Scan barcode
molesworth's review
1.0
Call me crazy, but I cannot stand the rape-turns-to-love plot device. It ruined a 3 star book. I read both rosemary’s baby and the stepford wives, and this read like the men’s perspective version of them. The male protagonist is sexist, suffocatingly selfish, and attempts to reduce and ruin (or in his mind, “love”) the female character. I did not like reading it from chip’s POV.
sloshydolphin's review against another edition
2.0
I have loved most book of Ira Levin's that i have read but i really did not enjoy this one anywhere near as much.
The general premise of the story is simple although there are one or two nice twists. The real issue for me was total lack of idea of consequences. We will over throw this bad computer so we can all live in poverty without enough food - which is exactly what the main character escapes to. This is more ideological than anything else which is fine but rather limited but definitely of its time - Logan's Run another example of bad society to rebel against without looking at what to replace it with or the consequence of changing a system people not being fed.
The part of the book that is unforgiveable is the rape by the main character and then the woman apologizing the next day cause it was her fault and he was only acting "normally". The scene adds nothing to the story other than showing what a selfish bastard the main character is.
The general premise of the story is simple although there are one or two nice twists. The real issue for me was total lack of idea of consequences. We will over throw this bad computer so we can all live in poverty without enough food - which is exactly what the main character escapes to. This is more ideological than anything else which is fine but rather limited but definitely of its time - Logan's Run another example of bad society to rebel against without looking at what to replace it with or the consequence of changing a system people not being fed.
The part of the book that is unforgiveable is the rape by the main character and then the woman apologizing the next day cause it was her fault and he was only acting "normally". The scene adds nothing to the story other than showing what a selfish bastard the main character is.
mondo's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
unavezmas's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Rape, and Misogyny
neven's review
2.0
Writing a dystopian novel in the late 1970s wasn't an easy task. You'd have to say something 1984, Brave New World, and Lord of The Flies hadn't said. This book doesn't.
On top of it, it's just so damn clumsily written half the time. Thin characters, confusing descriptions of environments and action scenes, polemic dialog.
Levin can be a very engaging writer. Here, he leaves his economical, small-allegory skills at the door and attempts an epic history set in a complex and alien world. He fails.
On top of it, it's just so damn clumsily written half the time. Thin characters, confusing descriptions of environments and action scenes, polemic dialog.
Levin can be a very engaging writer. Here, he leaves his economical, small-allegory skills at the door and attempts an epic history set in a complex and alien world. He fails.
sticksnstout's review against another edition
5.0
Damned if you do, damned if you done. Everyone wants a perfect world as long as they don't have to follow the rules.
hmwood8's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
melissa_clark78's review against another edition
4.0
Masterfully written! This book kept me captivated from beginning to end.
That being said, I did have a few issues with it. First off, what's with the cover? My 7 year old even noticed and asked me why there was a naked butt on the cover of my book. The second thing that bothered me was the excessive use of a certain four letter word beginning with "f". I think the author was trying to make a point about how society determines what is "dirty" and what isn't (since the members believe "fight" to be a bad word, but have no problem with the "f" word), but it still bugged me.
That being said, I did have a few issues with it. First off, what's with the cover? My 7 year old even noticed and asked me why there was a naked butt on the cover of my book. The second thing that bothered me was the excessive use of a certain four letter word beginning with "f". I think the author was trying to make a point about how society determines what is "dirty" and what isn't (since the members believe "fight" to be a bad word, but have no problem with the "f" word), but it still bugged me.