vậy thì chúng ta có thực sự cần đến tội tử hình - treo cổ, xử bắn, tiêm thuốc độc hay một cái ghế điện... - để làm nguôi đi phẫn nộ nhất thời của ta? Và nếu kẻ phạm tội đã thật sự hối cải, y có xứng đáng được nhận thêm một cơ hội sống dù chỉ là một cuộc sống gò bó trong nhà đá đến hết đời - chắc chắn có những người chỉ ước ao có vậy?
Tất nhiên vấn đề không thể chỉ nghĩ ngây thơ đơn tuyến như vậy được, nhất là khi tôi chỉ là tay mơ trên lĩnh vực tư pháp, quản lí nhà nước... vân vân mây mây. Nhưng cũng đáng để nghĩ ngợi đấy chứ!
Thực ra cuốn tiểu thuyết của Gong Jiyoung không nhằm giải quyết những câu hỏi lớn lao đến vậy. Nó chỉ là một mẩu chuyện nhỏ của một cá thể bé mọn nào đó trong hàng trăm hàng ngàn câu chuyện xung quanh song sắt nhà tù, chưa kể những góc khuất mà có khi ta chết rục xương dưới mồ rồi cũng không được đưa ra ánh sáng... Nhưng đúng là nó có sức gợi thế đấy, hoặc đột nhiên tôi trở nên hơi đa cảm. Cũng chẳng biết, tự dưng lại lan man thế này đây.
Quay về Yêu người tử tù, mặc dù mối quan hệ giữa Yoo Jeong và Yoon Soo chưa đến mức làm tôi bị cuốn theo rồi nước mắt tuôn rơi, không muốn nói rằng kì thực là nó hơi bị mờ nhạt so với kì vọng mà cái tựa (tiên sư cái tựa, again) vẽ ra cộng với mấy thứ kể lể ở đoạn đầu, thì những nhân vật cùng hành động nội tâm của họ cũng đủ duyên dáng để tôi đọc xong sách và thấy tương đối hài lòng.
Hình như có phim, để tìm xem thử. Đọc truyện cũng có cảm giác như đang xem phim vậy, nhưng nếu có phim thì tôi muốn nó phải cô đọng, nổi bật chi tiết hơn thế này.
September 16, 2024
Titulo: Nuestros tiempos felices
Autor: Gong Jiyoung
Motivo de lectura: #asianreadathon
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Puntuacion: 1/5
Un libro que al principio era interesante por la diversidad en sus personajes y como los entrelazan, pero es a medida que los vamos conociendo que en mi genero rechazo.
La trama por momentos va desde la historia personal de cada personaje hasta la reflexion de la esencia humana.
Es una obra que aborda la complejidad de la relacion madre-hija, y la pesima manera en que algunas madres lidian con las situaciones traumaticas de sus hijas.
Lo que me saco de onda es darme cuenta que este libro termino siendo una oda a un violador, una romantizacion absoluta para con una persona que cometio un crimen atroz.
Autor: Gong Jiyoung
Motivo de lectura: #asianreadathon
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Puntuacion: 1/5
Un libro que al principio era interesante por la diversidad en sus personajes y como los entrelazan, pero es a medida que los vamos conociendo que en mi genero rechazo.
La trama por momentos va desde la historia personal de cada personaje hasta la reflexion de la esencia humana.
Es una obra que aborda la complejidad de la relacion madre-hija, y la pesima manera en que algunas madres lidian con las situaciones traumaticas de sus hijas.
Lo que me saco de onda es darme cuenta que este libro termino siendo una oda a un violador, una romantizacion absoluta para con una persona que cometio un crimen atroz.
August 24, 2021
Un 3,5 indecis. Ar fi meritat 4 pentru temă si pentru problenele pe care le atinge, dar nu mai mult de trei pentru execuție.
February 7, 2017
I first watched the movie Maundy Thursday and fell in love with it. It was one of the movies that got me hooked on Korean culture (Choi Ji Woo and Kwon Sang Woo's Stairway to Heaven being the main reason). That was a couple of years ago. Back then I looked up info about the movie and found out that it was based on this book. It took me some time to get to read the book; and what a heartbreaking and incredible journey it has been to gave read this amazing novel!!
The novel differs from the movie from ehat I barely recall. But that is not the issue. The novel offers 3 highly interesting characters: Yu Jeong, Yun Su, and Sister Monica. I fell head over heels for the 3 of them and each one of them made me cry and laugh and want to die.
Now, this book messed me up. I was well pro-death penalty 4 years ago in spite of having read Hugo's Le Dernier Jour d'Un Condamné. I highly recommend that gem of French literature. But this novel here affected me deeper and it might be because I have grown softer at heart and more forgiving over the years since I stopped seeing the world as dichotomous. So anyways, I guess that I am against the death penalty now because we can never be 100% sure if the suspect is guilty, and even if he or she were guilty for certain, is it really ok to kill them and give up on them?
I desperately want to read Gong Ji Yeong's other books.
The novel differs from the movie from ehat I barely recall. But that is not the issue. The novel offers 3 highly interesting characters: Yu Jeong, Yun Su, and Sister Monica. I fell head over heels for the 3 of them and each one of them made me cry and laugh and want to die.
Now, this book messed me up. I was well pro-death penalty 4 years ago in spite of having read Hugo's Le Dernier Jour d'Un Condamné. I highly recommend that gem of French literature. But this novel here affected me deeper and it might be because I have grown softer at heart and more forgiving over the years since I stopped seeing the world as dichotomous. So anyways, I guess that I am against the death penalty now because we can never be 100% sure if the suspect is guilty, and even if he or she were guilty for certain, is it really ok to kill them and give up on them?
I desperately want to read Gong Ji Yeong's other books.
October 10, 2021
I loved how the subjects of life, death, forgiveness as well as justice was dealt in this book. She also talks about death penalty, which is not abolished in South Korea. Gong Ji-young is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite Korean author. Her writing style is beautiful, and I can’t wait to read more of her books.
November 9, 2017
I haven't read any books with character in a death row before. This was the first. Kind of clueless at the beginning with both chapters and blue notes-- which later I found out one for Yujeong and another was a diary written by Yunsu. I love the bond between the two characters-- how Yujeong could open up to Yunsu, having real conversation. Telling him about her past and all. It was difficult for her, I was thinking why she was unhappy and hating her mom that much until I read the part where she told Yunsu and the prison officer everything. Heartwarming-- making me realised in certain condition, having all you need in life still will make you unhappy.
I really like Yunsu's character. He was so calm and well being despite being the bad guy, though that was beyond himself for being like that. I feel real bad for what had happened to his little brother, about their dad and the bad gang they involved. And somehow Yunsu was actually a very nice big brother, a loyal lover too. For what he had to face after trying to save his love.
