Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

29 reviews

radtj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I really liked the author’s take on what it means to be human and time as a construct of humanity. This book leaves you with some unanswered questions, but it’s the feeling the book leaves you with that feels more important. The format and voice the author writes in compels you to be just as curious as the main character, and it definitely gives you some interesting topics to think about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, Infertility, Grief, Confinement, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Genocide

gabbynasty's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Cancer, Body horror, Alcohol, Grief, Kidnapping, Suicide, Blood, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Murder, Infertility, Suicide attempt, and Violence

emilyschabert's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Confinement

Minor: Terminal illness, Suicide, Medical content, Infertility, Sexual content, and Miscarriage

cloroxcrew's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Infertility, Death, Suicide attempt, and Confinement

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Torture, Violence, and Blood

hilarylouise's review against another edition

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

rionstorm's review against another edition

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

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

paulinelluise's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense 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? No

4.75

I thought she would be able to tell us what was going on, I want to know :(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Infertility, Blood, Violence, Kidnapping, Cancer, Death, Grief, and Alcohol

kimberleydawn's review against another edition

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

madelinequinne's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I’m not usually a fan of dystopian or sci fi books so this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but i thought the concept was really interesting! 

when i picked this up i was more expecting it to be about a small group of women being held against their will by men for nefarious reasons, rather than it being a dystopia where so many people were in these bunkers for a reason nobody knew, so it was a surprise when i got into it and realised it was that, and i can’t say i hugely enjoyed it just cuz this genre isn’t really my kind of thing, but i did find a lot of the points the main character made very reflective and interesting, and found myself relating to her in some ways, despite her situation being so far from anyone on earth’s. 

it was cool to challenge myself to explore a genre i’m not usually into, but i don’t know if i’d do it again 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Suicide, Infertility, Dementia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Terminal illness, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, and Abandonment

noshinbean's review against another edition

dark tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide, and Suicide attempt