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caroisreading's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
cgdppl's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
This is probably one of the best Japanese books I have read so far. It defiently showcases some of the challenges women face in Japanese society (and probably to some extent in other western countries as well). The plot consists of what can be essentially divided into two stories - Breasts ,and Eggs.
The first one focusses on the relationships between mothers and their daughters in the main characters family. The main motives in this one are the struggles of low class women in Japan, relationships between mother and daughters, as well as reflections about the female body.
The second one is centered around the carrier of the main character and her struggles with pregnancy, having children and sustaining relationships with men in her life. The second story goes mainly into antinatalist motives and the morality of having children.
The ending did leave me quite bitter and wondering if the main character has made the right choice about having the child by herself. We do sympathize with her through her story, but in the end it felt a bit odd and unease when reading the final chapter. It definetly left me with something to think about through some time
The first one focusses on the relationships between mothers and their daughters in the main characters family. The main motives in this one are the struggles of low class women in Japan, relationships between mother and daughters, as well as reflections about the female body.
The second one is centered around the carrier of the main character and her struggles with pregnancy, having children and sustaining relationships with men in her life. The second story goes mainly into antinatalist motives and the morality of having children.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Misogyny
Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
serendipity421's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Infertility, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape and Pedophilia
joshuahc's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Infertility
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Pedophilia and Transphobia
ye_li's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
Breasts and Eggs is an insanely surreal book. It explores what it means to be a woman, what can classify a person as a woman, and what it means to live. The characters are convoluted, just complete messes—what a disaster they are, but that's what I found rather charming. Even as they're aging, moving into their twenties and thirties and forties, they still have no idea what the fuck they're doing. Which is almost reassuring, in a way. It took a while for me to read because it has a quirky writing style, and the paragraphs were… long, to say the least. Some themes were rather sudden, too, and I wasn't used to reading about such things, so I had to take breaks here and there. However, I still quite liked it. A very thoughtful piece of work, I can see why it received the praise it did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, and Drug use
breebok's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was pretty far outside of what I usually read. It was a really odd and heart wrenching exploration of what it means to be a woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
lettersinthemargins's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Kawakami deflty deals with issues like women's bodies, sexuality and the choice to have children. She wheedles information and provides a commentary on women's experiences through conversations. Seasons and character emotions also seem to have a close reflective relationship. There is the definite sadness that abusive and traumatic childhoods create, throughout the novel.
The first section is mostly about the way social spaces place an imposition on women's bodies to look and perform a certain way. The second section follows Natsuko as she deliberates on whether to have a child through assistive reproductive methods, the ethical and moral dilemmas involved and her own journey as a single adult woman. The text doesn't delve into the social manifestations of sex and gender discrimination, as much as I would have liked. Yet the lives of the central women characters are explored sensitively through multiple perspectives. Besides Natsuko, the novel provides a poignant look into Midoriko's thoughts on her mother's wish to have breast enhancement surgery and on the woman's egg producing body. Riko, Sengawa and Yuriko's perspectives reinforce and influence the protagonists thought and empathy.
The book sort of follows Natsuko in and out of daily moments. It skims through some surreal parts as Natsuko's emotions fluctuate. While these add to the flavour of the text, I really disliked how some intense moments were left incomplete, and sort of abruptly. I'm not sure if this is a result of the translation - which severly does injustice to the prose in some parts. It's excessively americanised and the Asian perspective doesn't come through. Which is another issue I had with the book.
The first section is mostly about the way social spaces place an imposition on women's bodies to look and perform a certain way. The second section follows Natsuko as she deliberates on whether to have a child through assistive reproductive methods, the ethical and moral dilemmas involved and her own journey as a single adult woman. The text doesn't delve into the social manifestations of sex and gender discrimination, as much as I would have liked. Yet the lives of the central women characters are explored sensitively through multiple perspectives. Besides Natsuko, the novel provides a poignant look into Midoriko's thoughts on her mother's wish to have breast enhancement surgery and on the woman's egg producing body. Riko, Sengawa and Yuriko's perspectives reinforce and influence the protagonists thought and empathy.
The book sort of follows Natsuko in and out of daily moments. It skims through some surreal parts as Natsuko's emotions fluctuate. While these add to the flavour of the text, I really disliked how some intense moments were left incomplete, and sort of abruptly. I'm not sure if this is a result of the translation - which severly does injustice to the prose in some parts. It's excessively americanised and the Asian perspective doesn't come through. Which is another issue I had with the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
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