Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

23 reviews

maceydowns's review

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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Sexism, Classism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, Death, Grief, Medical content, Pedophilia, Cancer, Death of parent, Rape, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Body shaming and Transphobia

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

wovenquiry's review

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual harassment

angela_iseli's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment

janaarr's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse

mayalien's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Sexual harassment

Minor: Physical abuse and Violence

nofacelif's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

5.0

A fantastic read about womanhood, motherhood, bodily autonomy, fertility, and loneliness

I would recommend this book to every woman. Each woman can find something to relate to. The characters (especially the women) are brilliantly written that they feel real. Their experiences and the conversations between them are issues and discussions that real-life women go through. Thus, it made me reflect on my own experiences as a woman and got me thinking about motherhood and what that entails. 

I also liked how the author showcases various perspectives of women from different social classes and generations while still sticking to the same narrator. I think reading only Natsu's version of events made the story feel more personal.

This novel will holp up years later, and I will definitely be rereading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Rape

camereseparate's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Transphobia

jayisreading's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Admittedly, this one took more time than I normally would have given a book to get invested. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, because this ended up being a really entertaining read that grappled with an array of interconnected issues. I wouldn’t say the book is funny in the “laugh out loud” sense, nor was it exactly quirky, but there were a number of occasions where you couldn’t help but feel the corner of your lips tug slightly upward at some of the protagonist’s thoughts or in her conversations with others.

Speaking of, the thoughts and conversations around sexuality came as a pleasant surprise for me. I was not expecting such a nuanced approach to asexuality and the struggles that often come with being a sex-repulsed asexual, but Kawakami did a wonderful job exploring the complexities of sexuality, especially when considering other matters such as gender and childbearing. I appreciated that Kawakami didn’t make a huge fuss about giving Natsuko (the protagonist) a label or concrete idea of why she’s so sex-repulsed and, instead, allowed thoughts to flow freely in a way that felt authentic to anyone trying to work out their sexuality.

My main gripe isn’t about the content but, rather, the structure. I felt the two parts of this book seemed a bit disconnected, plot-wise. I just couldn’t quite follow how the two parts closely connected beyond sharing similar themes. It probably didn’t help that I struggled a bit with the first part, since I didn’t find it as engaging as the second part. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infertility, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood

Minor: Alcohol, Pedophilia, Cancer, and Suicide attempt

book_voyager's review against another edition

medium-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

3.25

The first part of the book was really dragging, and I almost DNFed the whole book. Nothing just made sense, and to be honest, I still don’t have an idea what Makiko’s breasts had to do with anything. Everything seemed so messy.

Luckily, I didn’t stop reading, and I really liked part 2 of the book. The themes of that part where something that hit somewhat close to me and that’s why enjoyed reading it.

As a whole, this book has a lot of elements and I don’t know if they are all necessary. Is it important that Natsuko is a writer, is it important that Midoriko didn’t want to talk to her mum? I don’t know. I think the book would’ve worked without several things.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia

Minor: Cancer, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment