I just finished reading it and I have so many thoughts. First of all: it’s truly written beautifully. We can clearly see the position of a palace maid, as it is not sugarcoated into letting us believe in a simple love story that surpasses status. It shows how difficult and rough it can be. I loved that the characters express their feelings to each other and voice their thoughts since the beginning, questioning everything.
Deokim is a wonderful female lead, she is strong and smart, but understands awfully well her position inside the palace. She and her group of friends complement each other so well. They often have different thoughts but discuss them trying to understand one another.
It’s so bittersweet that we got to see first the “happy ending”, only to be faced later with reality. I believe Deokim could not finish her book, as in the end we only see her transcription work, but if she could have, she would have wanted everyone to have a happy ending, as the story shows. The loss of their two babies is so painful, and to not be able to be with them because of rules makes it even worse.
Deokim’s death is really powerful: there is her pain, the same of her late son and daughter, the miscarriage and the final lucidity. She knows that her position has always been a “red sleeve”, and she wants to die with her uniform surrounded with her friends, her family. Her love for the king is strong and pure, but it comes with many restrictions and resentment.
The King’s position is perfectly described. He is stubborn and strict, but also wise and pretty openminded. He’s also very prideful, being the king he could not see himself as second to anyone, but Deokim makes him feel insecure. Until the very end he needs her to voice out her love for him. After the passing of his whole family we see that he can’t even mourn them properly as he has a duty as the king.
The scenes of torture were like a hit in the stomach for me, especially the last one of the nanny, but the drawing never failed and it always remained elegant, beautiful and soft.
I’m sorry for the long post and the English mistakes, but I wanted to share my thoughts while they’re still fresh.
I just finished reading it and I have so many thoughts.
First of all: it’s truly written beautifully. We can clearly see the position of a palace maid, as it is not sugarcoated into letting us believe in a simple love story that surpasses status. It shows how difficult and rough it can be.
I loved that the characters express their feelings to each other and voice their thoughts since the beginning, questioning everything.
Deokim is a wonderful female lead, she is strong and smart, but understands awfully well her position inside the palace.
She and her group of friends complement each other so well. They often have different thoughts but discuss them trying to understand one another.
It’s so bittersweet that we got to see first the “happy ending”, only to be faced later with reality. I believe Deokim could not finish her book, as in the end we only see her transcription work, but if she could have, she would have wanted everyone to have a happy ending, as the story shows.
The loss of their two babies is so painful, and to not be able to be with them because of rules makes it even worse.
Deokim’s death is really powerful: there is her pain, the same of her late son and daughter, the miscarriage and the final lucidity. She knows that her position has always been a “red sleeve”, and she wants to die with her uniform surrounded with her friends, her family. Her love for the king is strong and pure, but it comes with many restrictions and resentment.
The King’s position is perfectly described. He is stubborn and strict, but also wise and pretty
openminded. He’s also very prideful, being the king he could not see himself as second to anyone, but Deokim makes him feel insecure. Until the very end he needs her to voice out her love for him. After the passing of his whole family we see that he can’t even mourn them properly as he has a duty as the king.
The scenes of torture were like a hit in the stomach for me, especially the last one of the nanny, but the drawing never failed and it always remained elegant, beautiful and soft.
I’m sorry for the long post and the English mistakes, but I wanted to share my thoughts while they’re still fresh.