Reviews

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

salmaisreadingbooks's review

emotional sad

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

5.0

This was my first book on my reading journey as an adult, and what a way to start! The story is thought-provoking and haunting in the best way possible. It explores profound themes like identity, isolation, and freedom. What’s interesting is how complicated freedom can be. There's a quote from the narrator that really sticks with me: "I was free, but it was the most terrible kind of freedom, the kind that made you wonder whether it wouldn't be better to be back in the cage."This book left me staring at the wall, questioning everything—like what truly makes us human and how deeply society shapes our identities and choices. It also makes you appreciate everything you have in life because the young girl is so content with the smallest things and doesn’t take anything for granted. It’s definitely the kind of read that stays with you long after you finish.

adaliz's review

reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

lpk32's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

atom_cable's review

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

triskydeka's review

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.5

catmac91's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

rawrdianasaur's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

elisasif's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

paperbaacks's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

“I was forced to acknowledge too late, much too late, that I too had loved, that I was capable of suffering, and that I was human after all.”

i think this is one of those books that only specific people would like—an acquired taste. even then i didn't hate it, it was just... so bleak.

i understand the necessity of the bleakness and the disquieting emptiness, but sometimes a story needs to be a short story and not a full length novel/novella. i who have never known men felt like one of those books.

even then i fully understand why so many people love it and gave it five stars—the story is so unique, the narrator is a mystery in and of itself. she is as much a character as she is a literary device. there are moments in the book that are harrowing, and hopeless, and sad. the story itself and engaging too.

ultimately, i think it frustrated me so much to not solve the mystery. we know just as much as the narrator, until the very end. it's completely a personal preference, but for the most part, this one didn't work that well for me :/

annalmc's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0