Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

96 reviews

ruffian23's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Rape and Slavery

hckilgour's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

2.5

So I will say the book has good narration, likable characters, and an unsettling root in history. But the plot was… lacking in certain aspects.

My biggest issue was that it took over half the book for how the two women’s lives were even relevant to reveal itself. Which made me sit there and be like… what is the damn point. This could’ve easily been fixed but starting with grace/Wilhelmina being taken from Ruby, then backtracking to how it all started.

The epilogue left me wanted. Cool we know how Eleanor and family are doing. But then to have Ruby show up as the optometrist and that’s it. Like is Ruby still heartbroken by what happened, does she and shimmy ever work things out?

I’m also confused as to how the doctors thought a fourth miscarriage for Eleanor could’ve been life threatening? 

The historical aspect of this book is extremely unsettling. Worldwide having a baby before marriage carries a stigma. But to thing young girls who found themselves pregnant were treated so poorly and literally had their children stolen from them is sickening.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Abortion

helenehannailona's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad 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? No

5.0

This book explores female strength, motherhood and race - in the setting of the segregated US in the 1950s. Heartwarming, sad and profound, this book is an inspiring read. 
<Spoiler>And the way you see Eleanor‘s and Ruby‘s story slowly interlacing… the ending, when they finally meet, didn’t leave me, even after I closed the book. Do they know how they are connected? Will they know?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Pregnancy

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Abortion

kartrikk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Pregnancy

hayleymcquaid17's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Infertility

xoxo__adr's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Incredible! Absolutely incredible! I was completely immersed in both Ruby & Eleanor’s stories. I wish I could give this book 10 stars! Sadeqa Johnson is an excellent author! My goodness….this book, just like “Yellow Wife,” will sit with me for awhile. Easily my favorite of 2023! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism

amcghig's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Classism

greenclovers75's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage

Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

 Set in the 1950s, The House of Eve is the intertwined stories of two Black women, Eleanor, a college student, and Ruby, a highschooler with big dreams, who both experience unplanned pregnancies. Their stories highlight themes like racism, colourism, class, poverty, infertility and accepted roles for women. I was already fairly familiar with the way homes for unmarried mothers operated - although this is the first book I can recall that looked so explicitly at the intersection of race and unmarried mothers - so that section of the book was less impactful for me than for other readers. The book was an undemanding read, with many of the plot points being easy to predict. I found the epilogue unnecessary and didn’t need the story to be wrapped up quite so neatly. A perfectly fine read; one which was ideally suited to the reading bandwidth I had at the time I picked it up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, and Classism

meghan8715's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism and Vomit