Say What?!

When I finally got truly interested and invested the story ended! And there was no a single resolutions at all.

Imagine, putting Rose and Jack ending in movie Titanic , Seinfeld , Dexter Games of Thrones series finale, Little Women , Atonement , In The Woods, My Sister 's Keeper book end together; all , in my opinion , worst movies, tv series , books ending ever you get my disappointment with this novel.

I just reviewed If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha. #IfIHadYourFace #NetGalley

The story follows four women who live in the same apartment building in Seoul, Korea. One a mute hair stylist, one obsessed with changing her appearance through plastic surgery, one an orphan and talented artist, and one who is a young married woman who desires to have a child.

I found this book to be well written but rather boring. I felt like I got to know the characters but struggled to connect for them or root for them. The book also ended somewhat abruptly. I don't know what more I wanted from this book but I was left feeling unsatisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for "granting my wish" and providing me with a copy of this book. "If I Had Your Face" is available now.

Love this so much! A great character study. Interesting to see the perspective of different women and how culture affects us and our psyche.

Very interesting premise and characters. Highly recommend for those looking for an unique story and perspective.

This novel is totally fascinating and such a deep dive into modern Korea and the psychology of their country and all the classes. I really thought it was a fantastic new voice on the scene and I can’t wait to tell other readers to grab this book and not let go....

Unflinching and unapologetic, this down-to-earth multi POV story follows four Korean women struggling to reconcile their own personal ideals with the sexism and classism inherent to modern day society. I was completely absorbed by this - it sucked me in from the beginning with its rich, hypnotic, character driven exploration of the day in the life of a young woman on her own in a country I know very little about. The author weaves a beautiful pattern of stories together to craft each distinct perspective. The plot is balanced and engaging and the tone is multilayered - they exhibit youthful exuberance and rebellion alongside an older generation that doesn't share or understand their ideals. And yet there is a grim, almost sardonic resignation these girls feel in their attempt to meet the impossibly high standards for being considered beautiful and accepted.

Beautiful and thought-provoking and completely unexpected!

Thank you to netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

If I Had Your Face is a heart-wrenching novel, following five women who live in the same apartment building. They are all trying to make their way in the world in different ways. A very good book.

I have heard about the prevalence of plastic surgery in South Korea and the incredibly brutal ideals of beauty that are thrust upon the women there. But getting a personal glimpse into the lives of these five women was extremely compelling. They are each unique and struggling through their own personal battles. But they band together and support each other, and the female friendship that is present in the book is very inspiring.

Thank. you for the advanced e-ARC win exchange for my honest review. I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the chance to read this book!

What an interesting story. It read like literary fiction for me, with stories for separate characters coming together as the book progresses. I loved reading about a different culture (Korea) and the impossible standards of beauty that is front and center in their lives. The themes of impossible beauty, motherhood vs career, and a set in stone socioeconomic status is comparable across all countries/cultures for women.

I found myself wondering how true everything was, most specifically the drastic surgeries that Korean women get to make themselves more "beautiful" (I'm talking to the point of not being able to chew). You know it's a good book when you start googling to learn even more.

4 stars!

This novel traces the lives of four young women living in Seoul: Ara is a hair stylist with a crazy crush on a kpop star, Kyuri works at a prestigious room salon and attempts to survive its exploitative economy, Miho is an aspiring artist who just graduated from SVA in New York City, and Wonna is a recently pregnant woman who hopes that she won’t lose her baby in yet another miscarriage.

I was worried that this book—given its title—would be a predictable horror story of the Korean beauty industry. Thankfully, I found that Cha is not necessarily interested in moralizing about plastic surgery or standards of beauty. Rather, she is a keen observer of the beauty economy, particularly as it intersects with sex work and social inequality in Korea.

