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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
Slow pace and characters did not really have any redeemable features to connect to
My first novel by Christina Dalcher and I’m (almost) speechless with what to make of it. It took me a while to be captured by the book but gosh once I did I couldn’t put it down! The suspecting and unsuspecting twists were heart thumping. I couldn’t read fast enough!
After a complete breakdown in society, Miranda and daughter, Emma, go on search of a safe haven for women called Femlandia. Although Miranda didn’t agree with her mothers’ views and methods to create Femlandia, at a time of crisis and little hope for humanity, it was their only hope of surviving. The longer they stay, more intriguing the ways of living man free become.
Though it was thought-provoking, this book needs a massive trigger warning! It was difficult to read and follow at times and I was horrified at some of the events, but it makes a great story I am excited to discuss at book club! It’s definitely not a book for the light hearted.
After a complete breakdown in society, Miranda and daughter, Emma, go on search of a safe haven for women called Femlandia. Although Miranda didn’t agree with her mothers’ views and methods to create Femlandia, at a time of crisis and little hope for humanity, it was their only hope of surviving. The longer they stay, more intriguing the ways of living man free become.
Though it was thought-provoking, this book needs a massive trigger warning! It was difficult to read and follow at times and I was horrified at some of the events, but it makes a great story I am excited to discuss at book club! It’s definitely not a book for the light hearted.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This had a really interesting concept, and there were a lot of parallels to the current economic situation that made the story even more jarring. The worldbuilding was well-thought out and I didn't feel like there were any boring parts, as such, and there was a (relatively) nuanced discussion about where the line between misandry and feminism should be drawn. I quite enjoyed it overall, but at times it felt a bit preachy, not as much as YA contemporary but it was still a bit distracting and perhaps characterised these issues as more black and white than they actually are. I also saw the 'twist' coming from a mile off so when the protagonist took 100+ pages to work it out she did seem a bit thick. I also don't think the cultist aspect (or the worldbuilding in general tbh) was explored nearly enough, it was just sort of thrown in there at the end to make Win and Jen seem even worse. The ending also felt really flat and unclear, which lowered the rating for me. Would recommend if you enjoyed Dalcher's other work but it is very much Modern Adult Dystopia, so while it's enjoyable, it also has the general commercialised vibe you'd expect. So, you know. Consider yourself warned.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
I found this generally enjoyable and compelling, but with some serious flaws.
I'm still not clear on exactly the point this book was trying to make, and given how much feminists are vilified in the present day I feel this topic needed more nuance and care. The main character was also a little inconsistent, lacking any strong character traits, with a very similar voice to in 'Q'. The Femlandia communities were clearly full of red flags and run by TERFs, but we don't actually get to see much of how the community is run as the main character spends most of their time in isolation. It feels like the ultimate reveal is so obviously evil that the book didn't have to deal with the other things that were wrong. The epilogue also disappointed me, making me thing that the message is that gender essentialism is the natural way of things - I've read some really interesting fiction recently (e.g. unnamed midwife) that uses the breakdown of civilisation and forming of new societies to challenge our ideas of gender, which this book seemed really weak against in comparison. It would have been nice to see other forms of feminism put forward, either in the epilogue or in the other Femlandia sites, as this makes it seem like women led communities are doomed to fail.
This book did not score lower because I did really enjoy the beginning before they got to Femlandia, and I did feel engaged and looking forward to picking this book up each time - just disappointed in how it tackled the themes.
I'm still not clear on exactly the point this book was trying to make, and given how much feminists are vilified in the present day I feel this topic needed more nuance and care. The main character was also a little inconsistent, lacking any strong character traits, with a very similar voice to in 'Q'. The Femlandia communities were clearly full of red flags and run by TERFs, but we don't actually get to see much of how the community is run as the main character spends most of their time in isolation. It feels like the ultimate reveal is so obviously evil that the book didn't have to deal with the other things that were wrong. The epilogue also disappointed me, making me thing that the message is that gender essentialism is the natural way of things - I've read some really interesting fiction recently (e.g. unnamed midwife) that uses the breakdown of civilisation and forming of new societies to challenge our ideas of gender, which this book seemed really weak against in comparison. It would have been nice to see other forms of feminism put forward, either in the epilogue or in the other Femlandia sites, as this makes it seem like women led communities are doomed to fail.
This book did not score lower because I did really enjoy the beginning before they got to Femlandia, and I did feel engaged and looking forward to picking this book up each time - just disappointed in how it tackled the themes.