Reviews

El acontecimiento by Annie Ernaux

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m___p's review against another edition

5.0

I think it’s slightly undersold by the publisher’s description. I’d argue Happening is essentially a thriller, as my reading experience was gripping and rapid, despite my generally galacial reading speed. It was at points medically horrifying, at least to my unaccustomed male eyes, and it was morally horrifying the whole way through, as she viscerally renders the insanity and brutality of abortion restrictions. Definitely my favorite of Annie Ernaux’s so far.

mars_me's review against another edition

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emotional informative tense fast-paced

4.5

maria_dedelis's review against another edition

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5.0

Going back in time with Annie was a thoughtful, difficult journey.
A personal yet universal story of fear and determination bursting in bodies of so many women back in the sixties. Determination to get rid of an embryo and regain the control of one's life, the desperate quest to not let their freedom be torn into pieces.
We plunge into the gloom of November and the cold of upcoming winter when 23-year-old Annie seeks help to get an abortion under the hostile anti-abortion law of the early sixties' France. We get to know the extreme stress and pressure put upon women and their astonishing strength. The methods used by abortionists back then and looming danger and risk.
A very important read to remind us of lives of those women and their experiences, as well as to make us fight even harder in the times when our rights are constantly at risk.