Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

60 reviews

highmarshal_azure's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Murder

lorealb's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, and Death of parent

alexandryareads's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

i really liked this book and etaf rum is such a good author! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Blood, and Gaslighting

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Islamophobia, Abortion, and War

camilahaha__'s review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Blood, and Alcohol

kodi_rae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Miscarriage, Self harm, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion

liv_txt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Car accident, and Pregnancy

cartermon4's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Blood, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death and Car accident

moonadjacent's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

• 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? No

3.5

There aren't that many events that actually go into the plot and the mystery is not much of a focal point so mystery-lovers would probably be disappointed with the 'reveal'. This book is much more about the characters, their relationships with each other, intergenerational trauma, and the cycle of abuse/violence from colonialism to sexism to family violence. 

Two excerpts that showcase these themes: 

"...had taught her that the traumas of the world were inseparably connected. She was not surprised when her father came home and beat them mercilessly, the tragedy of the Nakba bulging in his veins... She knew that the suffering of women started in the suffering of men, that the bondages of one became the bondages of the other."

"...how shame could grow and morph and swallow someone until she had no choice but to pass it along so that she wasn't forced to bear it alone... She saw the chain of shame passed from one woman to the next so clearly now, saw her place in the cycle so vividly." 

With the bleakness of the violence described, it would be easy to feel hopeless and unable to see a pathway for Deya (central character) to ever become a well-adjusted young woman free to make her own choices. However, while the author does not shy away from some quite graphic descriptions they also manage to maintain some sense of hope throughout the book. I believe the sense of wonder and escapism that books and storytelling bring to the characters is what helps keep this seemingly unwarranted hope stay alive.

Although the novel is somewhat repetitive in its recounting back and forth between set events and timeframes, I stayed hooked and eager to read til the end. I think Etaf Rum has done well to portray and give voice to a story that is true representation for a number of some. Even in the book, there is evidence that religion is not the basis for all culture, and culture cannot be taken as the sole basis for every action taken by a specific family or individual. How these influences manifest will be different for all and unfortunately terrible for some. Hopefully anyone with critical thinking skills can discern this difference and more of these stories can be shared without fearing potential backlash such as increasing prejudice towards Islam or Palestine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Genocide, Rape, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Child death, Suicide, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Murder

sanjreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, and Murder

ninajean's review against another edition

This was such a heart wrenching, but well written book. It follows three generations of a Palestinian family across two primary timelines. It captures the complexity of generational trauma, the rigidness of culture and religion and how that impacts beliefs, the violence of occupation and diaspora, and the oppression of women. I will say that this is an accessible read, in the way that the themes are very clearly written out for the reader to grab onto. The only issue I had with the book is that some parts started to feel repetitive, it just sorta felt like I was reading the same excerpts written in different ways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, and War