Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Breasts and Eggs

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

25 reviews

corvuscorax's review against another edition

3.75

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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caroisreading's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.0

Mieko Kawakami is becoming one of my favorite, most relatable authors. I read "All The Lovers In The Night" before this, and fell in love with her storytelling and main character. "Breast and Eggs" follows a similar formula of a lost and lonely woman, trying to find meaning.

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.

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lillypowell's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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u_0's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

Beautiful, intense, and profoundly human. I'm at a loss for words. It was real.

Content Warnings

thebookwasbetter_22's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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? N/A

3.5

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saskiahill's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

Richly written, the author's writing style really brings the scenes to life. There's lots of interesting themes explored including parenthood, womanhood, being single, birth, growing up and more, which are tackled well. The book doesn't follow a really clear plot with obvious start, middle and end, but it is told in a linear way and feels satisfying nonetheless. The characters are neither lovable or bad, they are very real and relatable. At times the pace dipped, or I didn't particularly relate to a section - but I think that's more to do with me being a 'mood reader' than about the book itself.

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mia_a's review against another edition

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emotional informative 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? It's complicated

4.75

I have only recently found out that this book is actually two stories in one. First one about Natsuko's family- her working-class sister who researches breast augmentation thinking it would aid in her job, and her teenage daughter who refuses to speak to her mom for more than half a year, with Natsuko being there in the background, silently judging and remembering their harsh childhood. Second part is years later, when Natsuko is contemplating having a child, via sperm donor. Through this time, she has very different opinions on this- from her own sister saying that it is not a good idea, old friend saying how she doesn't have financial security to raise a child, to her newest friend who supports her in this decision. Even though it drags a little bit, it rounds up nicely at the end.

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