Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

4 reviews

itsybitsygingie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

This was an incredibly difficult yet beautiful book to read. It brought forth some incredibly difficult feelings concerning being human and the role of womanhood within society. My one slight of the book was the sheer amount of anti-female sentiments from the main character. Her one consistent thought throughout the book was that she was better because she wasn’t constrained by the supposedly womanly traits of the other characters, and I didn’t see as much growth as I would liked concerning this position. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Pandemic/Epidemic, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Genocide, Violence, Murder, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

caroisreading's review

dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I started this book without reading any spoilers, or even the introduction. I wouldn't even know this was science fiction -- it could be any time period, agnostic of technology other than electricity.

I read this in half a day. I give so much credit to the translator, though all the credit is due to Jacqueline Harpman for this beautiful, morose, bare, unique story. 

This is a story on an undefined war, humanity, and women surviving. It contemplates the meaning of life. It is plain in how it describes each step of survival, and we see through the eyes of a protagonist who is like a blank page - void of our version of the human experience. I rooted for her, and mourned for her. 

You'll love this if you like thought-provoking reads, darker stories about humanity, and the bond among women. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Infertility, Cancer, and Chronic illness

jkull_10's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, and Torture

peggy_racham's review against another edition

5.0

"I was forced to acknowledge too late, much too late, that I too had loved, that I was capable of suffering and that I was human after all."

I rarely read bleak dystopias but this one got me. Something about a woman wondering about her own humanity just speaks to me. There are no answers but it doesnt really matter in the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Dementia, Grief, Confinement, Infertility, Medical content, and Cancer