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raemoore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Child death and Chronic illness
kerriboland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
What a gut punch of a novel. What a beautiful, important, horrible gut punch. Realistic, honest, just, beautiful, horribly sad and incredibly powerful. Beautifully written, amazingly translated.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Infertility, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy
rgs's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
dizzzybrook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Chronic illness, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual content
amycrehore's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Infertility, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Pregnancy
amyford's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
sakisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The difficulties of friendships, the pains of motherhood, etc. felt present and real. I also felt myself getting attached to Doris and Niçolas, the protagonist’s neighbours, as well as her friend Alina. They were all so hurt and so human! 🥲
BookTok had said this was going to be life-changing. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t feel that way. However, I still felt touched by it and would like to read similar works maybe one day 😊
3.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
barbelizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
My only note would be that I felt the metaphor of the nest was a little on the nose for my taste. It just wasn't subtle enough, but otherwise masterfully done.
I will come back to reread this.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
reverie_and_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The novel is devastating and hopeful. It asks seemingly unquestionable questions. To someone not exactly knowing what they’re talking about here (I don’t have children), the author seems to keep the sugarcoating away but also shines a light on the good things. It seems balanced out, relatable, while being also very far away from me. In some way it is tragic. In some other way it is life affirming.
“I have to admit, I have never really got along well with children.” This is a thought of the main character, Laura, on page one. She goes further and seems to investigate the cause, the why, the reason, why women still want to become mothers, and suspects society and their families as the only driving forces.
But there is a twist, a tragically beautiful one. Her best friend (suddenly) wants to have a child, gets pregnant, but there are complications and huge worries.
Accompanied by a pigeon nest on her balcony rafters, her neighbors son Nicolás, who keeps smashing his head against the wall, and his mother Doris, traumatized and overwhelmed, Lauras perceived world grows in size:
“The more we love a person, the more fragile and insecure we feel because of them.”
Life is complex, frightening, beautiful. I want to end this review by quoting a sentence from the blurb:
“In prose that is as gripping as it is insightful, Still Born explores maternal ambivalence with a surgeon’s touch, carefully dissecting the contradictions that make up the lived experiences of women.” While I expected something different, I know that this book will take permanent residency in the back of my mind.
Moderate: Child death and Chronic illness
ali1vory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death and Medical content