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A review by eshurricane
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is a really hard one to rate, because I can see how this is a skillfully written story with important themes and a great piece for discussion and philosophical thinking. That being said, I went into it expecting it to be a little more genre-leaning and a little less literary and was left wanting. So maybe that's on me.
I also didn't much enjoy the narration in this audio version, which I was surprised by because Nikki Massoud is an incredible voice actress. I don't know if the robotic reading was intentional or not but it did not work for me. Because the book was so short I powered through, but I think a lot of the more impactful moments could have been a lot more interesting and enjoyable for me had I been reading the text or with a different narrator.
I don't usually do spoiler reviews but I kind of have to here if other potential readers are looking for specifics on whether or not they'll like this so... This book is a really good thinkpiece on the feminine condition and what it would be like to grow up with no societal notions of being a woman in the world. There are so many mysteries as to why these 40 women are locked in a cage.
However, none of those mysteries get solved. There are zero answers to any of the narrator's questions or the readers questions. Again, this is clearly meant to be ambiguous and be more about the journey and self-discovery than about the 'why's of the worldbuilding, but man! I wanted to know! It has the makings of such a cool sci-fi/dystopian epic but then it just ends with her growing old and dying alone and I was just kind of sitting there, feeling like I got tricked into reading this for a high school book report.
I feel like if you know that going in, then the book will be a lot more enjoyable. You can enjoy it for what it is, and not be left wanting. And I recommend reading the text, not listening to the audio version.
I also didn't much enjoy the narration in this audio version, which I was surprised by because Nikki Massoud is an incredible voice actress. I don't know if the robotic reading was intentional or not but it did not work for me. Because the book was so short I powered through, but I think a lot of the more impactful moments could have been a lot more interesting and enjoyable for me had I been reading the text or with a different narrator.
I don't usually do spoiler reviews but I kind of have to here if other potential readers are looking for specifics on whether or not they'll like this so... This book is a really good thinkpiece on the feminine condition and what it would be like to grow up with no societal notions of being a woman in the world. There are so many mysteries as to why these 40 women are locked in a cage.
I feel like if you know that going in, then the book will be a lot more enjoyable. You can enjoy it for what it is, and not be left wanting. And I recommend reading the text, not listening to the audio version.