carolineloisfast's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
julsromay's review against another edition
3.0
m costó entrar en el libro, pero poco a poco le cogí el tranquillo. está lleno d referencias a canciones populares, libros, lugares (cosa q m encanta porq wikipedia es mi lugar favorito así q estuve consultandola mogollón d tiempo, poniendole imagen e historia a catedrales ruinosas del s.xiii o así) (cero ironía, lo juro). a veces tenía "demasiada" biología para mi gusto, pero hubo partes en las q lloré y todo, muchos sentimientos (un comentario dice q le gustaría q hablase menos d la maternidad, pero yo leería milquinientas páginas d esta mujer dd hable d lo q siente con su maternidad, m encanta como describe). una pena q no haya 0'5 aquí porq le pondría más bien un 3'5.
kaitlynhermansen's review
3.0
The first half of this book is beautiful- an ode to the sea. Part memoir, part musings, Runcie combines her own history with the sea with myths of the sea and sea shanties. I loved the first half. She bases her memoir on women centered myths, and discusses the history of women and the sea.
And then in the second half of the book, Runcie shifts and begins discussing her first pregnancy. The book turns from musings into detailed descriptions of prenatal visits, neonatal classes, and eventually her child’s births. It felt like a strong shift of what was beautiful prose into a recanting of her birth story. Which is totally fine- if that’s what I was expecting or looking for in this book, which it wasn’t. I found myself skipping sections to get to the next part where she talked about myths or poetry again.
Had Runcie ended the book halfway, or continued with the structure in the first half of the book, this would have been a five star read. But ultimately, this just wasn’t for me.
And then in the second half of the book, Runcie shifts and begins discussing her first pregnancy. The book turns from musings into detailed descriptions of prenatal visits, neonatal classes, and eventually her child’s births. It felt like a strong shift of what was beautiful prose into a recanting of her birth story. Which is totally fine- if that’s what I was expecting or looking for in this book, which it wasn’t. I found myself skipping sections to get to the next part where she talked about myths or poetry again.
Had Runcie ended the book halfway, or continued with the structure in the first half of the book, this would have been a five star read. But ultimately, this just wasn’t for me.
oceanelle's review
2.0
I liked a couple chapters, but overall I was a bit disappointed. The description was beautiful, but I expected the stories of the sea and Runcie's personal narrative to weave together smoothly. I was also hoping for a more comprehensive view of the sea and what it's meant to women, but the book mostly focused on the Scottish coast. Overall, it felt as though the author could've made the book more personal and relatable.