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baoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very interesting read, loved the twists in the plot as well!
luckybradford's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
The comparison to Handmaid's Tale and The Scarlet Letter are apt, accurate and a perfect combination of this story's strands. In Hannah Payne's society, those that commit crimes are forced to undergo skin pigmentation to declare their 'sins' to the world.
Hannah wakes up a RED, a murderer - her crime? Abortion. She aborted her baby to protect her married lover and refused to name him.
Deemed a killer, she awakens into a hell of prison, first on camera for ridicule and entertainment, and then she is released into a society hostile to Chromes.
Hannah's world feels very real, very threatening and not a world away - setting it in America made it feel only a few short steps away from a religious theocracy that today (2016, not long before an election where religious motives are definitely part of the agenda) could become a reality.
And her victim, says the state of Texas, was her unborn child.
Skin dyes mean Chromes cannot escape or hide their crimes - an y citizen can even track a Chrome via satellites, and vigilante justice is common. It's frightening, sickening and a dark creation.
We see Hannah's backstory, the identity of the baby's father, and what happens to Chromes in the real world. I enjoyed seeing Hannah's growth: as she meets different characters she looks back on her own restricted and anti-woman upbringing and how a religious theocracy would potentially treat its men and women.
It's a powerful lesson in 'what if'. This could quite nicely be read alongside The Handmaid's Tale with A-Level classes looking at dystopia and feminist fiction.
Something of a modern classic.
Hannah wakes up a RED, a murderer - her crime? Abortion. She aborted her baby to protect her married lover and refused to name him.
Deemed a killer, she awakens into a hell of prison, first on camera for ridicule and entertainment, and then she is released into a society hostile to Chromes.
Hannah's world feels very real, very threatening and not a world away - setting it in America made it feel only a few short steps away from a religious theocracy that today (2016, not long before an election where religious motives are definitely part of the agenda) could become a reality.
And her victim, says the state of Texas, was her unborn child.
Skin dyes mean Chromes cannot escape or hide their crimes - an y citizen can even track a Chrome via satellites, and vigilante justice is common. It's frightening, sickening and a dark creation.
We see Hannah's backstory, the identity of the baby's father, and what happens to Chromes in the real world. I enjoyed seeing Hannah's growth: as she meets different characters she looks back on her own restricted and anti-woman upbringing and how a religious theocracy would potentially treat its men and women.
It's a powerful lesson in 'what if'. This could quite nicely be read alongside The Handmaid's Tale with A-Level classes looking at dystopia and feminist fiction.
Something of a modern classic.
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
This book addresses a lot of issues that piss me off on a daily basis. I read it right after Zevin's The Hole We're In, and I had Christian Right on the brain. What if they took OVER???? The idea of chroming reminded me of an episode of Tales From the Dark Side where folks were marked on their foreheads if they committed a crime. The shunning, the harassment, and everything dangerous that comes with being marked, especially as a woman, made this a great read.
Also, I'm glad to read about grown ups for a change :-)
Also, I'm glad to read about grown ups for a change :-)
carlosdanger's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! If yr a fan of "The Handmaid's Tale", this will blow yr mind!!!! Fantastic dystopian literature for the 21st century.
envy4's review against another edition
4.0
Ultimate feminist distopian fiction! Very fitting of our current political climate.
betseyboo's review against another edition
2.0
This novel fell flat for me. There were several times that I wanted to put it down. The idea was good, but the execution just did not work for me.
chibibradlee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.25
cmhenderson6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
In a not-so-distant future where America has changed its moral fiber, Hannah Payne wakes in a cell. She has been raised in a Christian household, and lived her life according to the principles of her faith. However, when she found herself pregnant and unmarried she decided to have an abortion, and having broken the law she’s been convicted of murdering her child. Crowded prisons have spurred science to come up with a different solution. Criminals are genetically altered – chromed – so that their skin pigment is a bright unnatural hue which signifies their crime. Hannah is a Red, and after a brief 30-day stay to ensure she is used to her condition, she will be released to live in society as a marked woman ... or try to. She will not name the abortionist or the father, and so she is facing a 16-year sentence of this underworld existence.
This is a vivid reimagining of The Scarlet Letter. Jordan has created a world that is all too recognizable and believable, though the reader hopes it will never come to that. There is a great deal of discussion on sin, suffering, faith, punishment and redemption; the Right to Life vs Right to Choose battle is central to the plot as well. Hannah struggles with what she has always assumed was the true path, opening her mind to consider alternate views and finding an inner strength. I was completely caught up in the story and could not put this down. However, I was somewhat dismayed at how long Hannah clung to the idea of the “perfect” love she had with the father of her child; I wanted to yell “Wake up!” for much of the second half of the book.
This is a vivid reimagining of The Scarlet Letter. Jordan has created a world that is all too recognizable and believable, though the reader hopes it will never come to that. There is a great deal of discussion on sin, suffering, faith, punishment and redemption; the Right to Life vs Right to Choose battle is central to the plot as well. Hannah struggles with what she has always assumed was the true path, opening her mind to consider alternate views and finding an inner strength. I was completely caught up in the story and could not put this down. However, I was somewhat dismayed at how long Hannah clung to the idea of the “perfect” love she had with the father of her child; I wanted to yell “Wake up!” for much of the second half of the book.