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Reviews tagging 'Infertility'
The House of Eve: Totally heartbreaking and unputdownable historical fiction by Sadeqa Johnson
86 reviews
bookishbilingual's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Racism, and Sexual assault
_theliteraturevillian_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
It is very clear that Mrs.Johnson does VERY THROUGH research when writing historical fiction and are we not truly thankful for that?
Again, I am stunned. ‘Yellow Wife’ made me a fan but ‘The House of Eve’ has made me a Stan 😩. This story was beautiful, but heartbreaking. I felt for Eleanor but Ruby, I wanted to embrace her in a way her mother couldn’t.
This has been my best read so far this year. Can’t wait for what Mrs.Johnson has in store for us next…
Again, I am stunned. ‘Yellow Wife’ made me a fan but ‘The House of Eve’ has made me a Stan 😩. This story was beautiful, but heartbreaking. I felt for Eleanor but Ruby, I wanted to embrace her in a way her mother couldn’t.
This has been my best read so far this year. Can’t wait for what Mrs.Johnson has in store for us next…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Abortion, Abandonment, Classism, Grief, Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault
smkelly1997's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
I was continuously drawn in throughout this book. It was hard to but down, heartbreaking, and yet an amazing read. I loved the intertwining and parallels between Ruby and Eleanor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, Classism, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, and Infertility
lizjames's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
Minor: Abortion
kms13x's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Racism
chailady's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved Yellow Wife by this author, but this one felt flat. The best part was the author’s notes and acknowledgements. It is there the reader really understands the author’s purpose. I love the character of Ruby; she was real. Eleanor felt more forced and flat. And William and his mother were so annoying.
The story is good, the characters were so-so, but the ending was surprisingly good.
Also, this book had similar feels to The Home for Unwanted Girls, by Joanna Goodman, When I First Held You, by Anstey Harris, and Take My Hand, by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. All four books use dual timelines/characters to convey their very similar themes: forced institutionalism, adoption, poverty, sexism, unwed mothers, etc. if you liked The House of Eve, I recommend reading the others.
The story is good, the characters were so-so, but the ending was surprisingly good.
Also, this book had similar feels to The Home for Unwanted Girls, by Joanna Goodman, When I First Held You, by Anstey Harris, and Take My Hand, by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. All four books use dual timelines/characters to convey their very similar themes: forced institutionalism, adoption, poverty, sexism, unwed mothers, etc. if you liked The House of Eve, I recommend reading the others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
njhokie14's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I found this book to be very slow and I almost abandoned it more than halfway through. The very end surprised me and got the rating up by a star or so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, and Child abuse
Moderate: Infertility
rainbowarkin's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
✨️ The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson ✨️
Ms. Johnson, excuse me, I think you dropped this ... 👑
I absolutely loved Yellow Wife and The House of Eve was no different. Sadeqa Johnson is 💯 an auto-buy author for me!
In the 1950s, we meet two main characters. Ruby, a 15-year-old in Philadelphia, striving for a full-ride scholarship to college and the first in her family to attend, and Eleanor in DC, who marries into an elite wealthy Black family who doesn't let just anyone in. Eventually, these two characters' stories come together in an unexpected way.
I loved both POVs and could not stop reading! If I had to take a break, I was thinking about when I could get back to reading it again. There are so many layers to these stories, these characters. You know when you receive a gift, and it's wrapped so nicely, and you open it, and it's another box to unwrap, and inside that box is another box, and another box, until you get to the final box with the gift? Reading The House of Eve is like that, except each unwrapping is another gift itself.
(Also, hi, it's me, I wrap gifts like that sometimes to trick the recipient 😂)
The characters were complete, whole characters with flaws. Many harboring secrets, many with unresolved trauma, and all fighting a battle of their own. The writing was excellent, raw, and beautiful. This book is unafraid to explore heavy, taboo topics and dark pasts that we choose to ignore.
This book will stay with me. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚠️CWs: sexual assault of a child, classism, racism, alcoholism, infertility & miscarriage, pregnancy. Check StoryGraph for others mentioned.
Ms. Johnson, excuse me, I think you dropped this ... 👑
I absolutely loved Yellow Wife and The House of Eve was no different. Sadeqa Johnson is 💯 an auto-buy author for me!
In the 1950s, we meet two main characters. Ruby, a 15-year-old in Philadelphia, striving for a full-ride scholarship to college and the first in her family to attend, and Eleanor in DC, who marries into an elite wealthy Black family who doesn't let just anyone in. Eventually, these two characters' stories come together in an unexpected way.
I loved both POVs and could not stop reading! If I had to take a break, I was thinking about when I could get back to reading it again. There are so many layers to these stories, these characters. You know when you receive a gift, and it's wrapped so nicely, and you open it, and it's another box to unwrap, and inside that box is another box, and another box, until you get to the final box with the gift? Reading The House of Eve is like that, except each unwrapping is another gift itself.
(Also, hi, it's me, I wrap gifts like that sometimes to trick the recipient 😂)
The characters were complete, whole characters with flaws. Many harboring secrets, many with unresolved trauma, and all fighting a battle of their own. The writing was excellent, raw, and beautiful. This book is unafraid to explore heavy, taboo topics and dark pasts that we choose to ignore.
This book will stay with me. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚠️CWs: sexual assault of a child, classism, racism, alcoholism, infertility & miscarriage, pregnancy. Check StoryGraph for others mentioned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Body shaming, and Infertility
ooohgoshtara's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
A historical fiction set in 1950's Philadelphia and Washington DC. The story follows fifteen year old Ruby and college aged woman Eleanor both black women from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The decisions both women make lead their lives to intersect in an unexpected way. The novel is told from alternating points of view of Ruby and Eleanor. We learn about their lives and backgrounds and the challenges they face as black women in 1950's America. Themes of motherhood, intergenerational issues, racism, colorism, infertility, classism, and love. I felt for both Ruby and Eleanor. I enjoyed the way this story was written. It was heartfelt and gut wrenching. Sadeqa Johnson does an amazing job of immersing us in her novels. I would highly recommend. I thoroughly enjoyed the authors note of how this novel came to be.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, Classism, Miscarriage, and Racism