I could not get into this book, ultimately it was not form me and I could not finish it. It may be one for other readers

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

My first Kawakami book that introduced me to her introspective writing interlaced with social pressures on her characters. I had to take a break from reading time to time as it dealt with body image and beauty standards which could be triggering for some readers.

Great topics tackled in this one and it really got to the crux of women, infertility and body image. I found it a little slow in parts but all in all a really robust read.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I struggled to entirely connect with the story in a way that had me returning to the book so therefore left long gaps between picking it. The author has a distinctive writing style however and I imagine it will be loved by the right audience.

This novel is split into two books - the first third of the novel is the first book, following the life of 30 year old Natsu, her older sister, and her recently mute, teenage niece. It follows a hot summer in Tokyo when Natsu's sister and niece come to visit, due to her sister wanting breast enlargement surgery. While the plot is about her we don't really hear from the sister, just about her, relationships between the women, and anxieties of womanhood.

The second book is 10 years later, again we follow Natsu who is now a full-time writer and just...what her life is, what her life was like - what dreams she has, and how she differs from the average Japanese woman in Tokyo in terms of (not) having a family and wanting a child from sperm donation and how this is viewed in Japanese society.

I found the second book dragged a little bit, but still really enjoyed the novel.

I quite enjoyed the first few chapters of the book, but after that I felt that it was just a bit overlong and repetitive, and actually a bit dull. I think I enjoyed the background stuff more than the actual story - the differences between Osaka and Tokyo dialects and stuff like that was quite fascinating!

Wacky, bizzare, breaking the known boundaries of comfort and ease. This is a book not for the faint hearted, but even they might come out the other side well ironed. A once in a shelf life story.

Ultimately this novel in two halves was about what it said it was. The first half was much more enjoyable to me.

I thought some of the points of the second section were overly laboured...no pub intended.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting read that I'm glad to have discovered. I'll definitely be seeking out more by this author.

One thing is for sure about this book... you won't be able to stop thinking about it. The book could be described as grotesque, but not in an off-putting way - simply because it is upfront about the realities of the physicality of womanhood. The dream-like sequences were phenomenal, too. I've found myself thinking a lot about Kawakami's own response to Murakami referring to her as in his shadow, and this made me enjoy the depths of womanhood explored in this novel even further.

Strange moody novel which has caused a huge stir. I enjoyed the first section. Didn’t love the second half as much but overall it is a hugely original and interesting novel

Biting commentary on the way women and girls navigate the world and especially the pressure on women to approach aging in certain ways.

Really quick read and quite immersive in the way it draws you into the world of the characters.

I had heard a lot about this author before reading this book as she has become well known for conducting an interview with the iconic author Haruki Murakami, and has raised a feminist critique of his work.

Her own novel is very readable and really centred on the female Japanese experience. If you've read any Banana Yoshimoto or Hiromi Kawakami, this style of writing with a quintessentially Japanese feel will be familiar.
The author directly comments on breasts and eggs in a biological and social sense but they are used as conduits to examine femininity, motherhood and what it is to be modern woman. The storyline is split into two parts: the first where the protagonist's sister becomes fixated on getting implants, and the second where she herself pursues IVF to have her own baby.

If I had to critique this book I would say it was a shame that Kawakami has not escaped the typical trope of making her protagonist Natsuko an author with writers' block, though I suppose she has to account for the large lengths of time she had to ponder her life issues. The book is also quite long at over 400 pages. I was not surprised to discover that this was originally published as 2 works. I would say that the first half is certainly stronger, and I can see that few would be persuaded to read the second part independently if they weren't published together.

This book is cut into two 'books'. It feels that the only thing connecting the two is the narrator and loosely the relationship with her family. I preferred the first book and would have liked to follow that story longer but having said that, I enjoyed the book overall. It was a look at many subject not often explored in fiction - fertility, asexuality, donor children and the cultural stigma...
Although it is set in Japan and the references are very geographically specific, the story felt universal - the translator did a good job to make the text flow in English and not feel broken.
I would have liked a clear trigger warning to the sexual abuse mentioned in book 2.

Breasts and Eggs was originally published as two stories; both focussing on womanhood and bodily autonomy vs the expectations of others of what a woman should be. This English translation is two original stories put together, the first is the 'breast' story, in which the protagonist Natsuko accommodates her sister Makiko when she comes to Tokyo in search of breast implants. While reading it does feel like two distinct books, so I will review the first before talking about the second.

This first story was really impactful. It's only 150ish pages, and I flew through it in only a couple of sittings. It focusses on Makiko's displeasure at the appearance of her breasts, and in doing so discusses the wider role of women in Japan at the time (I think the original Japanese was written in the 70s). It's fairly blunt and matter of fact - there's in depth discussion of the size and colour of her nipples, as well as scenes discussing surprise periods. It's quite strange, and I've never read anything like it before - Makiko's obsession with her nipples and the pain she puts herself through to change them was really something - but it was really interesting as a feminist piece of literature and it asks some really thought-provoking questions.

The second 'eggs' story is slightly less impactful, since it is longer and could perhaps have done with some editing. It follows Natsuko 10 years later, when she is considering having a baby on her own through artificial insemination - something that for a single woman, is very taboo in Japan. There's all sorts of philosophical questions about whether a baby needs a father figure and the impact of not knowing who that might be, questions about asexuality, and even whether it is selfish to want to bring a child into a potentially dangerous world. Even though it did drag a bit, and it's repetitive in Natsuko's deliberations, I think I did generally prefer the second story, in that it made me consider things I hadn't before, and challenged me in lots of ways.

Overall, although they do feel like two separate stories, I am glad I was made to read them one after the other. I appreciated how throughout, Mieko Kawakami introduces all sorts of different women who've taken different paths through life, illustrating that despite perceived ideals of womanhood, there isn't truly one 'perfect woman'. It's about relationships between women - sisters, mothers and daughters, friends, professional relationships - as well as having some important discussions about fatherhood, as well. Breasts and Eggs is nothing like anything else I've ever read, and I'm so glad that I gave it a go. I definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys character driven and thought-provoking feminist literature.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book to a point, but then really struggled getting through it, and it felt like a drag.

I struggled with it being two books ‘stuck together’. I enjoyed the first ‘book’ but not the second. Having read some other reviews after finishing, I wish I had read them before, as it seems like this is a common thought, and I probably would have given up rather than persevering.

I loved this book. The characters are all so well-developed, I could really relate to them - it just felt real. The book is written in two connected parts, and gives a sense of time moving and the main character (and her sister, in particular)'s lives and priorities evolving and changing at a pace that is realistic. It's not an action-packed book, but it describes life realistically. Would definitely recommend.

This was an interesting read, but it didn't blow me away. I struggled to finish it, particularly the second half, and found it quite slow. Perhaps I wasn't the ideal target audience for it.

Thanks to Netgally and the publishers for the ARC.

I’ve just finished reading Breasts and Eggs and I can’t stop thinking about it. In this book Kawakami effortlessly covers common and complex behaviours and emotions felt by women of all ages. She explores the lived experiences of period poverty, body dysmorphia, child free women, artificial insemination, single mothers, postpartum depression, the children of sperm donors, loveless marriages, family obligation and more, and as the book progresses you naturally become aware of how vocal men are within the dialogue of women’s fertility. She raises more complex conversations about whether, given our differences, women should live with men at all. Is giving birth a purely selfish concept? When offering advice, might your own lived experience often be irrelevant? The breadth of topics covered and the simple way they are interwoven within the story is extraordinary. I saw myself and my peers reflected throughout. If you enjoy exploring what it means to be a woman today, you may find that Breast and Eggs is just the ticket.