This was beautifully written. The moment and scenes, the littlest deep feeling about Yujeong-- I feel bad for her, really. Reading about her story making me think a lot-- life, happiness, dreams and family. The more I read, the more I feel the squeezing, the hurting, all these mixed emotions.
Ending was expected, nevertheless. Both perspectives were portrayed well until the end. Heartwarming and the message behind it was quite strong. Emotionally beautiful.
I really like Yunsu's character. He was so calm and well being despite being the bad guy, though that was beyond himself for being like that. I feel real bad for what had happened to his little brother, about their dad and the bad gang they involved. And somehow Yunsu was actually a very nice big brother, a loyal lover too. For what he had to face after trying to save his love.
This was beautifully written. The moment and scenes, the littlest deep feeling about Yujeong-- I feel bad for her, really. Reading about her story making me think a lot-- life, happiness, dreams and family. The more I read, the more I feel the squeezing, the hurting, all these mixed emotions.
Ending was expected, nevertheless. Both perspectives were portrayed well until the end. Heartwarming and the message behind it was quite strong. Emotionally beautiful.
February 6, 2022
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• svi su ljudi komplicirani na ovaj ili onaj način, u sebi u isto vrijeme nose i dobro i loše
• zlostavljanje rađa zlostavljanje
• društvo je u najboljem slučaju bezbrižno, u najgorem slučaju zlo.
Naše sretno vrijeme je roman kojeg ne želite propustiti. Roman se ne libi duboko zaroniti u pitanja morala, sreće i istine. Sva su pitanja gotovo neugodno stvarna, a moral ovdje ponovno dobiva svoje prave dimenzije. Postoje samo teški izbori, nered, prljavština i gađenje prema samom sebi. Autorica gomila užasne i potresne detalje jedan na drugi, te užasnu povijest na užasnu povijest. Naše sretno vrijeme je uvjerljivo štivo koje sadrži oštru analizu i osuđivanje modernog, posebice korejskog društva. Iako ga je na momente teško čitati, knjiga se bavi temom koja se često (ili uvijek) zanemaruje. Natjerat će vas da preispitate svoje mišljenje, natjerat će vas da cijenite svoj život i voljene osobe i dati vam nadu da se sve na ovom svijetu ipak može oprostiti.
Neka vam maramice budu pri ruci.
Koja vas je knjiga natjerala da preispitate same sebe?
Grickajmo knjige zajedno!
Tema Našeg sretnog vremena trostruka je:
• svi su ljudi komplicirani na ovaj ili onaj način, u sebi u isto vrijeme nose i dobro i loše
• zlostavljanje rađa zlostavljanje
• društvo je u najboljem slučaju bezbrižno, u najgorem slučaju zlo.
Naše sretno vrijeme je roman kojeg ne želite propustiti. Roman se ne libi duboko zaroniti u pitanja morala, sreće i istine. Sva su pitanja gotovo neugodno stvarna, a moral ovdje ponovno dobiva svoje prave dimenzije. Postoje samo teški izbori, nered, prljavština i gađenje prema samom sebi. Autorica gomila užasne i potresne detalje jedan na drugi, te užasnu povijest na užasnu povijest. Naše sretno vrijeme je uvjerljivo štivo koje sadrži oštru analizu i osuđivanje modernog, posebice korejskog društva. Iako ga je na momente teško čitati, knjiga se bavi temom koja se često (ili uvijek) zanemaruje. Natjerat će vas da preispitate svoje mišljenje, natjerat će vas da cijenite svoj život i voljene osobe i dati vam nadu da se sve na ovom svijetu ipak može oprostiti.
Neka vam maramice budu pri ruci.
Koja vas je knjiga natjerala da preispitate same sebe?
Grickajmo knjige zajedno!
May 25, 2021
Look. I don’t mind reading religious books. But they need to be labeled as such. I chose this one for its enticing premise: Young girl starts visiting death row inmates after third suicide attempt. But a few chapters in, I was like, haanngggg on just a cotton-pickin’ minute. I looked at the front. I looked at the back. I see INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER printed in bold. I see praise for the author. I see millions of copies sold. But nowhere do I see any indication this is Christian fiction, which it very clearly is. If I wanted a sermon, this review might be different. It’s well written (translated from Korean) and has that slice-of-life vibe I dig in Asian fiction. It’s not too preachy, nor does it feel like a Lifetime Movie plot, also in its favor. Still. I didn’t like being dragged to church as a kid and I don’t like it now.
September 5, 2022
Intrigantna priča o dvoje neshvaćenih, promašenih mladih ljudi koji se upoznaju u zatvoru. On čeka smrtnu presudu, ona je nekoliko puta pokušala izvršiti samoubojstvo i po nekom “terapijskom” zadatku, zajedno sa svojom tetkom redovnicom posjećuje zatvor.
Priča se jako lijepo gradi, bez patetike i silnih emocija, puna jednostavnih propitkivanja o grijehu i licemjerju. Na nekim stranicama morala sam se zaustaviti i osobno promisliti o svom stavu o nekim stvarima.
I ona i on su likovi koji su mi ispočetka bili malo odbojni. Kasnije, kako se radnja razvijala,dobili su moje simpatije i poštovanje.
Roman me potaknuo na razmišljanje o svakodnevnim sretnim trenutcima. Takvu sreću rijetko primjećujemo.
Priča se jako lijepo gradi, bez patetike i silnih emocija, puna jednostavnih propitkivanja o grijehu i licemjerju. Na nekim stranicama morala sam se zaustaviti i osobno promisliti o svom stavu o nekim stvarima.
I ona i on su likovi koji su mi ispočetka bili malo odbojni. Kasnije, kako se radnja razvijala,dobili su moje simpatije i poštovanje.
Roman me potaknuo na razmišljanje o svakodnevnim sretnim trenutcima. Takvu sreću rijetko primjećujemo.
March 6, 2017
Rastužila me je ova priča, iako mislim da nije teško mene rastužiti. Djeluje mi veoma realno i zbog toga je još tužnija i depresivnija. Sviđa mi se način na koji je napisana i dokazuje nam da nije sve onako kako izgleda na prvi pogled. :)
December 14, 2020
Đừng đọc tựa tiếng Việt "Yêu người tử tù" để mong đợi một truyện ngôn tình lãng mạn đầy ướt át và bi kịch (tựa gốc "Our Happy Time").
Chúa Jesus từng nói:
"Ai trong các ông sạch tội, thì cứ việc lấy đá mà ném trước đi."
Một người dù đã từng phạm tội gì đi nữa, thì bản chất ban đầu của họ có lẽ vẫn là một người tốt (nhân chi sơ, tính bản thiện). Chúng ta không thể phủ nhận rằng môi trường có tác động rất mạnh đến việc hình thành tâm tính và nhân cách của con người. Một câu hỏi mà mình cũng khó trả lời: Thay vì căm ghét một người xấu, ta có thể nào cảm thấy buồn thay cho họ được không?