When I was almost done with the book, I suddenly realized that the major threats faced by the women in the novel are not directly inflicted by men. In other words, there is very little violence coming from specific male characters. Sure, there are men in the novel: men who leer at the girls in restaurants and men who are useless partners, for example. But they are not the ones who slap or threaten to dock pay—other women are. I don’t read this as Cha just making the irritating argument that “women are often responsible for keeping other women down.” Rather, I see her as committed to narrating the book so that women are not just defined in relation to the men as the victims of their violence. And at the same time, her narrative choice reveals the ways in which the simple existence of the male gaze objectifies women even when no men are around.

The one thing that fell short for me was that there were times when I forgot which character was narrating the story (the chapters rotate through the perspectives of the four characters). Their voices blend together--and when I read the acknowledgements, I realized that the voice was of course Cha’s. But to be honest I didn’t really mind, because her writing is so lovely.

If I Had Your Face is a compelling portrait of beauty envy, friendship, family, and class. The story is told from the perspective of four young women all living in the same building in Seoul. A large part of the plot centers around extreme plastic surgery some of the women consider and/or get to become beautiful, hoping that they can create a better life by having a more desirable face and body. It was fascinating to read about some aspects of Korean culture and values, as it relates to these women's specific experiences, and while I feared it would be a disheartening story, that was only partially true. There is love and pride and joy in unexpected places. While the end was a bit dissatisfying, and I felt like I didn't receive enough of Wonna's voice to understand why she's so central, I loved the rest of the book.

3.5 stars

Honestly, I picked up this book because its cover is so beautiful. I find that ironic now that it was cover allure that got me on the hook, as the whole point of <b>If I Had Your Face</b> is that aesthetics aren't everything. The title gets its name from one scene in the book where Kyuri is making yet another trip to the plastic surgeon. She has already done numerous procedures chasing the perfect face. In this case that face belongs to the lead singer of a popular girl band. When she sees her muse in the waiting room her instant reaction is one of judgement. <i>"I would live your life so much better than you if I had your face."</i> But how is Kyuri living her life? She is a 10% girl in a room salon. Basically all of these procedures, the ripping and cutting away at her face, the debts that she owes, the compromises she has made and the precarious positions she has put herself in, have all been for . . . becoming a high class call girl. And yet she judges the next woman. This emphasis on appearance and general insecurity seems to be the standard within the society portrayed in Frances Cha's debut.

In addition to Kyuri, the story is told by Wonna, Ara, and Miho. Wonna is a young married woman who chose her husband in part because his mother was dead. Her backstory is one of childhood abuse. Ara is a hairdresser. She is beautiful and mute, having lost the ability to talk during an attack. Miho is an art student. She sees her friend Ruby's life as something to be attained. Ruby is rich, beautiful and commands attention when she enters a room. Even when Ruby tells Miho that <i>"Rich people are fascinated by happiness . . . It's something they find maddening,"</i> she never wonders why. Although some of these women share a past, they come together in a four story office-tel. Perhaps the most intriguing of these women is Sujin, but she does not have a first person narrative. This is unfortunate as I truly would have liked to hear more of her story. Of the five she seems to me the strongest in spirit.

The writing in <b>If I Had Your Face</b> was impressive, but the sentiment was bleak. Each woman carried her own baggage of depressing issues - alcoholism, suicide, abuse, abandonment. But the focus was forevermore on beauty and possessions. Not on the heart of the matter, nor the heart of the person before them. The take home message was that in order to achieve joy in one's life, you should be focused on healing from your past. No amount of makeup, plastic surgery or wealth will set right the matters of the heart.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Frances Cha for access to this book.</i>

Stunning, gorgeous, and haunting, If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha had me captured by the very beginning. The story follows 4 women who are on a quest for beauty in Seoul, Korea. Wonna, is a newlywed trying desperately to maintain a pregnancy while simultaneously worrying if she can afford to have a baby. Kyuri holds a coveted job at a “room salon” an underground bar where businessmen pay a lot of money to drink and be entertained. Her roommate, Miho, an orphan and hugely talented artist returns from New York where she was on scholarship and Ara, a boy band obsessed, hairstylist, recovering from a trauma and saving up all of her money for plastic surgery that she thinks will change her life. The description of this book is stunning and brings you right into the Korean culture, and the culture of the plastic surgery obsessed. This book had me utterly hooked.

