Scan barcode
thaliakarr's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? N/A
4.0
breast and eggs mainly revolved around natsuko natsume and how she navigated her life as a struggling writer and long-term single woman living in japan.
just a few pages in after i’ve started reading, i found myself being able to relate to the thoughts and life of the characters. mieko’s amazing writing was able to capture a lot of women’s shared experiences under a patriarchal society in this book. i would say that there were even parts that felt like it hit way too close to home.
the pacing is slow-medium, which is partly why it took me a while to finish it. this book also delves into topics like abuse, infertility, pregnancy, motherhood, etc. so a quick heads up if that’s not something you can take on. mieko also injected a lot of concepts that would be typically considered as unconventional.
rating 4 stars because i felt like this book gave voice to some of the things i can’t explain well. the pace took a while of getting used to but it really connected to me in a way i didn’t expect.
i think this might be my favorite 2024 read so far!
just a few pages in after i’ve started reading, i found myself being able to relate to the thoughts and life of the characters. mieko’s amazing writing was able to capture a lot of women’s shared experiences under a patriarchal society in this book. i would say that there were even parts that felt like it hit way too close to home.
the pacing is slow-medium, which is partly why it took me a while to finish it. this book also delves into topics like abuse, infertility, pregnancy, motherhood, etc. so a quick heads up if that’s not something you can take on. mieko also injected a lot of concepts that would be typically considered as unconventional.
rating 4 stars because i felt like this book gave voice to some of the things i can’t explain well. the pace took a while of getting used to but it really connected to me in a way i didn’t expect.
i think this might be my favorite 2024 read so far!
wonderveto's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
lunabuche's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
veebee257's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
3.5
esthersedition's review against another edition
5.0
The first half of the novel ‘Breast and Eggs’ by Mieko Kawakami follows the life of a hardworking girl called, Natsuko Natsume, through young adulthood into adulthood.
As she works towards her dream of becoming a bestselling author she’s caught between the vivid glimpses of her childhood and how she struggled with poverty growing up with her mother, older sister and grandmother.
The second half of the book goes on to focus on a narrative beyond that which takes place later on in Natsuko’s life. Ethical questions surrounding sperm donation in Japan are raised, as well as, Natsuko’s personal battle with the whole idea of it and where her idea of parenthood could fit into it. On Natsuko’s journey of questioning and researching into this topic, she’s learns more about the insights and experiences from special friends and acquaintances she’d met along the way.
At first, when I started reading ‘Breast and Eggs’ I was simply engrossed in how vividly and beautifully Mieko was able to describe events, emotions and memories. I had mistakenly pegged her as a good writer that could captivate the reader. A baseline requirement for any decent author. Though, as I read on, I realised to sum her up as just a good writer would be selling her short. She had a poetic flow to her words that gave you a whole other tier of understanding into how certain characters were feeling at that point in time. She was such a thought provoking writer. Before I knew it I had become immersed in Natsuko’s life and questions she had posed to herself, as though I was actually in her head or something. I then slowly began to ask myself those same questions and tried to understand those same feelings that Natsuko was so intensely feeling. I’m only 23, and there I was deeply relating to this 30-something year old’s life struggles. But, by the end of the book, I still felt a deep sadness for Natsuko and how I would never be able to really understand how she must have felt but happy that she had giving herself to the chance to try and understand it all.
To go on a tangent, Aizawa, who became something between the blurred lines of a friend and something more to Natsuko was such an interesting and complex character who I had taken a huge liking to. I also noticed how Mieko never mentioned if Makiko, her older sister, ended up going through with the surgery? Or how Natsuko felt after reading Midoriko, her niece’s, journal?
Besides that, ‘Breast and Eggs’ by Mieko Kawakami is one of those reads while reading you ask yourself new questions about life, parenthood, motherhood that you’d never think to ask yourself. Was it all a selfish endeavour and if so was it okay to be selfish? It was so profoundly thought provoking to the extent where I had to annotate the last few chapters of the book, where all the questions and thoughts she’d been battling were climaxing. On page 353, I had scribbled all over it, trying to ask myself the same flurry of questions that Natsuko was asking herself after a conversation with an acquaintance, Yuriko. It was such an enlightening and interesting read. I really enjoyed it.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As she works towards her dream of becoming a bestselling author she’s caught between the vivid glimpses of her childhood and how she struggled with poverty growing up with her mother, older sister and grandmother.