Yoon Soo đáng lẽ đã có một cuộc sống lương thiện với người vợ của mình cho dù có một tuổi thơ trộm cắp và đau khổ.
Yoo Jeong có lẽ đã là một cô gái luôn vui vẻ và yêu đời nếu như không có sự việc hồi cô 15 tuổi và sự hờ hững vô cảm của gia đình.
Cả hai con người đáng lẽ có một cuộc đời tươi đẹp đó đã bị biến đổi bởi một xã hội u ám thiếu tình người. Và sự bất hạnh này có thể đến với bất kỳ ai, từ cậu bé nghèo mồ côi Yoon Soo đến cô tiểu thư giàu có xinh đẹp Yoo Jeong. Nó khiến cả hai mang trong mình những vết thương sâu hoắm, lộ ra những vẻ xấu xí, xấu xa trong mắt trần tục của con người. Thật may là vẫn còn những người bao dung và đầy ắp tình yêu như sơ Monica, người có thể thấy và làm sống lại được tâm hồn tốt đẹp của những con người bất hạnh đó.
Một lời nhắc nhở cho bản thân: đừng bao giờ nhìn người khác với một ánh mắt thành kiến và khinh bỉ, ta không biết họ đã trải qua những gì, và ta cũng chưa chắc gì là một người tốt đẹp.
P/s: Đọc phần cuối tác giả tâm sự mới thấy việc viết một tác phẩm cần đầu tư và tìm hiểu rất nhiều. Mấy phần đầu mình không thích giọng văn của tác giả lắm, nhưng về sau ý nghĩa mà tác phẩm dần bộc lộ ra rất hay.
Tác phẩm này được chuyển thể thành phim Maundy Thursday (2006) (tên ngày lễ Thứ Năm Rửa Chân - Chúa Jesus rửa chân cho các môn đệ).
Chúa Jesus từng nói:
"Ai trong các ông sạch tội, thì cứ việc lấy đá mà ném trước đi."
Một người dù đã từng phạm tội gì đi nữa, thì bản chất ban đầu của họ có lẽ vẫn là một người tốt (nhân chi sơ, tính bản thiện). Chúng ta không thể phủ nhận rằng môi trường có tác động rất mạnh đến việc hình thành tâm tính và nhân cách của con người. Một câu hỏi mà mình cũng khó trả lời: Thay vì căm ghét một người xấu, ta có thể nào cảm thấy buồn thay cho họ được không?
Yoon Soo đáng lẽ đã có một cuộc sống lương thiện với người vợ của mình cho dù có một tuổi thơ trộm cắp và đau khổ.
Yoo Jeong có lẽ đã là một cô gái luôn vui vẻ và yêu đời nếu như không có sự việc hồi cô 15 tuổi và sự hờ hững vô cảm của gia đình.
Cả hai con người đáng lẽ có một cuộc đời tươi đẹp đó đã bị biến đổi bởi một xã hội u ám thiếu tình người. Và sự bất hạnh này có thể đến với bất kỳ ai, từ cậu bé nghèo mồ côi Yoon Soo đến cô tiểu thư giàu có xinh đẹp Yoo Jeong. Nó khiến cả hai mang trong mình những vết thương sâu hoắm, lộ ra những vẻ xấu xí, xấu xa trong mắt trần tục của con người. Thật may là vẫn còn những người bao dung và đầy ắp tình yêu như sơ Monica, người có thể thấy và làm sống lại được tâm hồn tốt đẹp của những con người bất hạnh đó.
Một lời nhắc nhở cho bản thân: đừng bao giờ nhìn người khác với một ánh mắt thành kiến và khinh bỉ, ta không biết họ đã trải qua những gì, và ta cũng chưa chắc gì là một người tốt đẹp.
P/s: Đọc phần cuối tác giả tâm sự mới thấy việc viết một tác phẩm cần đầu tư và tìm hiểu rất nhiều. Mấy phần đầu mình không thích giọng văn của tác giả lắm, nhưng về sau ý nghĩa mà tác phẩm dần bộc lộ ra rất hay.
Tác phẩm này được chuyển thể thành phim Maundy Thursday (2006) (tên ngày lễ Thứ Năm Rửa Chân - Chúa Jesus rửa chân cho các môn đệ).
Hiện tại, Hàn Quốc đã được chỉ định là "quốc gia thực chất đã bãi bỏ án tử hình". Mặc dù theo pháp luật, chế độ tử hình vẫn còn được duy trì, song kể từ sau ngày 30/12/1997, Hàn Quốc đã không thực hiện một vụ tử hình nào.
May 31, 2023
لذت خوندن یه کتاب پنج ستارهی واقعی بعد از مدتها🤍
داستانی در نکوهش اعدام و ستایش زندگی...
عاشقش شدم! اگه بخوام احساساتم رو موقع خوندن این کتاب با رنگهای مختلف توصیف کنم، قطعا باید از یه رنگین کمون واقعی حرف بزنم!... انگار تو یه دنیای خاکستری غرقم کرد، مشابه همون دنیایی که این روزها داریم تجربه میکنیم...دنیایی که بعضی اوقات ستارههای درخشان به رنگهای مختلف تو آسمونش طلوع میکردند...از آبی غمگین گرفته تا سفید آروم!... یکی از بهترین تجربههای خوانش این اواخر رو با این کتاب به دست آوردم و حس میکنم حسابی به نویسندهی اون بدهکارم...
خلاصه که الان بعد از تموم کردن کتابش،دلم میخواد بهش نامه بنویسم و ازش تشکر کنم که مینویسه...
شخصیتپردازی خیلی خوبی داشت،قهرمانهای داستان سفید غیرقابل باور نبودند. تو در جایگاه مخاطب میتونستی همونقدر که یه بزهکار رو دوست داری و درک میکنی، با دختری که چندبار خودکشی کرده همدردی کنی و به راهبهای که سعی داره خوب باشه عشق بورزی... میتونستی مادری که آرزوهاش کنار گذاشته شدن رو بفهمی و سعی کنی ببخشیش و میتونستی مادری که برای بخشیدن قاتل دخترش تلاش میکنه رو ستایش کنی... و این یه بمباران احساسی تمامعیار بود...
نتونستم نسخهی فارسی این کتاب را توی گودریدز پیدا کنم پس همینجا برای نسخهی انگلیسی دیدگاهم را نوشتم.
نسخهی فارسی کتاب را از نشر دانش آفرین تهیه کردم. ترجمه عالی بود. روان و دوستداشتنی. کیفیت چاپ هم خیلی خوب بود. طرح روی جلد هم طرح خوبی بود(البته این مورد انگار میتونست بهتر هم باشه...ولی خب سلیقهایه دیگه!).
