Reviews

Breasts and Eggs, by Mieko Kawakami

meganbyrd77's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

darbo's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

An incredible, insightful, and essential novel that needs to be talked about more.

This is the first Kawakami novel that I have ever read, but author Mieko Kawakami has truly created something incredible and stunning. She talks about aspects of the female body that many of us tend to ignore/have never even heard of, asks ethical questions, and lets us have many insights into what it means to be female in a modern society.

The blurb of this novel only tells half the story. The book is split into two halves but we follow Natsuko Natsume, the main character, in both of them as she discovers and explores herself, her body, and the female role in society, often holding onto patriarchal expectations as she does so, thinking that that is what is considered normal.

Throughout the novel, however, both she and you discover that this is not the case and gradually begin to change your views, as she does. The main plot point is artificial insemination, as Natsuko struggles with the rather philosophical question of what it means to truly know someone and what it means to bring a new life into this world. Along the way she meets many fascinating and unique individuals, causing her to think about and adapt to different viewpoints, as she wrestles with the thought of wanting her own child.

Spoiler

At some point in the novel, everything starts to unravel and it seems as though Natusko is spiraling out of control, into this deep, dark void that nobody can pull her out of. In short, it feels like she is depressed, and on the verge of taking her own life, which really reflects in the writing style as it becomes more sluggish, and Natsuko's actions and the events surrounding her become more mundane and repetitive. It all seems hopeless and you really root for her and for things to become better. However, the author really leaves you hoping until the very end, so hang in there!

To me, Breasts and Eggs is a sensational feminist novel that deserves way more recognition than it already has and we all need to read it and talk about it. 

stormedorian's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

ik had graag meer gelezen over midoriko en haar veranderend lichaam. ze zat er echt mee in, en toen ineens niet meer. ook wilde ik dat makiko en midoriko wat meer aanwezig waren in het tweede deel. het boek was echt traag. ik had liever gelezen over het vrouw-zijn dan of het vrouw-zijn het moeder-zijn beïnvloedt en vice versa. toch gaf het me interessante inzichten in het moeder-zijn en dat er van vrouwen verwacht wordt dat ze moeder zijn en hun lichaam niet mag veranderen.
"arbeidskracht met een kut", zei een personage eens.

clementinemelodie's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

jolienvandera's review against another edition

4.25

The fist book had me in a choke hold: I loved it, it made me re-experience my childhood trauma about periods and growing boobs and all that shit that nobody explains you properly when you’re young. It would have been a 5 star, but the second part didn’t hit me the same way even though I still found it an interesting topic. It’s the young teenage girl’s thought that really stuck to me after reading the book. 

tesstells's review against another edition

emotional informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

ebweeks's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

3.5

leny_ba99's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

goblin_reni's review against another edition

reflective medium-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? Yes

3.75

notasilkycat's review against another edition

4.0

I bought this book on a whim attracted by its premise and a couple of randomly read sentences only. It was definitely not a comforting read, rather disturbing one. The main character of this novel is Natsuko, in the first part she is in her thirties, in the second she is about forty. Through her experiences and experiences her older sister and her niece a reader gets some glimpses into motherhood, womanhood and simply being in modern Japan. And though it was not a pleasant journey at all, rather a ride on a rollercoaster, I find it somehow satisfying and thought-provoking.