Reviews

Memoirs of a Woman Doctor by Nawal El Saadawi

wayna's review

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

jiyoung's review

3.0

First published in the 50’s, this book follows a woman from childhood into her life as a rare woman doctor in Egypt. Suffocated by gender expectations since youth, she has a moment of revelation during a medical autopsy that men and women have no true difference (we’re all the same sacks of meat). The feminist critiques here are not subtle—in fact, some of the best parts of the book are when the author is unintentionally hilarious in her staid yet brutal humbling of men. However, this is a book of its time; the narrator spends much of the latter half of the book fixated on her sexual relationships with men in a way that detracts from her pursuit of liberation. The book was originally serialized so the flow is a bit stilted.

lou_christie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

rojaed's review against another edition

4.0

An interesting book, but a bit sentimental. Her story as a young woman studying medicine, her first marriage and then meeting her second

abey's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

jalsop's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective sad 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? No

3.5

readbyraisin's review

informative inspiring

5.0

unamujerhabitada's review

3.0

Hermosas y fuertes frases durante casi todo el libro. En pocas páginas nos muestra a una mujer que se reveló a su destino esperado por la sociedad patriarcal, una mujer que buscó su independencia económica, que pese a la sorpresa de los demás estudió y ejerció la medicina, y que en este libro va reflexionando rápidamente sobre su vida. La narración se siente más rápido de lo normal, lo cual pareciera ser un artilugio de la autora para enfocarse en los eventos más relevantes de la vida de la personaje principal. Su búsqueda del amor de pareja y las ideas alrededor, pese a ser pro feministas, aún me dejaron inquieta y pudiesen algunas caer en la idea del amor romántico. Sin embargo, en su totalidad es una lectura amena, motivadora y que atrapa desde el inicio. Vale la pena leerla.

jerefi's review

4.0

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this one, but I ended up really enjoying it. It is poignant and written with such simple honesty without being harsh or overbearing or angry the way many other books with a woman fighting against the sexist views she is surrounded by in all areas of her life can often be. It was not whiny. It was refreshing. Her blatant honesty about what she thinks, feels and doubts make her someone I can understand. Someone that can be related to.

maybebil's review

2.0

“how could a woman with a mind like yours be shut up in a house doing the cooking? or one with your intelligence and learning waste her life breastfeeding like an illiterate peasant — or worse, like cats and dogs?”

a lot to say but i don’t have the mental / emotional capacity to do so but to encapsulate some of the outrageous commentary sprinkled throughout the novel; see above quote. i didn’t appreciate the downplay + dismissiveness of of other women throughout the narrative. the story just has an air of arrogance to it, didn’t sit well with me