داستانی در نکوهش اعدام و ستایش زندگی...
عاشقش شدم! اگه بخوام احساساتم رو موقع خوندن این کتاب با رنگهای مختلف توصیف کنم، قطعا باید از یه رنگین کمون واقعی حرف بزنم!... انگار تو یه دنیای خاکستری غرقم کرد، مشابه همون دنیایی که این روزها داریم تجربه میکنیم...دنیایی که بعضی اوقات ستارههای درخشان به رنگهای مختلف تو آسمونش طلوع میکردند...از آبی غمگین گرفته تا سفید آروم!... یکی از بهترین تجربههای خوانش این اواخر رو با این کتاب به دست آوردم و حس میکنم حسابی به نویسندهی اون بدهکارم...
خلاصه که الان بعد از تموم کردن کتابش،دلم میخواد بهش نامه بنویسم و ازش تشکر کنم که مینویسه...
شخصیتپردازی خیلی خوبی داشت،قهرمانهای داستان سفید غیرقابل باور نبودند. تو در جایگاه مخاطب میتونستی همونقدر که یه بزهکار رو دوست داری و درک میکنی، با دختری که چندبار خودکشی کرده همدردی کنی و به راهبهای که سعی داره خوب باشه عشق بورزی... میتونستی مادری که آرزوهاش کنار گذاشته شدن رو بفهمی و سعی کنی ببخشیش و میتونستی مادری که برای بخشیدن قاتل دخترش تلاش میکنه رو ستایش کنی... و این یه بمباران احساسی تمامعیار بود...
نتونستم نسخهی فارسی این کتاب را توی گودریدز پیدا کنم پس همینجا برای نسخهی انگلیسی دیدگاهم را نوشتم.
نسخهی فارسی کتاب را از نشر دانش آفرین تهیه کردم. ترجمه عالی بود. روان و دوستداشتنی. کیفیت چاپ هم خیلی خوب بود. طرح روی جلد هم طرح خوبی بود(البته این مورد انگار میتونست بهتر هم باشه...ولی خب سلیقهایه دیگه!).
January 13, 2025
Bardzo lubię takie kategoryczne książki w stylu "zacznij żyć albo umieraj!".
Są bardzo dosadne i z pewnością miejscami zbyt trudne. Dla mnie miodzio.
Taki szybki, porządkowy strzał w potylicę na rozruch i ocucenie. Świetna okazja do zajrzenia w fundamenty życia i odkurzenia tego i owego. A był to strzał z miłością, choć bardzo dojmujący.
Ta książka ma oczywiście swoje wady i nie kazdemu się spodoba, ale dla mnie jest wspaniała i otrzymałam od niej coś, co mogę ze sobą dalej ponieść. Będzie dumnie stać na półce i puszczać do mnie oko zawsze wtedy, gdy się zapomnę.
Są bardzo dosadne i z pewnością miejscami zbyt trudne. Dla mnie miodzio.
Taki szybki, porządkowy strzał w potylicę na rozruch i ocucenie. Świetna okazja do zajrzenia w fundamenty życia i odkurzenia tego i owego. A był to strzał z miłością, choć bardzo dojmujący.
Ta książka ma oczywiście swoje wady i nie kazdemu się spodoba, ale dla mnie jest wspaniała i otrzymałam od niej coś, co mogę ze sobą dalej ponieść. Będzie dumnie stać na półce i puszczać do mnie oko zawsze wtedy, gdy się zapomnę.
December 20, 2021
Jedna od najboljih knjiga ove godine. Razljuti te, raznjezi, rasplace, natjera da razmislis o vlastitim uvjerenjima, da se propitas, proucis, uf, bas te potpuno ogoli.
February 26, 2022
Jedan od najboljih romana koje sam pročitala u dugo vremena. Teško je opisati oduševljenje, ovakva knjiga natjera vas da se u potpunosti preispitate, posve promijenite mišljenje o onome što poznajete i smatrate ispravnim. "Naše sretno vrijeme" toliko je ispunjeno boli, ružnom istinom, osuđivanjem, fizičkim i emocionalnim zlostavljanjem, okretanjem očima pri pogledu na nasilje, ljudima koji žele pobjeći od teških životnih okolnosti i koji žele pobjeći od života, a s druge strane i ljudima kojima je potrebno malo nečije ljubavi i razumijevanja da bi mogli dalje nastaviti. Toliko je kajanja, toliko grižnje savjesti, borbe s vlastitim demonima i predrasudama, a opet jednako toliko i onih spremnih oprostiti, voljeti i vjerovati. Ali i taj put do oprosta, samilosti, ljubaznosti, barem malo ljudskosti...strašno je dug. I koliko god me nervirali, rastuživali ili ljutili postupci likova, toliko sam čitajući imala potrebu zagrliti ih, spremna saslušati njihovu priču i preoblikovati vlastite stavove. Vrlo vjerojatno, naišla sam na najljudskiji roman, najoštriji prikaz ljudske psihe i društvenih nepravdi među romanima koje sam čitala. Mnoge od prethodno pročitanih romana volim ili zbog njihova posebnog stila, eskapističkog aspekta, vješte naracije i jednako vješto razrađenih bitnih suvremenih tema ili sjajnih likova koje volim kao da su dio obitelji, ali za rijetke mogu reći da u potpunosti ostavljam djelić sebe u njima, a ova je upravo takva knjiga. Nezaboravna, moćna, potresna i vječno aktualna.
February 21, 2024
This was deeply vulnerable and intimate somehow.
The sheer skill in writing around this wide range of emotions with such depth and awareness was beyond good and, I have to say, one of a kind.
The gut wrenching pain in reading about suicide, depression, shit families and rape was not something I was upto this February. I didn't want to feel the full brunt of the madness of the world we live in while reading a novel, I wanted to have a good time, a happy time as the title insinuated. And then this bitch squeezed in a romance just to be mean. Or clever, DK. All I can say is, it was beautiful and brutal, and do with that what you will.
My only critiques are that I had a problem differentiating between the main character's voice and the author's voice in the narration. At times, this completely ignorant note was being played, and I didn't like it. Was it the author's opinions or the MC? DK.
Also, the author had a message she was trying to deliver, as honorable as her intentions were, it could have served the message better if she was neutral about the issue, but this is a big conversation to be had in another time and not in a book review.
I took a few days in between some chapters and a while to gather my thoughts to write about it because it was very depressing.
The sheer skill in writing around this wide range of emotions with such depth and awareness was beyond good and, I have to say, one of a kind.
The gut wrenching pain in reading about suicide, depression, shit families and rape was not something I was upto this February. I didn't want to feel the full brunt of the madness of the world we live in while reading a novel, I wanted to have a good time, a happy time as the title insinuated. And then this bitch squeezed in a romance just to be mean. Or clever, DK. All I can say is, it was beautiful and brutal, and do with that what you will.
