The Vegetarian
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The Vegetarian
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Narrated by:
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Janet Song
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Stephen Park
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By:
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Han Kang
About this listen
An irresistibly weird and sensuous story of betrayals, transformations and social taboos.
Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people. He is an office worker with moderate ambitions and mild manners; she is an uninspired but dutiful wife. The acceptable flatline of their marriage is interrupted when Yeong-hye, seeking a more 'plantlike' existence, decides to become a vegetarian, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares.
In South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard of and societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision is a shocking act of subversion. Her passive rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, leading her bland husband to self-justified acts of sexual sadism. His cruelties drive her towards attempted suicide and hospitalisation. She unknowingly captivates her sister's husband, a video artist. She becomes the focus of his increasingly erotic and unhinged artworks while spiralling further and further into her fantasies of abandoning her fleshly prison and becoming - impossibly, ecstatically - a tree.
Fraught, disturbing and beautiful, The Vegetarian is a novel about modern-day South Korea but also a novel about shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.
©2007 Han Kang. English translation copyright © Deborah Smith 2015 (P)2016 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about The Vegetarian
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-11-22
Violence TW
The first part of this book is filled with violence, force feeding, rape, a suicidal act. The second half isn’t much better to be honest. I’m shocked this was written by a woman when both parts are written from a male perspective. It’s quite disturbing
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 25-03-24
Great listen
Interesting book and the voice acting was perfect and added to the atmosphere especially in part 1.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dewey
- 19-04-19
An amazing story, very special. Dire narration.
I loved this title however the narration of Janet Song seemed to be mechanistic at best, computer based at worst. Had it not been for the recommendation of the book by a Korean colleague I am not sure I would have persevered. Do give the book a go, but perhaps read it, or find alternative narrators.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gustaf Lindström
- 01-12-24
Brilliant story, good narration
The story, as per usual with Han Kang, was perfection. I found the male narrator to be pleasant enough, but the female narrator’s staccato delivery was truly bizarre. I think I get what she was going for, but it just didn’t work.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stuart Piper
- 08-03-21
Visceral, violent, vivid
If this is a typical example of the ingenuity and artistry of South Korean literature then I must explore more.
Arrestingly evocative - a book I will not forget easily, and one I will recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- amsleeping
- 06-02-21
Glad I finished it
Disturbing but eye-opening novel by a talented author. Difficult to finish but stick with it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Reilly Phillips
- 20-10-24
Beautiful prose
Pretentious story telling. Not worth a Nobel prize despite being well written, translated and read
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- tamara
- 27-03-20
Odd eccentric story
The narration was poor, it felt forced. The story was unusual, but the writing style was repetitive, in idea and dialogue. It was a disturbing tale of hysteria, giving the protagonist a voiceless voice.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Sherry-lyn
- 28-04-20
Strange
I think that this is probably a very good book but I think much of it could have been lost in translation, it was very strange and confusing, a bit like someone's weird dream, I'm sure in Korean read by a Korean it may have held much more meaning, I may be wrong, but it wasn't for me
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Edel S.
- 16-10-24
Well written
Didn’t find the story worthy of reviews.
It was quite dull but very well written
Maybe it’s just not to my taste.
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