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ireadingbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
ktrain3900's review against another edition
- 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
In the journal entries, long conversations, and hallucinatory dreams of the Part 1 (essentially the Breasts section) we meet Natsuko, her sister, and her niece, as the latter two visit Natsuko in Tokyo for sister Makiko's breast enlargement consultation, where Natsuko is ultimately a foil in the drama between Makiko and Makiko's tween daughter Midoriko, all while exploring aspects of her own childhood.
Part 2 (essentially the Eggs section) is more stream of conscientiousness, with the dreamy quality now more like a ghost haunting old neighborhoods, almost through time, the long conversations now with colleagues and friends, as Natsuko now contemplates having a child as a single mother by choice. She continues to explore her own past and life, as she emerges from a fog to forge a future she wants.
While I found the book a little hard to engage with when I first started, to the point I started reading other books for a break, I was able to breach the tidebreak and get into the ocean of the book and it's well thought out and considered debates between the mainly female characters. The ending did feel a little bit contrived, or at least convenient, but ultimately this is a novel that deserves a place along with classics like The Golden Notebook and The Women's Room addressing women's issues and creativity from a more contemporary lense.
Minor: Death, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Cancer
ahanky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy and Infertility
Moderate: Pedophilia, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
caroisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is divided in two parts. Book One was my favorite by far, and as a standalone work, pretty much perfect, a 5.0. I cried at the beauty of her descriptions of the older sister's simple and sweet devotion to her little sister, as well as the strained relationship with her teen daughter.
Book Two is primarily focused on the younger sister, and I had trouble getting through its density -- beautiful writing, though overwhelmingly verbose. The prose doesn't have the back and forth dynamic that Book One does, switching from the teen's journal entries to the narrator's POV. Maybe that switch made Book Two feel more plain. Still very meaningful.
As a whole, this book delivers on what it means to be a woman in this world, the pressures and injustices, sexuality, the obsession with fertility, youth and appearances. The female characters sort through these themes in a heartbreaking, yet brave and honest way. I loved them, related wholeheartedly with them, and rooted for them.
You'll like this if you're interested in female perspectives, solitary main characters, thoughtful and intelligent writing.
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Infertility, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Suicide, Incest, and Misogyny
kurumipanda's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Infertility, and Cancer
Minor: Sexual content, Child abuse, Murder, Acephobia/Arophobia, Suicide, Rape, Pedophilia, Medical content, Body horror, and Body shaming
alexandrabelze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Infertility, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Cancer, Terminal illness, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Bullying
mauatuafr's review
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicide, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Classism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Rape
cow_png's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Cancer, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Infertility
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Sexism
Minor: Car accident
cecilialau_'s review
4.5
Just saying that I liked that I ended up savouring it bc I really became invested in her life, and it was just absolutely worth the read.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Misogyny
hue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm no longer surprised Breasts and Eggs became such an international hit. I enjoyed it immensely, the ups and downs of Natsuko's life and all that wove into it. I'll be thinking about this one for ages upon ages, that I'm sure of.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Cancer, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content