Reviews - I Who Have Never Known Men

40.9k reviews for:

I Who Have Never Known Men

Jacqueline Harpman

4.24 AVERAGE

kateikenberry's review against another edition

5.0

emotional mysterious reflective 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: No

the_villager's review against another edition

2.5

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

robertojv's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Favorite quote: "I am the sterile offspring of a race about which I know nothing, not even whether it has become extinct. Perhaps, somewhere, humanity is flourishing under the stars, unaware that a daughter of its blood is ending her days in silence. There is nothing we can do about it."

annabeljean's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

mmonster's review against another edition

4.5

dark reflective medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters: No

18ck's review against another edition

3.0

I was gripped by this but felt strangely dissatisfied with the lack of a resolution. I started of feeling like it was going to be some sort of Handmaid's Tale style sci-fi dystopia where the men have some sinister motive that the women have to understand and resist. When the men suddenly disappear it takes a real twist. The sense of mystery deepens as they try to figure out why what is happening is happening. But as they go on, none of the questions get answered and you wonder did the author set out to write a sort of Franz Kafka sci-fi experience, where a nameless protagonist never succeeds in making sense of the impossible situation she's placed in, and we understand more about our own plane in a meaninglessness world... Or could she just not think of an ending?

Alternatively, maybe it's a social allegory and we're supposed to read is as... What? Women finally being liberated from their subjugation to men but being unable to produce anything so just continuing to cannibalise the society that the men created until... they... all... die....?

I dunno, I've heard a lot of hype about the book, but I wanted more from it.