My only critiques are that I had a problem differentiating between the main character's voice and the author's voice in the narration. At times, this completely ignorant note was being played, and I didn't like it. Was it the author's opinions or the MC? DK.
Also, the author had a message she was trying to deliver, as honorable as her intentions were, it could have served the message better if she was neutral about the issue, but this is a big conversation to be had in another time and not in a book review.
I took a few days in between some chapters and a while to gather my thoughts to write about it because it was very depressing.
January 30, 2022
"Imala sam osjećaj da troje idiota postaju prijatelji. U tom trenutku smrt, tjeskoba, sjećanja na ubojstvo, strah i kletve, svi kao da su nas mimoišli."
Najljepše napisana, ali ujedno i najtužnija knjiga koju sam ikada pročitala. Puna je brutalno iskrenih, vividnih prikaza nasilja zbog kojih mi je na neko vrijeme bilo fizički slabo samo pogledati u korice knjige. Svakako je vrijedilo dovršiti djelo. Zadnjih 20 stranica natopila sam suzama.
Bitno je napomenuti da knjiga nije za svakoga jer sadrži niz uznemiravajućih tema.
Trigger warnings: ubojstvo, samoubojstvo i pokušaju samoubojstva, fizičko nasilje, trovanje, alkoholizam, psihičko zlostavljanje, zlostavljanje djece, silovanje i tko zna što još.
Ako vas ove teme nisu odvratile od čitanja svakako preporučam!
Najljepše napisana, ali ujedno i najtužnija knjiga koju sam ikada pročitala. Puna je brutalno iskrenih, vividnih prikaza nasilja zbog kojih mi je na neko vrijeme bilo fizički slabo samo pogledati u korice knjige. Svakako je vrijedilo dovršiti djelo. Zadnjih 20 stranica natopila sam suzama.
Bitno je napomenuti da knjiga nije za svakoga jer sadrži niz uznemiravajućih tema.
Trigger warnings: ubojstvo, samoubojstvo i pokušaju samoubojstva, fizičko nasilje, trovanje, alkoholizam, psihičko zlostavljanje, zlostavljanje djece, silovanje i tko zna što još.
Ako vas ove teme nisu odvratile od čitanja svakako preporučam!
February 21, 2022
Es una historia que me gusto muchísimo, tiene muchas citas destacables. En lo personal no lo puntúo mejor porque la religión está inmerso en cada página, y pese a que la protagonista reniega contra esto todo el tiempo intentan convencerla de lo contrario, cosa que me resultó agotadora.
July 4, 2018
"เด็กหนุ่มเหล่านั้นแทบไม่เป็นมนุษย์ด้วยซ้ำตอนพวกเขาเข้ามาที่นี่ใหม่ๆ แต่พวกเขาออกจากที่นี่เยี่ยงเทวดา เราฆ่าพวกเขาหลังจากกลายเป็นเทวดาแล้ว"
คงไม่มีใครคาดหวังตอนจบแบบพิศดารจากหนังสือที่มีตัวเอกเป็นหนุ่มนักโทษประหารกับหญิงสาวที่ไม่เห็นค่าของชีวิตหรอกมั้ง เรารู้กันอยู่แล้วว่าปลายทางของตัวละครประเภทนี้จะเป็นอย่างไร นักเขียนจะคั้นน้ำตาเราตรงไหน โครงสร้างของเรื่องราวดังกล่าวล้วนคล้ายคลึง ผมเองช่วงนี้ชีวิตก็หม่นๆ หมองๆ เลยพยายามมองหานิยายรัก (?) ดาร์คๆ เศร้าสลด ขยี้อารมณ์มาอ่าน อะไรมันจะช่วยเยียวยาความเจ็บปวดได้ดีไปกว่าความเจ็บปวดด้วยกันเองล่ะครับ จริงมะ
หนังสือเล่าผ่านมุมมองของตัวละครหญิงเป็นหลัก มุมมองที่เธอมีต่อโลกค่อนข้างบิดเบี้ยวเกรี้ยวกราด ซึ่งเราก็จะเจอความคิดแบบนี้ของเธอไปตลอดทั้งเล่ม มองทุกอย่างในแง่ลบ เสแสร้งทำตัวร้ายๆ ไม่อ่อนข้อ ต่อต้าน ฯลฯ ใครไม่ชอบตัวละครลักษณะนี้อาจจะเบื่อก่อน เรายังแอบเบื่อเลย แต่พอถึงจุดนึง นิสัยและการกระทำดังกล่าวมีประโยชน์มากในการช่วยดึงอารมณ์และนำพาเนื้อหาไปจนสุดทางที่ผู้เขียนตั้งใจไว้ได้
เนื่องจากฝ่ายหญิงเป็นผู้เล่าเรื่อง เธอจึงทำหน้าที่เป็นเหมือนคนนอกที่กำลังส่องมอง 'คนใน' ให้ผู้อ่านด้วย ระหว่างที่เรากำลังทำความเข้าใจเธอ ผู้เขียนก็โปรยเรื่องฝ่ายชายมาเป็นระยะ จะว่าอยู่ในลักษณะที่คาดเดาง่ายก็ได้ แต่สองเรื่องก็สองมุมมอง ช่วยขยายจักรวาลความเปลี่ยวว้างให้หลากหลายและจับต้องได้มากขึ้น แล้วเรื่องประมาณนี้มันมักจะเจ็บปวดตรงที่พอพวกเขาเริ่มจะเปลี่ยนแปลง ใครสักคนก็ต้องจากไป นักเขียนก็ฉลาดพอที่จะวางกิมมิคเล็กๆ น้อยๆ ไว้ตรงโน้นบ้าง ตรงนี้บ้าง เพื่อจะดึงมาใช้เรียกน้ำตาในซีนสุดท้าย บ้าที่สุด ผมเกือบน้ำตาไหลด้วย
