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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
As a devoted fan of the dystopian subgenre, I am always excited to see what Christina Dalcher is going to do next. In 2018’s Vox, women quite literally no longer have a voice; 2020’s Master Class brought on a study in eugenics; and now we have Femlandia, which delves into a non-patriarchal society. Known for pushing the envelope and writing novels that both entertain and cause readers to ponder “what if,” Dalcher’s stories are never ordinary.
In Femlandia, the United States has suffered total economic collapse, and some attribute this crisis solely to the actions of men. These feminists have created and are thriving in female only colonies called Femlandia. Femlandia are female occupied, female led, and men are strictly forbidden.
Miranda Reynolds is the daughter of Femlandia’s founder, Win Somers. But Miranda could not be more different from her men-hating mother. Miranda traveled the more traditional route, living life as a “kept woman” until her husband died by suicide, leaving her to care for their sixteen year old daughter alone while the world falls down around them.
As a last resort, Miranda and daughter Emma make the trek to Femlandia, but what they find there may just be more terrifying than anything lurking on the outside. Determined to uncover the colony’s secrets, Miranda risks it all to learn the truth of how Femlandia sustains itself as a female-only world.
The premises of Dalcher’s books are always quite intriguing and thought-provoking. Would our world be able to thrive without men? Can women do any and everything that men can do, or do men and women work together to balance out each other’s weaknesses and strengths? How does a society without men reproduce and carry on? These are all issues raised within the pages of Femlandia, which provides the reader much to ponder and consider.
As is the case with all of Dalcher’s books, I wish she would add more details to her novels and stay away from letting the plots drive her stories. I was really into Femlandia at the beginning as Dalcher developed this world on the brink of collapse, but once Miranda and Emma reach the colony, Dalcher’s world-building falls to the wayside in favor of plot. She didn’t give me much to hold onto as a reader, and I had difficulty visualizing this strange, self-sustaining world where men don’t exist. I feel that a strong focus on and connection with the characters adds a lot to a dystopian novel because it is so easy to forget all of the things that make us human when the world falls away.
In Femlandia, the United States has suffered total economic collapse, and some attribute this crisis solely to the actions of men. These feminists have created and are thriving in female only colonies called Femlandia. Femlandia are female occupied, female led, and men are strictly forbidden.
Miranda Reynolds is the daughter of Femlandia’s founder, Win Somers. But Miranda could not be more different from her men-hating mother. Miranda traveled the more traditional route, living life as a “kept woman” until her husband died by suicide, leaving her to care for their sixteen year old daughter alone while the world falls down around them.
As a last resort, Miranda and daughter Emma make the trek to Femlandia, but what they find there may just be more terrifying than anything lurking on the outside. Determined to uncover the colony’s secrets, Miranda risks it all to learn the truth of how Femlandia sustains itself as a female-only world.
The premises of Dalcher’s books are always quite intriguing and thought-provoking. Would our world be able to thrive without men? Can women do any and everything that men can do, or do men and women work together to balance out each other’s weaknesses and strengths? How does a society without men reproduce and carry on? These are all issues raised within the pages of Femlandia, which provides the reader much to ponder and consider.
As is the case with all of Dalcher’s books, I wish she would add more details to her novels and stay away from letting the plots drive her stories. I was really into Femlandia at the beginning as Dalcher developed this world on the brink of collapse, but once Miranda and Emma reach the colony, Dalcher’s world-building falls to the wayside in favor of plot. She didn’t give me much to hold onto as a reader, and I had difficulty visualizing this strange, self-sustaining world where men don’t exist. I feel that a strong focus on and connection with the characters adds a lot to a dystopian novel because it is so easy to forget all of the things that make us human when the world falls away.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
critiques of radical feminism (?) and mommy issues abound. really intriguing, but i had a hard time discerning what it was trying to say. cool setting, dark secrets and infuriating main character kept me hooked
wish i hadn’t read the epilogue, super disappointing and its implications shed a negative light on the rest of the book.
wish i hadn’t read the epilogue, super disappointing and its implications shed a negative light on the rest of the book.
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There was so much I wanted this book to be, and it decided to be none of it.
The book decides to toss in some arbitrary transphobia, has a mysterious dearth of disabled characters, and contains deeply nauseating and absolutely plot criticalchild sexual abuse, torture and neglect.
I was also deeply horrified by an epilogue that strongly implies biological determinism of misogyny and inequality.
Whilst moderately predictable, I found the characterisation in this book to be inconsistent and extremely variable.
The book decides to toss in some arbitrary transphobia, has a mysterious dearth of disabled characters, and contains deeply nauseating and absolutely plot critical
I was also deeply horrified by an epilogue that
Whilst moderately predictable, I found the characterisation in this book to be inconsistent and extremely variable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Abortion
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oooohhhhhmyyyyyy this book frustrated me to no end... but in the best of ways.
Such a twisted turn of events - over and over and over I found myself screaming at the pages, feverishly turning until I found out what would happen. Cursing when what I wanted to happen, didn't.
The world is in the midst of an economic collapse and people have lost their jobs, their homes, and now - they are losing their lives. Looting and rioting begins to intensify and for Miranda and her daughter - there is no where that is safe. So they reluctantly begin the journey to Femlandia - the women's only 'utopia' compound founded on the feminist principles by her estranged mother - where men are not allowed. The women there have been surviving the worlds demise and thriving - but also, somehow... babies are being born? And somehow... all the babies just happen to be girls?
Are the secrets and foundations Femlandia is built on safe for Miranda and Emma, or could they be more dangerous behind the walls than the horrors outside? What will they have to sacrifice for their safety? And do they really NEED men?
This ones got all the triggers and all the horrific and disturbing scenarios you could imagine. It may not be for everyone, but I thought it was bloody, shocking, and frustratingly fun.
Such a twisted turn of events - over and over and over I found myself screaming at the pages, feverishly turning until I found out what would happen. Cursing when what I wanted to happen, didn't.
The world is in the midst of an economic collapse and people have lost their jobs, their homes, and now - they are losing their lives. Looting and rioting begins to intensify and for Miranda and her daughter - there is no where that is safe. So they reluctantly begin the journey to Femlandia - the women's only 'utopia' compound founded on the feminist principles by her estranged mother - where men are not allowed. The women there have been surviving the worlds demise and thriving - but also, somehow... babies are being born? And somehow... all the babies just happen to be girls?
Are the secrets and foundations Femlandia is built on safe for Miranda and Emma, or could they be more dangerous behind the walls than the horrors outside? What will they have to sacrifice for their safety? And do they really NEED men?
This ones got all the triggers and all the horrific and disturbing scenarios you could imagine. It may not be for everyone, but I thought it was bloody, shocking, and frustratingly fun.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise of this book is really interesting… but the execution left something to be desired. I still have questions after finishing the book, and a lot of things didn’t make any sense to me (what the hell were the dynamics of Win and Jen’s relationship). I would have liked a deep dive on some areas that were skimmed over (Miranda’s childhood, Jen’s entrance to their lives, Femlandia in the beginning). Also, the fact that it was set against this backdrop of an economic apocalypse made me more interested in what was going on in the rest of the world. Still, I enjoyed the writing, the dialogue and the characters.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes