Reviews

Maternidade by Sheila Heti

partialtruth's review against another edition

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5.0

I think I was prepared to dislike this (I don’t know why?) but honestly, the only thing I wanted to do when I finished it was begin reading it again. Such an important book for more reasons that I can properly articulate.

lerys's review against another edition

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1.0

couldn’t finish this it was so annoying. i really tried got more than half way through and some of it was interesting and interestingly written but omg. not for me.

nikkijustnikki's review against another edition

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2.0

Circuitous, repetitive, lacking any narrative arc

This book is, I expect, a very honest representation of the author’s thoughts on the subject over several years. In that respect, it has moments that are relatable and poignant. It is not a good _book_ though - it tells no coherent _story_. I found it frustrating to read.

erinrouleaux's review against another edition

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4.0

I didn’t know where this was going and to be honest I felt it was a bit of a slog 2/3 of the way through, and then it took a turn, and it became quite wonderful and I saw that I had journeyed with the author all the while and when she took a turn, I did too and could see the light at the end of the tunnel, see the answers more clearly, or rather the questioning more clearly. To quote the author: “In the early days of writing this book, I thought it would be a trick: that I would write it and it would tell me whether I wanted to have a child. You think you are creating a trick with your art, but your art ends up tricking you.”

mahpharah's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A

1.0

constantlymaya's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

salam_'s review against another edition

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challenging hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

haleyb15's review against another edition

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1.0

Stopped this book at only 5% in because I got tired of the weird coin flipping Q&A. Decided to check the other reviews and it doesn’t sound like it gets much better from there so DNF.

lclarotto's review against another edition

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3.0

The writing in this book is excellent; it has been a long time since I’ve highlighted so many phrases and paragraphs for their ability to convey emotion and succinctly summarize complex feelings. For that reason, I enjoyed this book, and appreciate the nuance with which the author approaches such a complex, emotionally-charged, and deeply personal subject.

That being said, I felt like plot-wise it just didn’t do it for me. It didn’t draw me in, and didn’t provide satisfaction in many ways. I’d still recommend it to everyone for its discussions about childbirth, since it does it in a way I’ve never encountered before, but I felt a bit disappointed in the end.