Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

102 reviews

mgehrens's review against another edition

emotional 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: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

machenn's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Abortion, Sexual content, Death, Miscarriage, Vomit, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

sjexley's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.25

The story of two black women in the 1950s.  Rudy is 15 and wants nothing more than to be a an optometrist.  She overcomes all sorts of adversity, but then she meets a boy.   Eleanor is studying at Howard and wants to be an archivist.  But then she meets a boy too.  We go back and forth between their two stories, until eventually they become connected.  It's easy to see the author did a great amount of research when writing her book and I loved that aspect, but this book didn't really grab me the way I hoped it would.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Emotional abuse

moniipeters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Abortion, Death, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Confinement, and Cursing

enlamont's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Miscarriage, and Infertility

Moderate: Grief, Sexual harassment, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, Racism, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Sexual content

chinelo_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Alcohol, Classism, Infertility, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault

liamliayaum's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

The writing was engaging but it was tough content to read. While it is historical fiction, there is truth to this past of unwed mothers who were shamed and forced to give up their babies. I can't say I have come across a book that centers Black characters in this narrative and for that reason, this should be a high priority read for everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Rape

ruffian23's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, and Racism

Minor: Slavery and Rape

hckilgour's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

2.5

So I will say the book has good narration, likable characters, and an unsettling root in history. But the plot was… lacking in certain aspects.

My biggest issue was that it took over half the book for how the two women’s lives were even relevant to reveal itself. Which made me sit there and be like… what is the damn point. This could’ve easily been fixed but starting with grace/Wilhelmina being taken from Ruby, then backtracking to how it all started.

The epilogue left me wanted. Cool we know how Eleanor and family are doing. But then to have Ruby show up as the optometrist and that’s it. Like is Ruby still heartbroken by what happened, does she and shimmy ever work things out?

I’m also confused as to how the doctors thought a fourth miscarriage for Eleanor could’ve been life threatening? 

The historical aspect of this book is extremely unsettling. Worldwide having a baby before marriage carries a stigma. But to thing young girls who found themselves pregnant were treated so poorly and literally had their children stolen from them is sickening.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Classism, Infertility, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Abortion

helenehannailona's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book explores female strength, motherhood and race - in the setting of the segregated US in the 1950s. Heartwarming, sad and profound, this book is an inspiring read. 
<Spoiler>And the way you see Eleanor‘s and Ruby‘s story slowly interlacing… the ending, when they finally meet, didn’t leave me, even after I closed the book. Do they know how they are connected? Will they know?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy and Racism

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Infertility