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There are currently 18 member reviews
for Plant Lady
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DJ
Rooted but Wanted More Depth
This was an intriguing, fast read, and I enjoyed the depiction of the plants. However, the characters development felt a bit thin. I read that it started as a short story, and that makes sense—it still feels more like an expanded short piece than a fully developed novel. The writing style also felt choppy at times. I liked the main character and was interested enough to keep turning pages. I just wished she, and the supporting characters, had been given more depth.
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Linda V. (Independence, KY)
Left me hanging
This novel begins with little teases and slowly the reader begins to understand the sequence that will evolve with each miserable man that stumbles into Yoohee's path. As much as the reader understands the 'just desserts" of each event, there doesn't' seem to be a reconciliation or completion. I was kind of left hanging. Even with the detective that was following and getting near to the resolution. I felt the novel ended too quickly with nothing to tie it all together..
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Susan P. (Santa Paula, CA)
There's more going on that meets the eye in Plant Store
So books about female rage, and women murdering men are all the rage now, and this one fits in nicely with that genre. Set in South Korea, it's the story of Yoohee, a plant store owner with a unique side hustle.
I'll never look at a mild mannered plant store owner again after reading this! Yoohee tends her plants by day and her business is thriving. There are some unusual lumps in her garden but those areas just serve as a more intense form of fertilizer for all her exotic and common plants. You get a brief glimpse into her background, and the boys that taunted and abused her in high school, which the author explains as the reason she sympathizes with the women that come to her door wanting someone to 'disappear'. This incident didn't seem to be as much of a motivation to me for her to do what she does, but anger and rage lay dormant for some people.
Eventually a detective starts sniffing around when all of the men have been seen visiting the plant shop, but he really can't find any compelling evidence against Yoohee.
It seems that women worldwide face the same issues, and this was a unique cultural take on the Korean customs and way of life. It did make me appreciate plants more, and I loved how each chapter was entitled with a plant name that is important to that particular story.
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Jessica V. (Kingston, RI)
Plant Lady
Plant Lady by Minyoung Kang has an interesting premise with a dark tone that makes for an exciting read if you like morally gray protagonists and vigilante type stories. I mostly appreciated the creative structure and the way the events unraveled, even when they became pretty morbid at times. It definitely kept the story moving at a fast pace, but maybe too fast. I personally struggled to connect with the characters. There was an attempt to create more emotional depth and character development, but it just missed the mark for me. The story wasn't my best fit, but I can see it resonating with readers who enjoy chaotic thrillers with themes of female revenge.