สิ่งที่ดีที่สุดในเล่มคือพี่ใหญ่ยูซิก เอ้ย คือการตั้งคำถามถึงทัศนคติที่พึงมีต่อพวกเขาเหล่านักโทษ ไม่ว่าจะในฐานะอาชญากร หรือมนุษย์ร่วมโลกคนนึง, การแสดงผลลัพธ์ของการเจริญเติบโตและไม่เติบโตตามสภาพแวดล้อมที่เหมือนและแตกต่าง, ความเรียบง่ายและซับซ้อนของความรักและโกรธแค้น, ความศรัทธาอย่างเต็มเปี่ยมต่อสิ่งที่ว่างเปล่า จนถึงการเรียนรู้ที่จะให้อภัย ให้อภัยคนทำร้าย ให้อภัยคนคิดร้าย และให้อภัยตนเอง
"ตอนผู้พิพากษาตัดสินผม ไม่สิ ตอนผมฆ่าคนเหล่านั้น ผมได้ตายไปแล้ว แต่ตอนนี้ผมกลับมามีชีวิตอีกครั้งเพราะผู้คนช่วยเหลือผม เพราะพวกเขาจับมือผมไว้และบอกว่าหากผมวิ่งไม่ได้ก็ไม่เป็นไร เพราะผมควรจะเริ่มต้นด้วยการค่อยๆ เดิน"
Jung Yun-soo (our happy time 2005)
ในท้ายที่สุด เป้าหมายของหนังสืออาจไม่ได้หวังให้เราสามารถให้อภัยคนกลุ่มหนึ่งได้ แต่เป็นเพียงแค่การนำเราไปรู้จักและทำความเข้าใจคนกลุ่มนั้น ที่เหลืออยู่ที่เราเองแล้วล่ะว่าจะรู้สึกไง
คงไม่มีใครคาดหวังตอนจบแบบพิศดารจากหนังสือที่มีตัวเอกเป็นหนุ่มนักโทษประหารกับหญิงสาวที่ไม่เห็นค่าของชีวิตหรอกมั้ง เรารู้กันอยู่แล้วว่าปลายทางของตัวละครประเภทนี้จะเป็นอย่างไร นักเขียนจะคั้นน้ำตาเราตรงไหน โครงสร้างของเรื่องราวดังกล่าวล้วนคล้ายคลึง ผมเองช่วงนี้ชีวิตก็หม่นๆ หมองๆ เลยพยายามมองหานิยายรัก (?) ดาร์คๆ เศร้าสลด ขยี้อารมณ์มาอ่าน อะไรมันจะช่วยเยียวยาความเจ็บปวดได้ดีไปกว่าความเจ็บปวดด้วยกันเองล่ะครับ จริงมะ
หนังสือเล่าผ่านมุมมองของตัวละครหญิงเป็นหลัก มุมมองที่เธอมีต่อโลกค่อนข้างบิดเบี้ยวเกรี้ยวกราด ซึ่งเราก็จะเจอความคิดแบบนี้ของเธอไปตลอดทั้งเล่ม มองทุกอย่างในแง่ลบ เสแสร้งทำตัวร้ายๆ ไม่อ่อนข้อ ต่อต้าน ฯลฯ ใครไม่ชอบตัวละครลักษณะนี้อาจจะเบื่อก่อน เรายังแอบเบื่อเลย แต่พอถึงจุดนึง นิสัยและการกระทำดังกล่าวมีประโยชน์มากในการช่วยดึงอารมณ์และนำพาเนื้อหาไปจนสุดทางที่ผู้เขียนตั้งใจไว้ได้
เนื่องจากฝ่ายหญิงเป็นผู้เล่าเรื่อง เธอจึงทำหน้าที่เป็นเหมือนคนนอกที่กำลังส่องมอง 'คนใน' ให้ผู้อ่านด้วย ระหว่างที่เรากำลังทำความเข้าใจเธอ ผู้เขียนก็โปรยเรื่องฝ่ายชายมาเป็นระยะ จะว่าอยู่ในลักษณะที่คาดเดาง่ายก็ได้ แต่สองเรื่องก็สองมุมมอง ช่วยขยายจักรวาลความเปลี่ยวว้างให้หลากหลายและจับต้องได้มากขึ้น แล้วเรื่องประมาณนี้มันมักจะเจ็บปวดตรงที่พอพวกเขาเริ่มจะเปลี่ยนแปลง ใครสักคนก็ต้องจากไป นักเขียนก็ฉลาดพอที่จะวางกิมมิคเล็กๆ น้อยๆ ไว้ตรงโน้นบ้าง ตรงนี้บ้าง เพื่อจะดึงมาใช้เรียกน้ำตาในซีนสุดท้าย บ้าที่สุด ผมเกือบน้ำตาไหลด้วย
สิ่งที่ดีที่สุดในเล่มคือพี่ใหญ่ยูซิก เอ้ย คือการตั้งคำถามถึงทัศนคติที่พึงมีต่อพวกเขาเหล่านักโทษ ไม่ว่าจะในฐานะอาชญากร หรือมนุษย์ร่วมโลกคนนึง, การแสดงผลลัพธ์ของการเจริญเติบโตและไม่เติบโตตามสภาพแวดล้อมที่เหมือนและแตกต่าง, ความเรียบง่ายและซับซ้อนของความรักและโกรธแค้น, ความศรัทธาอย่างเต็มเปี่ยมต่อสิ่งที่ว่างเปล่า จนถึงการเรียนรู้ที่จะให้อภัย ให้อภัยคนทำร้าย ให้อภัยคนคิดร้าย และให้อภัยตนเอง
"ตอนผู้พิพากษาตัดสินผม ไม่สิ ตอนผมฆ่าคนเหล่านั้น ผมได้ตายไปแล้ว แต่ตอนนี้ผมกลับมามีชีวิตอีกครั้งเพราะผู้คนช่วยเหลือผม เพราะพวกเขาจับมือผมไว้และบอกว่าหากผมวิ่งไม่ได้ก็ไม่เป็นไร เพราะผมควรจะเริ่มต้นด้วยการค่อยๆ เดิน"
Jung Yun-soo (our happy time 2005)
ในท้ายที่สุด เป้าหมายของหนังสืออาจไม่ได้หวังให้เราสามารถให้อภัยคนกลุ่มหนึ่งได้ แต่เป็นเพียงแค่การนำเราไปรู้จักและทำความเข้าใจคนกลุ่มนั้น ที่เหลืออยู่ที่เราเองแล้วล่ะว่าจะรู้สึกไง
November 11, 2024
Tout d'abord, une lecture avec masse de TW dont voici les principaux : viol, inceste, meurtre, maltraitance, suicide, peine de mort
J'avais déjà lu l'excellent et terrible Les enfants du silence ainsi que le touchant Ma très chère grande soeur, je partais donc confiante dans cette nouvelle lecture et je n'ai pas été déçue.
La plume de Gong Jiyoung a toujours cet impact instantané sur moi. C'est une écriture simple et sans fioritures qui décrit avec justesse les émotions humaines. J'ai été de nouveau touchée par les personnages qu'elle présente et les thèmes qui en découlent, notamment la question de la peine de mort (cela fait certainement réfléchir) et le pardon. J'avais un peu peur que le côté religieux soit trop présent mais ça ne m'a finalement pas tant gênée que ça, un équilibre s'installant entre les différentes croyances des personnages.
Comme Les enfants du silence, c'est une lecture qui fait mal mais qui apporte aussi énormément de réconfort et d'espoir.
