How likable is the narrator?

Use this forum to discuss the January 2021 Book of the month, "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley
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Swirliegirlie
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Re: How likable is the narrator?

Post by Swirliegirlie »

I actually enjoyed the main character from the start. Thinking about her circumstances and the unfortunate responsibilities she faced, I found much respect for her character staying strong to her Korean culture. Growing up in America where divorce and dismissing family is common I would of probably not been as set in her situation.
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Post by Dominik_G »

I don't particularly like her, but I do think that — to a large degree — she is the "product" of her upbringing, environment, and culture. Also, we get to see later on that she can be very caring and compassionate. I did find her chapters very unnatural-sounding, though. I didn't like the way she narrated the story because I couldn't shake the feeling that "nobody thinks like this." I mean, I don't know about other people, but I don't usually describe situations, etc. with elaborate and perfectly articulated sentences in my head. This didn't let me get as close to her as it was probably intended.
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Post by Books Rule »

I think my response to Lady Sougyon was fairly typical, at least for me. She seemed pretty authentic for who she is presented to be, in context. I didn't fall in love with her by any means. Sometimes I liked her and other times, not so much.
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Post by Fazzier »

I liked Lady Sougyon from the beginning. As much as she displayed some self-importance traits, I liked how she enjoyed her royalty status consciously. She also had high emotional intelligence, as she was aware of how her actions were affecting others. This added to the fact that she believed in herself, venturing in areas only reserved for men such as political and social issues, made me like her even more. This, for instance, could be seen from her meaningful discussions with King Gonong.
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Post by Njokime »

I did not find the narrator unlikable at all. I liked her from the beginning, she is kind-hearted, and I was sad that she got a spouse that did not appreciate her.
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Post by Goodness C N »

Y'all did like Lady Sougyon? I was actually indifferent about what she represented. I just saw her as a character, that's all. And I think she played her perfectly. In fact, there's really nothing to dislike about her. But I'm not stating that I found her all that interesting. This is my take on this topic.
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Post by Betty Gitonga »

I really like Lady Sougyon. Her position in society may force her to behave in a certain way, but she is kind and compassionate.
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Post by Stephanie Elizabeth »

I have to agree with you, I really dislike the narrator. So much so, that I have contemplated giving up on the book a few times. She seems to have this holier-than-thou attitude that is quite unsettling. While I am glad that I continued reading (the story is spectacular), I can't say that her personality ever grew on me--I just got used to it.
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Post by MsH2k »

I actually liked Lady Sougyon as a character; I just didn’t like her as a narrator. The change in point of view from her perspective to the third-person perspective was what I disliked most about this book. It was abrupt and confusing. I would rather the book have been written entirely in the third-person perspective.

As a character, I liked that she pushed the envelop as much as she could for a woman at that time. She showed compassion for her servants and did not bad-mouth her husband to her son. She was generous to her daughter-in-law’s family when she provided the dowry. I didn’t like that she spoiled Embon so much, but I understand why she did. I especially appreciated how she and her brother worked together to nurse Embon back to health.
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Post by athurst123 »

I agree with you that at the beginning of the book the narrator was not likable. To me, this was the culture that produced her demeanor and the way she treated others. As the story goes, I started to like and appreciate her a lot more!
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Post by crisanja »

I wouldn't characterize Lady Sougyan as likable or unlikable but as sympathetic. I feel for her circumstances. I think she was trying to make the best of what life gave her and may have loved her son too much in a sense by giving him too much leeway in an effort to make up for the life he was born into.
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Post by lavkathleen »

bardhaselmani wrote: 08 Jan 2021, 03:24 I personally like the narrative, the narrator and the manner in which it is narrated. However, something that bothered me were the shifts in time. the narrator made the story a bit confusing with them.
Right? The author put labels before she starts the chapter, but it was inconsistent. I never mentioned this in my review, as I didn't experience confusion, but I understand if some readers did. I think there was no need to mention the time when it was set in the present. The author only did it when she had to show flashbacks. :wink2:
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Post by jamespotter »

The narrator isn't likable, but she doesn't seem to particularly care about being liked anyways. I admired her standoffish manner because of this. It was also clear that while she was aristocratic and grew up spoiled, she was also raised with strict morals. This contrast gives her a complexity that I enjoyed by the end of the novel.
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Post by lavkathleen »

Ahbed Nadir wrote: 08 Jan 2021, 06:00 From the very beginning her attitude was a turn-off to me. She felt unnecessarily condescending and i didnt like that all.
Yeah. But, going in, did you not know that she was a daughter of a prince? Even as a woman in that time, she was a person with much privilege and power. Not to mention, she was usually talking to servants. This is the kind of attitude that an environment like that breeds—it was expected.
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Post by lavkathleen »

Mtibza eM wrote: 08 Jan 2021, 12:14 I liked her attitude, it showed just how spoilt she was but at again, it proved that having wealth is not only thing that everyone should aspire in life. When she saw that couple when she was passing through the town is just the right demonstration for that.
Right? True, she had the attitude of a person coming from huge wealth and power, the attitude that would be more likely to be unacceptable today. It's a turn off for some readers. But there's always an underlying struggle under that and that's what I was anticipating for. It doesn't forgive her wrongs, but it does show the complexity of her character.
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