Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Brood

There was never a time I was invested in what the narrator had to say. I found her antagonistic and judgmental regarding anything she didn't understand. I really didn't like her and couldn't make myself feel compassion for her.

Content Warnings

ghoulscoutcamp's review against another edition

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informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

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atamano's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

deedireads's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? No

4.5

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

I really enjoyed Brood. It’s human and quietly empathetic, with emotional layers and astute attention to detail. I am going to have to read it again someday.

For you if: You like short stories, or novels that do interesting things from a craft perspective.

FULL REVIEW:

“Life is the ongoing effort to live. Some people make it look easy. Chickens do not.”

Thank you to Doubleday for sending a review copy of this book my way. I really enjoyed it, and I have been thinking about it even more than I’d expected to ever since I finished.

Brood is told in short narrative vignettes by a narrator who forges an unexpected connection to the chickens she and her husband have come to own. She is grappling with loss and change, and amidst extreme winter and predators and even a tornado, she finds herself more and more passionate about helping them fight against the everyday struggle to survive. I don’t want to say much more than that, because I didn’t know much going in and liked it that way, but I found this book to be surprisingly emotional, empathetic, and astute. (Also I know so much about chickens now lol.)

This is not a book you read for plot, but if you like characters, and short stories and other forms that do interesting things for a craft perspective, I think you will like this one. It’s quiet and short, but it’s got so many delicious layers. And prose is excellent, with observations that hit you right in the gut and heart.

There were parts that I felt like slipped through my fingers, which always happens for me with novels told in vignettes like this. I think it was because I haven’t gone through the experiences the narrator was healing from (check the content warnings), but it didn’t keep me from enjoying the novel overall (far from it). That said, I think this could be really impactful for someone who has gone through those things, if it wasn’t too much to read about. I fully expect to read this again someday and get even more out of it than I did the first time.

Content Warnings

keeley's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

biblio_jordyn's review against another edition

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funny reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.0

“It is the current fashion to experience all aspects of life to the point of breaking.”

Brood follows a nameless main character as she deals with grief, life, and keeping her brood of 4 chickens alive.

What could have been better?
This book didn’t have a strong emotional impact on me. By the description I thought there would times my heart would ache or a section that would break me, but it didn’t happen, it felt one note at times. But, as always, that just may have been a ME thing.

What I did like?
I really enjoyed the writing, it was beautiful and the tone was calming. I learned a lot about chickens and I actually got VERY invested in their lives. Going along with that, I feel like I grew to know and connect with lot of characters in a short amount of time and their relationships to each other, which is hard to do: the nameless main character, her husband, her mother, her best friend, and an assortment of neighbors. The book at times can feel disconnected, which mimics how people feel in the grief process. The book makes you think about things you might not have before and tells the story of grief by having the main character find purpose living in the here and now and the people and things around her (though it has a couple past perspectives for context) and you really are in her head.

I would read this book if you’re looking for a calming read that is beautifully written, has some talk about grief, character driven, and if you’re curious about why I keep talking about chicken!

Thank you @doubledaybooks for #gifting me this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings

reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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