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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
This book was awful. It vastly oversimplified the power dynamics between men and women. The author clearly has done no research into social psychology and historical examples of matriarchies. The characters felt very trope-heavy and it was hard to want to root for most of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation
I had high hopes for this book but it was incredibly disappointing, I very much do not recommend it.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really need some more time to sit with this.
It takes the current power balance and flips it on its head. Women become the dominant power. The atrocities they deal with today happen to the men. It's unsettling to read, and at the same time, strange to realize I've been pretty desensitized to these things happening to women, that it seems to hit a bit different when it's the men who are abused and diminished. Perhaps the correct words would be, that it's telling. It's very telling. The last chapter has my favorite quote, under a spoiler tag. I laughed a loud, but it isn't very funny.
For one thing, of course, we don’t have original manuscripts dating back more than a thousand years. All the books we have from before the Cataclysm have been re-copied hundreds of times. That’s a lot of occasions for errors to be introduced. And not just errors. All of the copyists would have had their own agendas. For more than two thousand years, the only people re-copying were nuns in convents. I don’t think it’s at all a stretch to suggest that they picked works to copy that supported their viewpoint and just let the rest moulder into flakes of parchment. I mean, why would they re-copy works that said that men used to be stronger and women weaker? That would be heresy, and they’d be damned for it. This is the trouble with history. You can’t see what’s not there.
It takes the current power balance and flips it on its head. Women become the dominant power. The atrocities they deal with today happen to the men. It's unsettling to read, and at the same time, strange to realize I've been pretty desensitized to these things happening to women, that it seems to hit a bit different when it's the men who are abused and diminished. Perhaps the correct words would be, that it's telling. It's very telling. The last chapter has my favorite quote, under a spoiler tag. I laughed a loud, but it isn't very funny.
Most interesting read of the year! I've never read anything like this. It surprises you in a way that really pushes your brain to think and think differently. A must read.
adventurous
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:
Yes
Super interesting book. Couldn't stop thinking it after I read it.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What happens in the world if all the women end up with physical power and they can easily hurt people if they so choose? Everything we know gets flipped upside down. Wow! I'm almost speechless after just finishing this book. Being a science fiction novel, The Power is really something different than what I normally read. It's filled with a bit too much anger and violence for me to digest easily but I'm glad that I stuck with it because the end is jaw dropping. This book really had me thinking about how we treat other people and the story will definitely stick with me for a long time.
I really loved this book. Each time I was shocked by the violence and power dynamics in the world of the book, it reminded me what so many experience in the real world. Great writing!