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A review by icedpinecones
Olive by Emma Gannon
3.0
2.5
So the actual writing of this book was ace. Really easy to get on with, but that's just about where my praise ends.
I found this book really hard to read just with how self centered the protagonist was. I am also child free by choice, I don't plan on changing that and yes the comments are annoying. That does NEVER mean I'd act such a prick to anyone who was pregnant! Especially not my closest friends?
The main character, Olive, seems to only get a basic level of empathy at the 80% mark of this book & everything is resolved at the end through a conversation at dinner (that should've been had MUCH earlier on). There's also several issues that just go completely unresolved (such as the main character using an "I'm pregnant/baby on board" badge for priority treatment) and just a lack of compassion all around.
I was expecting an exploration of the choices we have in life, and how it plays out (which was again just explored towards the end via a side character) and for this book not to demonise either end of the spectrum. Women aren't bad for wanting a career, women aren't bad for wanting kids. Women aren't bad for struggling through motherhood, nor are they bad for acing it. There was just no nuance in the way it was told, it's just 300 pages of Olive hating her friends and everyone around her for having or wanting children then being confused when her friends call her out on her bullshit.
We shouldn't pit women against eachother, and while it's all good to have a moan Olive unfortunately takes it to an extreme of hating everyone around her. Go to therapy girl, this is embarrassing. X
So the actual writing of this book was ace. Really easy to get on with, but that's just about where my praise ends.
I found this book really hard to read just with how self centered the protagonist was. I am also child free by choice, I don't plan on changing that and yes the comments are annoying. That does NEVER mean I'd act such a prick to anyone who was pregnant! Especially not my closest friends?
The main character, Olive, seems to only get a basic level of empathy at the 80% mark of this book & everything is resolved at the end through a conversation at dinner (that should've been had MUCH earlier on). There's also several issues that just go completely unresolved (such as the main character using an "I'm pregnant/baby on board" badge for priority treatment) and just a lack of compassion all around.
I was expecting an exploration of the choices we have in life, and how it plays out (which was again just explored towards the end via a side character) and for this book not to demonise either end of the spectrum. Women aren't bad for wanting a career, women aren't bad for wanting kids. Women aren't bad for struggling through motherhood, nor are they bad for acing it. There was just no nuance in the way it was told, it's just 300 pages of Olive hating her friends and everyone around her for having or wanting children then being confused when her friends call her out on her bullshit.
We shouldn't pit women against eachother, and while it's all good to have a moan Olive unfortunately takes it to an extreme of hating everyone around her. Go to therapy girl, this is embarrassing. X