J'avais déjà lu l'excellent et terrible Les enfants du silence ainsi que le touchant Ma très chère grande soeur, je partais donc confiante dans cette nouvelle lecture et je n'ai pas été déçue.
La plume de Gong Jiyoung a toujours cet impact instantané sur moi. C'est une écriture simple et sans fioritures qui décrit avec justesse les émotions humaines. J'ai été de nouveau touchée par les personnages qu'elle présente et les thèmes qui en découlent, notamment la question de la peine de mort (cela fait certainement réfléchir) et le pardon. J'avais un peu peur que le côté religieux soit trop présent mais ça ne m'a finalement pas tant gênée que ça, un équilibre s'installant entre les différentes croyances des personnages.
Comme Les enfants du silence, c'est une lecture qui fait mal mais qui apporte aussi énormément de réconfort et d'espoir.
March 8, 2021
Dans ce livre bouleversant nous suivons Yujeong, une jeune femme privilégiée qui a tenté de se suicider parce qu'elle est profondément malheureuse, et Yusunk, un condamné à mort qui a tout d'une bête au premier regard, mais qui est en réalité lui aussi un homme qui a été blessé maintes et maintes fois par la vie. Après sa troisième tentative, tante Monica, une religieuse, prend Yujeong sous son aile et décide de l'amener avec elle lorsqu'elle rend visite à des criminels. Au fur et à mesure, ils vont finir par se raconter des "vraies histoires" et tous les deux grandir...
Gong Jiyoung est une autrice absolument fantastique, avec une plume qui est toujours directe, sans chichis, qui dévoile tous les sentiments humains avec justesse et respect. Ce roman qui m'a déchiré le coeur (pour des choses joyeuses, mais aussi le contraire) me semble être une prise de position claire quant à la peine de mort, qui existe d'ailleurs toujours en Corée du Sud. Il ne peut pas vous laisser indifférent. (et j'ai surligné presque tout le roman). "C'était un abandon de plus. Et cette deuxième fois, c'était autre chose que la première. C'était irréversible. Désormais l'ultime espoir qui nous restait avait disparu. Désormais la lumière s'était éteinte, pour Eunsu comme pour moi. Le soleil ne se lèverait plus pour nous."
Nos jours heureux est un roman qui parle énormément d'amour : Comment et pourquoi s'aimer soi-même ? Faut-il pardonner, et si oui, comment y arriver ? Comment se définir par autre chose que ses fautes ? L'amour sincère qui se dégage de ce roman nous envahit complètement le coeur. C'est un rappel que ce dont beaucoup de gens ont besoin, c'est simplement ça, qu'on leur montre juste un peu d'amour. "En apparence, j'avais gagné mais maman ne savait pas combien mon coeur saignait. Je maudissais même la religion, qui interdisait l'avortement volontaire."
Il nous amène également à nous interroger sur le sens de la vie, sur la mort, sur la justice et les fautes des hommes. J'ai par exemple beaucoup aimé lorsque tante Monica dit qu'elle ne peut pas détester les hypocrites, parce que s'ils agissent ainsi, c'est qu'ils ont compris qu'ils pourraient être des gens meilleurs. Au contraire, c'est pour eux qu'il faut prier, pas pour les autres qui sont persuadés d'être de bonnes personnes. Yujeong se rend aussi compte qu'il y a des condamnés à mort qui ont peut-être fait une grande erreur dans leur vie, mais que bien d'autres continuent leur vie en faisant de mauvaises choses, sans pour autant être traités comme des criminels: "Il y a des gens qui reconnaissent avoir commis une erreur et d'autres qui se considèrent toujours comme des gens bien quoi qu'ils aient pu faire. Les premiers sont punis toute leur vie pour leurs fautes, mais les deuxièmes, ils continuent à en commettre et en plus ils sont persuadés d'être des gens bien... Alors, quels sont les plus irréprochables?"
Un roman (très) fort qui m'a fait verser beaucoup de larmes. Mélancholie après avoir fini ce livre.
Gong Jiyoung est une autrice absolument fantastique, avec une plume qui est toujours directe, sans chichis, qui dévoile tous les sentiments humains avec justesse et respect. Ce roman qui m'a déchiré le coeur (pour des choses joyeuses, mais aussi le contraire) me semble être une prise de position claire quant à la peine de mort, qui existe d'ailleurs toujours en Corée du Sud. Il ne peut pas vous laisser indifférent. (et j'ai surligné presque tout le roman). "C'était un abandon de plus. Et cette deuxième fois, c'était autre chose que la première. C'était irréversible. Désormais l'ultime espoir qui nous restait avait disparu. Désormais la lumière s'était éteinte, pour Eunsu comme pour moi. Le soleil ne se lèverait plus pour nous."
Nos jours heureux est un roman qui parle énormément d'amour : Comment et pourquoi s'aimer soi-même ? Faut-il pardonner, et si oui, comment y arriver ? Comment se définir par autre chose que ses fautes ? L'amour sincère qui se dégage de ce roman nous envahit complètement le coeur. C'est un rappel que ce dont beaucoup de gens ont besoin, c'est simplement ça, qu'on leur montre juste un peu d'amour. "En apparence, j'avais gagné mais maman ne savait pas combien mon coeur saignait. Je maudissais même la religion, qui interdisait l'avortement volontaire."
Il nous amène également à nous interroger sur le sens de la vie, sur la mort, sur la justice et les fautes des hommes. J'ai par exemple beaucoup aimé lorsque tante Monica dit qu'elle ne peut pas détester les hypocrites, parce que s'ils agissent ainsi, c'est qu'ils ont compris qu'ils pourraient être des gens meilleurs. Au contraire, c'est pour eux qu'il faut prier, pas pour les autres qui sont persuadés d'être de bonnes personnes. Yujeong se rend aussi compte qu'il y a des condamnés à mort qui ont peut-être fait une grande erreur dans leur vie, mais que bien d'autres continuent leur vie en faisant de mauvaises choses, sans pour autant être traités comme des criminels: "Il y a des gens qui reconnaissent avoir commis une erreur et d'autres qui se considèrent toujours comme des gens bien quoi qu'ils aient pu faire. Les premiers sont punis toute leur vie pour leurs fautes, mais les deuxièmes, ils continuent à en commettre et en plus ils sont persuadés d'être des gens bien... Alors, quels sont les plus irréprochables?"
Un roman (très) fort qui m'a fait verser beaucoup de larmes. Mélancholie après avoir fini ce livre.
September 3, 2016
Wow. This was a gem of a read for me. I am so glad I stumbled across this novel. If I were the type to read book descriptions I would have more than likely passed. This is a novel that has strong religious tones. The exact type of novel I avoid. However, this was so much more. This is a novel about acceptance. Acceptance not only of others, but also yourself. It's a story about finding oneself. It's a story about looking beyond your past and trying to imagine a future. A future where you find the strength to want to go on. It's also about forgiveness. Of asking for it, and of accepting it as well. There is just so much contained within these covers of this book.
