I Who Have Never Known Men - Likewise Book Reviews

"Very meditative. Great premise and engaging for a light sci-fi. By the end, I really appreciated all that I read from this, and accepted what was. "

"Wow. Thought provoking to say the least. So much to say about what it means to be human and all the conditions needed to make our realities meaningful. I'll be thinking about this one for awhile "

"Thought provoking, leaves you wanting more but also feeling fulfilled with the plot line?! A story that spans many years following a narrator who discovers a lot, but very little at the same time. "

"I really enjoyed this. A really interesting take on the human experience.a perspective on loneliness, love, lust and what it’s like to be completely alone in a world you don’t recognize. I thought this was smart and intriguing, my favorite this year so far. "

"The first 2/3rds of this book were engaging; however, the last 3rd, though thought-provoking, was not as fascinating or eventful as the first two parts. Overall, the story was interesting, but it was not for me. I’m sure there is a specific audience for this book and who would enjoy it. I appreciate it for what it is, a dystopian story. "

"Oooooof."

"I really appreciated the inclusion of Sophie Mackintosh's thoughts in the 'afterword'. That really helped pull my thoughts together about what I had just read/experienced."

"Belgium"

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨"

"Oh.my.gosh! Such beautiful writing! Was totally hooked from page one!!!"

"What a beautifully haunting novel. I think there is something poignant that this novel was written in 1995, the author passed in 2012, and now, over a decade later, her words are being read and loved by a whole new audience- like we are picking up those sheets of paper stacked on the table. I was also struck that Harpman fled from the horrors of the Holocaust, like the horrors faced by the women."

"DNF @45%<br/><br/>this one made me sad and frustrated. no answers were really given, and it just felt so lonely."

"It was absolutely amazing and terrifying at the same time. A true philosophical masterpiece."

"The writing is very beautiful! This book really makes you realize all we take for granted. I love the simplicity of the main character; her thoughts and outlooks of everything she trys to understand. Very beautiful! "

"ooo cool and depressing and very interesting to think abt "

"<br/>Beautiful and heartbreaking<br/><br/>I love this book and cannot stop thinking about it since reading it. I do not have the words for how this book made me feel. The hope felt throughout the novel by the narrator was effortlessly easy to feel with her even when as the reader you know the odds are slim of what she wants. How what she wants is just the most basic human thing, connections with other people. <br/><br/>This book is about feeling hopeful even though you have no reason to, or even evidence that what you’re wishing for could happen, it deals with those periods of times when you start to feel hopeless and grappling with giving up and while it can deter you it never truly stops you until you give in. A beautiful take on female community, and what humanity is when stripped of everything, and being other than those of your community. <br/><br/>You’ll walked away with more questions than before started as you only ever know what the main character, the narrator knows, but in a way you know even more than she does your more like the other women as you have memory and meaning of the world we live in. <br/>"

"Stripped of their decency, these women are forced to continue on with their lives with a strange dependency on their oppressors. In a stagnant bunker they continue conversation, reminisce on their past, mend their clothes without any supplies, and teach a child their ways. I loved hearing this story from the perspective of a curious child. I, similar to how her companions viewed her, felt sorry for all she’s missing out on. But I eventually let that go, as she finds a powerful imagination, a decent education, and turns out to be the bravest woman of the group. She has lived a sheltered life, for some reason kept away from our normal world, but that doesn’t stop her from learning. Also loved the way she spoke like a fancy lady, I think this made me speak differently for a bit. After reading (aka listening, bc this was an audiobook) one night I looked over to my partner and said “I’ve grown tired” as a cue for “I’m tired, let’s sleep”. <br/><br/>The story was a great blend of calm and thrill. The part of the book on the plain was so beautiful to me, because of that silly little dream we throw around to live in a prairie off grid. It eventually turned out to be a little scary in this case because they hadn’t escaped their life on their own accord, but their new lives were forced upon them. These women come from a time where all their needs were easy to find, but they always adapt to their situation and find ways of maintaining their humanity."

"have not stopped thinking about this since i finished"

"Very feminine, very touching, very lonely. I Who Have Never Known Men touches on the concept of a world without men, and it does it in such a way that you can be proud. Women are not held back by the lack of men, but some still cling to their love of them. Despite this, they still learn how to survive, to love, and to build. "