Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Matrix by Lauren Groff

26 reviews

balth_the_chaotic_good's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and War

sincerelyleah's review against another edition

reflective 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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and War

msjenne's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Rape, and Religious bigotry

ellipalmer's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Matrix is unlike any other book I have read. The story is quiet but fully engrossing. The writing is beautiful and urgent. There's no distinguished dialogue, similar to how Sally Rooney writes, which some might not like, but I never found it confusing and it definitely added something to the tone/mood of the book. I love historical novels. Matrix does something special that I've never seen done before. It drops us into the time without any historical context beyond the year. What we learn about the time and place is only what comes up in the narrative. People are referred to by characters but we're not given any additional detail about who they are. Some might find this disorienting, and I did my fair share of curious Wikipedia-ing. We get all the information we need to follow and be in the story, but it's like the book thinks we are also in that time and place and therefore don't need to be given additional context. It also makes the story and characters feel closer and more real. They aren't people from a faraway time and place, they're right here with us. 

Marie, the main character, is wonderfully complex. She's loving and intense, prideful yet motivated by a deep care for her community and the women she loves. The community of women- nuns and secular- around her feel equally fully realized. They can be kind and harsh, they love and disagree with each other. Matrix feels like a story about a strange and imperfect attempt at a feminist utopia, something that would seem fascinating set in the modern-day but feels even more exciting and interesting set in the late 12th and early 13th century. It feels like the kind of story that will only get better on second or third reading. I loved it.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Pregnancy

stevie's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Terminal illness

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.5

Thanks to Riverhead Books for the free advance copy of this book.

- MATRIX is gorgeous, painful, and powerful. Groff's writing carries you along its current through Marie's ups and downs, power grabs and moments of softness.
- This book is an ode to matriarchy, female friendship and sapphic love, and how these support systems propel us through even the bleakest of times.
- Though at times the poetry of the writing felt like it kept the reader at a remove, I still felt deeply for these women, cheering their victories and mourning their losses with them. Even if you know next to nothing about Marie de France or Eleanor of Aquitane (as I did not) this book is still quite engrossing. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and War