A well written character study of four Korean women with themes of chasing beauty, class iniquity, and fidelity.

My expectation for this book was high because it has gotten so many rave reviews, but I rated it 3 stars because the subject matter and characters didn’t connect with me as a reader and the narrative fell flat for me.

I was drawn to this book at first glance. The cover shows at first glance the significance and importance of beauty in most cultures and specifically in Korea. As an American plastic surgery happens, but it is not as prevalent as it seems to be in Korea. If I Had Your Face is a peek into what poor/middle-class women must experience in Korea. The story follows 4 women trying to exist in a society that values beauty, meekness, appearances, and connections. The women's connections highlight friendship despite the outside world's priorities. If I Had Your Face is enjoyable and easy to read. It does not offer any societal fixes, but only a look at the problem.

#IfIHadYourFace #Netgalley

Wow! Even though this is a work of fiction, I learned so much from this book. I also found it absolutely captivating and eye opening. Everyone pick this up right away!

There have been a lot of books set in Korea published recently. I'm glad because it's helped me learn more about the Korean culture. This debut knocked the socks off me. It held my attention to the end, as the author explored how challenging being a Korean female is. I look forward to more books by Cha.

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha is a character oriented literary fiction set in contemporary Korea. It explores the day to day lives of four Korean women, each extremely different from the other and tells their individual stories. It is raw and unsettling, sad and thought provoking but also insightful and enlightening. It mostly focuses on its characters and doesn't really have a traditional storyline.The writing is simple and almost conversational. and the author does a great job of providing a glimpse at the difficulties and dilemmas faced by Korean women on a day to day basis. 

Kyuri is a successful room salon girl who has had to undergo innumerable cosmetic procedures due to the ruthless competition in her field. Miho is an extremely talented artist who is in a complicated and toxic relationship with a frightfully wealthy man. Ara is a mute hairstylist who is obsessed wth a K-pop band and its lead singer. Wonna is a woman with a tough past and a weak economic standing who mostly spends her day worrying about how she'll provide for her yet to be born daughter. If I Had Your Face is a glimpse into the lives of these four women, their struggles and fears, dreams and desires. 

Since my knowledge of Korean culture is minimal (yes, I need to read more Korean literature) nearly everything I read in here was new to me, be it the horrifying societal norms, harsh beauty standards, cosmetic surgery culture and room salon business or the prevalent misogyny, sexism, consumerism, classism and even the obsession with K-pop culture.

While I overall enjoyed If I Had Your Face, it left me wanting a lot more. A whole bunch of fascinating subjects were introduced but never expanded on. Several questions were left unanswered. Numerous incidents throughout the book had me wondering how they'll be addressed, but they were just left, forgotten, without any reference. Why? For example, what happened after that salon restroom incident with Ara? What was the deal with Wonna's husband? What happened after her baby came? Did Miho simply forgive and forget? Really, so many questions and no answers. It was a little frustrating. Every story felt incomplete, the conclusion was very abrupt, not to mention vague and I did not buy how it all came together at the end. You know what, I'd happily read a sequel if the author writes one.

So, yes, it was a good enough read but not very satisfying because while it started really strong the abrupt conclusion and lack of answers left me hanging, wanting much more.

This novel examines topics of beauty, class, the place of women, friendship, and art through the lives of five women who are connected in various ways, set in Seoul. I believe it is set in present day but because of the extreme plastic surgery felt more like near-future.

I've read several books by female authors set in Korea in the past few years but they were works written in Korean and for Korean audiences (Han Kang, Kim Sagwa, etc). That writing tends to cover similar topics but in a more surreal, sideways, and violent way. The storytelling in this novel is more straightforward, told in the way of books like Big Little Lies, where there is a piece of information (or pieces) withheld from the reader, revealed gradually, through rotating points of view.

It took me a while to find the rhythm of it as it felt like I struggled in the first 40% to stay connected (arguably this could also be quarantine brain) but after that I felt like the pace picked up and I understood the characters more as individuals, making the rest fly by.