Reviews

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

dimondqai's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

koelkat's review against another edition

4.0

I am absolutely in love with the prose of this book. All the uses of metaphors and similes made me feel exactly how Natsuko felt, especially feeling oddly comforted with all the surreal dreams she had throughout.

This is a great book that provides commentary on bodily autonomy and what it means to be a woman. I felt myself relating to the protagonist a lot with her feelings and thoughts on her sexuality. Overall, I have to say I enjoyed both books, but the first definitely would be my favorite despite the impact of the second book.

karamell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.0

ondreia420's review against another edition

4.0

This was a pretty comforting read. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that the female human condition is universal and not easy for anyone.

redrabbit0's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

pickyreader23's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

laurapasqualii's review against another edition

2.0

I put the book down at the beginning of book two. Somehow I wasn't in the right mindset for this. It's slow.

gabe_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I'm somewhat torn because I found this an interesting and valuable book to read (though incredibly bleak) but ultimately also found it quite boring. I liked many of the themes that the book explored. A lot about being a woman in general and specifically in this society in Japan. I thought that it handled well universal experiences while grounding them in the specific lives these women are living. I found the discussions about the morality of having children really thought-provoking, as well as Natsuko's obsession with it but also revulsion towards so many aspects of it. I also found the lens on being single and childless as an older woman in a society which looks at that as failure, and the comparison to your friends and the life you could have had if things had gone differently.

I think the slowness of the book, combined with long periods of nothingness in the character's life made it difficult going for me. That combined with the relentlessness of the depressing themes, and the slight meh feeling I had towards Natsuko for most of it. I felt bad for her, but I didn't feel much more than that. These aren't necessarily things that are bad about the book, and I think they were intensional, but they decreased my enjoyment. And I'm not the biggest fan of books about being a writer. Unlike others, I think I enjoyed the second half more than the first, I felt it picked up slightly and Natsuko feels like more of a character in her own story. The ending was also actually more satisfying than I thought it would be. 

ezff_22's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 ⭐️

phoebe24's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0