Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

80 reviews

hilarylouise's review

hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Infertility and Suicide

Minor: Miscarriage and Cancer

Forced imprisonment

flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Blood, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Murder

lalex's review

emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

Spoiler

If you’re willing to come to terms with the rather mundane ending and unanswered questions and take a moment to reflect on what you’ve read I believe you will appreciate having read this book. The story telling is captivating with such a simple plot. The relationships formed and courage possessed by the youngest truly make this book a worthy read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Confinement, and Death

bookedbymadeline's review

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Some thought provoking statements throughout the book!

Intriguing story that gave me darker “unbreakable kimmy Schmidt” vibes. There’s no real answers to why the women are held, where they are, etc which I didn’t love or hate. It made sense for the story to not give us answers but I don’t always enjoy books like that either.

I enjoyed it enough, and can understand why others love the book. It’s a character driven book and the pace of the story jumps around a lot through time, skipping years at a time. Overall not a bad book and one I may dwell on for some time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Confinement, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Cancer, and Suicide

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Confinement, Mental illness, and Terminal illness

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Excrement, and Grief

ppp's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Minor: Blood

barbarella85's review against another edition

challenging dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Confinement

rionstorm's review

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A really interesting (and bleak) exploration of how we make sense and meaning of ourselves and our role as a Person, and how much of that is situational. The narrator's musings on how time only has meaning and we only really exist when it's in relation to other people really struck a chord with me. 

If you are looking for fast paced or hopeful dystopian fiction you won't like this.

Ending spoilers

Spoiler

Have seen the story described as "a puzzle that refuses to be solved", and I feel that's accurate - but as frustrating as that is, I can respect the authors decision not to explain anything. It sort of places you alongside the narrator and gives you the option to either choose to continue going knowing that there probably won't be a resolution, or give up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Death, Terminal illness, Infertility, Kidnapping, Confinement, Abandonment, and Suicide

Moderate: Police brutality and Physical abuse

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I knew absolutely nothing going into this, to the point where I thought it was a memoir! I have no idea what made me think that, and of course I was extremely wrong.

It was fascinating to see the child gain life experiences in such a vacuum, and it makes her a unique protagonist as she has no memory of society before the bunker. I was really engaged in her journey and I felt her yearning to keep moving.

It's a frustrating story, having no idea what caused this group of women to be locked up, or where they even are. It's also incredibly lonely and bleak. There's beauty, but the overwhelming feeling I had was one of total isolation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Confinement

kimberleydawn's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Confinement

Minor: Grief, Suicide, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Dementia, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Cancer