Reviews

Motherhood by Sheila Heti

oddishevenish's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

kismetcat's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

2.25

elienore's review against another edition

There's no clear plot, and I'm in a reading mood where there needs to be. 

jaclyncrupi's review against another edition

3.0

This was a mixed read for me. Some sections were electrifying, others were painful. I enjoyed Heti’s grappling with the question of motherhood and I do like it when writers like Heti, Cusk and Daum confront this topic. But something was slightly askew for me and the novelty of the questioning and coin tossing wore off for me pretty quickly. So I definitely didn’t love it as much as many of you did but parts of it were breathtaking.

sholtie's review against another edition

2.5

What if James Joyce had experienced crippling anxiety and PMDD in the midst of a midlife crisis? (I mean this as a compliment)

igotcourt's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

3.0

rachaelpenfil's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

charlottecherry's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

shermreads's review against another edition

2.0

really really struggled through this book & the narrow perspective of the author. peak upper class white western feminism, which is not necessarily a perspective which needs more airtime. I’m also not interested hearing more about the struggles within such a narrow confine of kinship, without making an attempt or acknowledge of attempts to blow it up/reimagine entirely (see: the radical stuff being proposed with alloparenting, non cis-het family units, etc)

that being said, there were some truly beautiful passages & great questions asked! but I’m not sure I would recommend anyone wade through the rest of it to get to the pearls.

read_and_bleu's review against another edition

4.0

This book was insightful and I felt my own swaying questioning about parenthood eloquently explored. A slow burning tennis match, a ‘will she won’t she’ teased out over cycles, locations and moods.