Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

29 reviews

blobmoz's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book is so profoundly relatable, I found myself taking moments just holding the book to my chest contemplating how good it felt to be seen the way this book sees you. The ending is especially special to me, with Natsume's interactions with Yuriko and her sister. I was sobbing in the car on the way home. I'd recommend this book to anyone struggling with asexuality, people who dislike men, and women who tackle the difficulty surrounding whether you want children or not. (less)

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Child abuse

aa_chierkoet's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I dont give 5 stars to a lot of books. besides, im usually a plot focused book kinda gal. BUT WOW. I loved it. I could see myself in A LOT of things that were said in the book, just better described than I ever could. For example, even tho im not a doner kid, Aizawa was a relatable character. Like in the fight with his mom. I didn't expect to like this book so much, but I cried at least 2 times. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual assault

mondovertigo's review

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Grief, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Infertility

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Cancer

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Infertility

Moderate: Cancer, Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Grief, Terminal illness, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Eating disorder, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Medical content, Acephobia/Arophobia, Incest, Body shaming, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, and Death

lk3ssaf's review

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There is so much in this book. I felt as though I were looking through a window, and viewing another woman's life as it unfolded. The relationships Natsuke had with other people were so real and human. I enjoyed Natsuke so much as a character.

The discussions and reflections provided in this book about a woman's role in society, about the effects this has on their mental state, about their responsibilities, are discussions that I don't believe anyone but a woman could have written so poignantly, and that only other women can truly understand. Kawakami has such a deep understanding of how being a woman can impact interpersonal relationships and our dynamics with others and with the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infertility

somelibrarychick's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Death, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

5aru's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An account of women coping with deep-set loneliness and fear in a society that does nothing to assuage them. It is gorgeously written (for which props must be given to the translator, as well) and acutely sentimental, with certain moments being relatable enough to stir grief in my own chest. I'm really looking forward to reading more Kawakami after this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Infertility

Minor: Pedophilia and Suicidal thoughts

crissy_estev's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Transphobia, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, and Rape

ye_li's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Breasts and Eggs is an insanely surreal book. It explores what it means to be a woman, what can classify a person as a woman, and what it means to live. The characters are convoluted, just complete messes—what a disaster they are, but that's what I found rather charming. Even as they're aging, moving into their twenties and thirties and forties, they still have no idea what the fuck they're doing. Which is almost reassuring, in a way. It took a while for me to read because it has a quirky writing style, and the paragraphs were… long, to say the least. Some themes were rather sudden, too, and I wasn't used to reading about such things, so I had to take breaks here and there. However, I still quite liked it. A very thoughtful piece of work, I can see why it received the praise it did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, and Drug use

bookshelfofbee's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

⚠️content warnings: talk of cancer, body dysphoria, child sexual abuse, death of a parent, infertility, misgendering, transphobia, suicidal ideation. a lot of these are very minor but still present so pls make sure you’re comfortable with reading on these topics before reading!

first off, I FRIGGIN LOVED THIS BOOK. so so important and so relevant and so relatable!!!! I have soooo many tabs in this book of bits I loved and thought were so important (there’s a section where they discuss the irrelevance of men in a women’s household and my god am i LIVING for it lmao). it brings up so many important topics that we face in society and it really puts things into perspective on the variability of childbirth, motherhood and single parenting. i really have so much love for this book, it’s unreal.

i had *one* problem with it which brings it down a star and that was a weird passage in the first half of the book. we see Natsume and her sister Makiko in a bath house and there seems to be a male and female sat near them and Natsume goes on a tangent on how men cannot be in the women’s bathing section. BUT it turns out that the ‘male’ in question is in fact a trans woman and Natsume can’t seem to wrap her head around that and it seems quite transphobic to me. I’m not sure if this was miscommunication thing because obviously this book has been translated from Japanese to English but either way, I think it’s important to be aware of this misgendering section in the book.

Overall I really really enjoyed this book and really recommend it to anyone who asks for a book rec!! i have no clue what genre to put this in as it’s not really a romance and i don’t even know if i’d say it was a coming-of-age book, maybe feminist lit?? either way, you should read this asap <3

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Transphobia, Infertility, and Dysphoria

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Child abuse, and Death of parent