The second half of the book goes on to focus on a narrative beyond that which takes place later on in Natsuko’s life. Ethical questions surrounding sperm donation in Japan are raised, as well as, Natsuko’s personal battle with the whole idea of it and where her idea of parenthood could fit into it. On Natsuko’s journey of questioning and researching into this topic, she’s learns more about the insights and experiences from special friends and acquaintances she’d met along the way.
At first, when I started reading ‘Breast and Eggs’ I was simply engrossed in how vividly and beautifully Mieko was able to describe events, emotions and memories. I had mistakenly pegged her as a good writer that could captivate the reader. A baseline requirement for any decent author. Though, as I read on, I realised to sum her up as just a good writer would be selling her short. She had a poetic flow to her words that gave you a whole other tier of understanding into how certain characters were feeling at that point in time. She was such a thought provoking writer. Before I knew it I had become immersed in Natsuko’s life and questions she had posed to herself, as though I was actually in her head or something. I then slowly began to ask myself those same questions and tried to understand those same feelings that Natsuko was so intensely feeling. I’m only 23, and there I was deeply relating to this 30-something year old’s life struggles. But, by the end of the book, I still felt a deep sadness for Natsuko and how I would never be able to really understand how she must have felt but happy that she had giving herself to the chance to try and understand it all.
To go on a tangent, Aizawa, who became something between the blurred lines of a friend and something more to Natsuko was such an interesting and complex character who I had taken a huge liking to. I also noticed how Mieko never mentioned if Makiko, her older sister, ended up going through with the surgery? Or how Natsuko felt after reading Midoriko, her niece’s, journal?
Besides that, ‘Breast and Eggs’ by Mieko Kawakami is one of those reads while reading you ask yourself new questions about life, parenthood, motherhood that you’d never think to ask yourself. Was it all a selfish endeavour and if so was it okay to be selfish? It was so profoundly thought provoking to the extent where I had to annotate the last few chapters of the book, where all the questions and thoughts she’d been battling were climaxing. On page 353, I had scribbled all over it, trying to ask myself the same flurry of questions that Natsuko was asking herself after a conversation with an acquaintance, Yuriko. It was such an enlightening and interesting read. I really enjoyed it.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
toiletteregina's review against another edition
5.0
Gosh did this book make me feel so many things at once. It explores a lot about what it means to be a "woman" in society. What makes a woman? Is it her ability to menstruate? To have beautiful breasts? To have children she carried in the womb?
The book also challenges beauty standards, putting into focus what life can be like for those of us who don't meet society's golden standards of beauty – and the lengths some people will go to just to meet those standards. It's quite fitting even today, given the evolving beauty trends and standards that are constantly fed to us online and on social media.
There's a section in this book, towards the second half, that really resonated with me – more than the rest of the book had. It was whereYuriko brings into question the ethics of bringing a child into this world. Given her history of abuse, her stance on it was understandable, but more than that, it articulated thoughts of my own that I could never eloquently put into words myself.
There's a lot of introspection here that brought on some reflecting on my part as well. Although there may not be a lot going on in terms of plot, there's a lot of pensiveness to Breasts and Eggs, making you question what you know about motherhood, womanhood, and beauty standards.
The book also challenges beauty standards, putting into focus what life can be like for those of us who don't meet society's golden standards of beauty – and the lengths some people will go to just to meet those standards. It's quite fitting even today, given the evolving beauty trends and standards that are constantly fed to us online and on social media.
There's a section in this book, towards the second half, that really resonated with me – more than the rest of the book had. It was where
There's a lot of introspection here that brought on some reflecting on my part as well. Although there may not be a lot going on in terms of plot, there's a lot of pensiveness to Breasts and Eggs, making you question what you know about motherhood, womanhood, and beauty standards.
fewchapterswithme's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
vanderschootbente's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75