Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Yo que nunca supe de los hombres

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Yo que nunca supe de los hombres by Jacqueline Harpman

25 reviews

katwritesandreads7's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

3.0

I... Don't know how I feel. I suppose the point of the book was well made, but I'm ultimately disappointed

by the end and lack of answers. The story was well written and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time... Only to be left with more questions than answers...

While I suppose that was the point, it doesn't sit right with me

Content Warnings

khadijah98's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

Content Warnings

averyalexis's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

This book made me get introspective and posed a lot of philosophical questions about the human experience. Don’t read if you are looking for something light.

Content Warnings

vivisms_82's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Only a small book but it packs a thought provoking, philosophical punch. The subject matter is definitely not a cheery, summer read! It is bleak and heavy at times. I guess, for me, it is a tale of the highest oppression; a world where sensory deprivation and social interaction is forbidden; basic education is no longer, zero privacy (no toileting or washing alone), living in constant fear of violence under the watch of guards. For our main character (who is nameless) we see the impact of all this on her as a human that knows no differently. We begin with her as a child among adult women - no men are imprisoned however the guards are male. I found this deeply reflective on the human experience. Thought it was terrific and not sure why it's not as well known in the English speaking world. I keep thinking about it weeks after finishing it. This book has been described as one that explores loneliness and survival. For me, it's also about our need for connection to the people we share our world with and the need to make sense of the world we live in. It's about how our world, the people in our circle and life experience shape our view and sense of self. This book will make you question how devastating it can be when the human experience we know has been stripped away and our senses, brains and souls aren't nourished, stimulated or challenged.

** note: If you are one of those people that require answers to all your questions then this is not for you. And I think that (at least for me) only strengthens the story.

Our protagonist gets her information from the women that are all older than her. Not from experiencing anything first hand or learning from a book, tv, internet etc. So once they escape, her view of her world is largely shaped by these 39 women - and their varying opinions, and of their own faded memories and experiences of pre oppressive, imprisoned life. They have not forgotten the violence and that is what makes them so obedient. But their memories pre-imprisonment is vastly lost. My point is, we the reader don't get further answers because our protagonist doesn't know them. That, for me, is what made this book so terrific - no explanation of why she and all the other people were in cells, of their world before or where they are now - is this earth in the future? Is this another planet? A parallel universe? Where is everyone? By not having these questions answered, we are forced to see this world and horrible human experience through this girl's eyes - a girl that knows no different. Truly masterful.

Content Warnings

hsophiewhite's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

mguy27's review against another edition

Go to review page

Sexual content

Content Warnings

christcore's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

The most beautiful book I have read in a long time. On its surface, it's a satisfactory adventure story about one girl imprisoned among 39 adult women, all being held captive without understanding why. It's written from the girl's perspective when she is an old woman as her last testament before she dies, left to be found by a wanderer -- if any still live. The girl has no knowledge of life outside of the underground bunker, so she asks the others to recall what painful fragments they carry in their memories.

You won't get the answers you want from this book.

The catastrophe that led to the bunker situation is never explained. How power is supplied to all of these bunkers is never explained. Why these women were set free, what the men did or didn't know about the situation... it's all left a mystery.

Underneath the surface is a moving text that explores femininity, girlhood, emotion, love, grief, resilience, and so much more. I can't wait to read this book again.

Content Warnings