I really admire Gong Ji-young for not taking this book and trying to turn it into a prettily wrapped happily ever after book, although the reader will surely wish for this to book to end happily. I'm not saying there isn't a HEA, I'm just saying that sometimes just getting though another day must be enough. As Ji-young points out more than once, "instead of saying you want to die, you should instead be saying you want to live better".
Here you have a young, beautiful, affluential woman. She's a professor, a world traveler and a past singing sensation. She comes from a *perfect* family. However, we find out throughout the story that she has not really bothered to enjoy life or to even live for the last 15 years. The woman the world sees couldn't be further from whom the woman actually is.
As this point the young woman joins her Aunt, a nun, to weekly prison visits of a man on death row. This man makes no excuses for what he has done. He does not deny anything.
All of a sudden both the woman and the man are forced to see the world though someone else's eyes. Once this occurs, there is no turning back. Suddenly, one must realise that no matter how alone you have felt your entire life, there are others out there in the world as well. Suddenly you must realise that if continue to focus on only yourself and your experiences...well, you are missing out on everyone else's experiences.
Ji-young has some real zingers of some quotes in this book. Some of what she wrote had a profound effect on me.
This is one book that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. I won't forget the characters. I won't forget the quotes. And I certainly won't be forgetting the the feelings she evoked or the message that I received. I hope you give this book a chance and feel the same....I so loved it...
ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
I really admire Gong Ji-young for not taking this book and trying to turn it into a prettily wrapped happily ever after book, although the reader will surely wish for this to book to end happily. I'm not saying there isn't a HEA, I'm just saying that sometimes just getting though another day must be enough. As Ji-young points out more than once, "instead of saying you want to die, you should instead be saying you want to live better".
Here you have a young, beautiful, affluential woman. She's a professor, a world traveler and a past singing sensation. She comes from a *perfect* family. However, we find out throughout the story that she has not really bothered to enjoy life or to even live for the last 15 years. The woman the world sees couldn't be further from whom the woman actually is.
As this point the young woman joins her Aunt, a nun, to weekly prison visits of a man on death row. This man makes no excuses for what he has done. He does not deny anything.
All of a sudden both the woman and the man are forced to see the world though someone else's eyes. Once this occurs, there is no turning back. Suddenly, one must realise that no matter how alone you have felt your entire life, there are others out there in the world as well. Suddenly you must realise that if continue to focus on only yourself and your experiences...well, you are missing out on everyone else's experiences.
Ji-young has some real zingers of some quotes in this book. Some of what she wrote had a profound effect on me.
This is one book that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. I won't forget the characters. I won't forget the quotes. And I certainly won't be forgetting the the feelings she evoked or the message that I received. I hope you give this book a chance and feel the same....I so loved it...
ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
February 27, 2024
How would you react if you had to visit a death row inmate- someone who murdered two women? The parallel between the poor and the rich, the searching of death and life, the book presents two separate worlds bounded together through one common element: hope.
The main character of the book, a 30 years old famous woman, tried to kill herself for the third time. She was raised in a family where she had every material thing she ever wanted, but there was no love from her parents. At 15 she was rapped by her uncle and since then, she has been fighting to heal herself. After her third suicide attempt, her aunt, who’s become a nun, takes the woman to visit a prison.
The prisoner’s story is the opposite of the woman’s story: he has always been poor, abused, a rough-neck, raised in a disfunctional family, visting too many foster families or having slept too many nights on the streets. He had nothing. Never. He helped another man to rob a wealthy woman only to end up on the death row in South Koreea. He never wanted to kill anybody, only to get the money his partner needed in order to save their child. He failed once again and got the sentence his friend, who actually did the dirty job, deserved.
The evolution of the characters was so clear. From the beginig, when the woman was disgusted by the killer and wondering why the man is still alive after all that he did, to the ending, when she was questioning the death row sistem, wanting to offer another chance to the prisoner. From the begining, when the prisoner didn’t want to see anyone, to the ending, when he found peace and God. I loved how all of the main characters evolved: the woman saw the beauty of life, while the the man made peace with this disfunctional world. I loved the prisoner’s story and the perspective of both a poor and rich south koreean person, the absurdity that both of the categories can be devasted and how different they are in their sadness. This book contains an asiatic infusion of sadness, rape, killing, suicide, a death row inmate’s life- a unique topic for a book-,God, peace.
The main character of the book, a 30 years old famous woman, tried to kill herself for the third time. She was raised in a family where she had every material thing she ever wanted, but there was no love from her parents. At 15 she was rapped by her uncle and since then, she has been fighting to heal herself. After her third suicide attempt, her aunt, who’s become a nun, takes the woman to visit a prison.
The prisoner’s story is the opposite of the woman’s story: he has always been poor, abused, a rough-neck, raised in a disfunctional family, visting too many foster families or having slept too many nights on the streets. He had nothing. Never. He helped another man to rob a wealthy woman only to end up on the death row in South Koreea. He never wanted to kill anybody, only to get the money his partner needed in order to save their child. He failed once again and got the sentence his friend, who actually did the dirty job, deserved.
The evolution of the characters was so clear. From the beginig, when the woman was disgusted by the killer and wondering why the man is still alive after all that he did, to the ending, when she was questioning the death row sistem, wanting to offer another chance to the prisoner. From the begining, when the prisoner didn’t want to see anyone, to the ending, when he found peace and God. I loved how all of the main characters evolved: the woman saw the beauty of life, while the the man made peace with this disfunctional world. I loved the prisoner’s story and the perspective of both a poor and rich south koreean person, the absurdity that both of the categories can be devasted and how different they are in their sadness. This book contains an asiatic infusion of sadness, rape, killing, suicide, a death row inmate’s life- a unique topic for a book-,God, peace.
November 6, 2023
کاش میشد بهش بیشتر از 5 ستاره داد
فقط میتونم بگم عالی بود
و شد جزوه تاپهای من
اولین کتابی بود که توی تمام این سالها باهش گریه کردم
البته مناسب همه شاید نباشه چون یجورایی باید به یکسری درکها رسیده باشی
ولی مهم نیست من پیشنهاد میکنم حتما بخونیدش به این امید که شما هم مثل من لذت ببرین
(البته اخرش خون گریه میکنین😁)
فقط میتونم بگم عالی بود
و شد جزوه تاپهای من
اولین کتابی بود که توی تمام این سالها باهش گریه کردم
البته مناسب همه شاید نباشه چون یجورایی باید به یکسری درکها رسیده باشی
ولی مهم نیست من پیشنهاد میکنم حتما بخونیدش به این امید که شما هم مثل من لذت ببرین
(البته اخرش خون گریه میکنین😁)
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