Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Breasts and Eggs

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

103 reviews

afternoonlight's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

beautiful.

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nee_shelf's review

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informative slow-paced

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

2.75

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atomicsushi's review

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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This was, for me, a fresh perspective into a topic I thought I had "mastered". What is it to be a woman? What is it to have or to want a child? From an almost kaleidoscopic angle, in a manner both sensitive and unafraid, Mieko Kawakami gives us an array of different answers. By the end of the second part, you will almost forget about the first, that's how dense this one is. But I say almost, because there are constant connections between the two. The main character is incredibly easy to get into the head of, even when our situation is quite different from hers. She has a way with words, as a writer, and you get to see her work through doubts so painful they make you squeamish.

I loved the way female friendships were depicted in this, because each friendship was different. There were no cookie-cutter mimosa friendships, and even the ones that were closest to that were dissected in such a way as to raise interesting questions about what we really know about one another. There is a lot of death, both literal and metaphorical, and quite a few goodbyes that manage to pull at your heartstrings. The highlights for me in this book are the most bizarre scenes, like

the scene where Midoriko and Makiko crack eggs and cry, or that in which Natsume thinks about inserting a plastic syringe into herself, or the meeting between Natsume and that strange, strange man.

Would really recommend this!

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jonwood's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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 thought this was a brilliant character study taking serious, thoughtful stab on psychological issues that should be thought about more, from how culture expectations on appearance and sexuality effect self-esteem to questions about deciding to have a child and how to go about it. Being moving book.

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anh_read's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

4.75

Definitely, a “no plot, just vibes” book. However, I enjoyed the themes that are discussed in this book. In general, the book reflects the struggles of being woman in modern times.

The first part “Breasts” centers around poverty and changes in your body. The second part of the book, “Eggs” focuses on motherhood and being a single parent. This part often got me reflecting on the struggles on becoming and being a parent. It also made me question to have children. This part is much longer, even more slow-paced. Some points were kind of repetitive. Nonetheless, it was still a wonderful and very informative read.

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bruhmantics's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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dizzzybrook's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Every once in a while, I come across a book that truly just does everything I want it to and Breasts and Eggs certainly did that for me. I often avoid reading about the topics discussed in this book given that I find it difficult to find navigate between the opinions of those who believe women are obligated to have children and those who do not, but this book tackles these arguments in a way that I found extremely profound and ultimately agreeable. My only true criticism is that the ending fell flat for me and felt a little rushed and predictable. It felt as if Kawakami had spent so much time developing this incredibly complex and thought provoking story just to have it end in the most predictable, cliché way. This is obviously a fault of my own personal taste, but I do believe this book to be a 5 star read

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