Reviews

Motherhood by Sheila Heti

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shimmery's review

5.0

As she nears the end of her fertile years, The narrator wonders whether or not she should have a child. Consulting flipped coins, everyone she meets and her own family history, she thinks about what it means to be a mother or not, and what it means to be a woman who resists this primal calling.

I think this is a fantastic book. Bizarrely, given how important it is, this is a subject rarely written about, and as the narrator points out, those women who decide they do not want to have children are often pitied and or misunderstood. I think this book will give a lot of women permission to follow their instinct not to have a child in a society that teaches women it is their purpose; that to not want to be a mother is an abnormality cured by meeting the right person/holding a child.

As well as being incredibly thoughtful and insightful, this book is also funny and entertaining — the narrator is a likeable person who manages to attract a lot of interesting people to her (including fortune tellers).

I think all women should read this book.

whoamo's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

jeannievc's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

soni1597's review against another edition

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Was not what I expected

raychillstorm's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

giving so much space to the decision making around motherhood was incredibly exhausting at times, as was the author. but on the other hand, aren't we all tiresome when feeling anxious?