Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - The Women Could Fly

Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

11 reviews

wlreed312's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Well this was glorious.

The Women Could Fly is a novel set in a world that is just a step off from ours, the major difference being that magic is real, but carefully controlled and regulated. It is said that only women are able to access this magic because of their highly emotional nature. Our main character is Jo, who is approaching the age of 28, where she must be registered, and closing in on the age where she must have a man (father, brother, spouse) to be accountable for her actions. Jo is a messy messy character who has a tremendous amount of trauma due to the disappearance of her mother 14 years ago, and her subsequent questioning about witchcraft (torture, not to put too fine a point on it). This is an examination of racism, homophobia, and misogyny, yes. But it's also a story about how bad it screws you up when the adults in your life (especially your parents) don't see everything that you are, and only love an image of you they have in their minds.

This was one of those books that touched me deeply for reasons I can't fully articulate. I love how complicated Jo is, and how she wants to be better for the people she loves. I love that her romantic relationship with a man is complex, because while she does care for him, she resents the fact that she must be in a heteronormative relationship or be monitored in truly invasive ways. There is a power imbalance in every relationship between men and women in this world, and it's explored in interesting ways. My only very minor complaint is that I wish we had a little bit more resolution between Jo and Angie

(how long has Angie had that doll? Why didn't she tell Jo what she knew ?

) I also loved the writing, and highlighted many passages (which is unusual for me). I can definitely see that this is a book I appreciate in a different way because I'm older, but I just really really loved it.

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minella's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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cinnamonmarti's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

This was a peculiar and thought-provoking read. I think the author found a great way to meld together dystopian elements with intersectional feminism and magic. At times the social commentary was very blatantly spelled out, but I didn't mind that much, maybe because I found a lot of my own thoughts and worries in there.
I really loved the prose, the idea of magic as a powerful driving force for creativity, community and self-growth, the harsh choice between running away to a safe haven or facing the evils of a rotten society. The whole underlying question that torments Jo , 'how can I know I truly love someone and want to follow this path if it's the only way to get a modicum of freedom?' -- ouch. That hurt so much.

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rcsreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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cryfest's review

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dark emotional hopeful relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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alexandryareads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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

4.75

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anxiousnachos's review against another edition

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dark

3.0

Lakewood was one of my favourite horror books of 2021 and I had such high hopes for Megan Giddings follow up, The Women Could Fly. Instead, I found this merely okay. It lacked the atmosphere and tension of Lakewood, and I felt like I’ve seen so many iterations of this story - witches + gender dystopia, it is a genre that has so many books and is always going to be hard to push through and stand out and I’m just not sure this did.

What I did love was the relationship between Preston and Josephine. I thought it explored the power dynamics between them very well, the idea if love could ever develop in such a situation. I also thought the exploration of how race impacted on how witches were treated in the system was woven in well.

But sadly, not as much of fan as I was of Lakewood!

Content warnings: torture, racism, homophobia, suicidal ideation, depression, parental abandonment, forced marriage, sexism, misogyny

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ekern1991's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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starrysteph's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The Women Could Fly is un unsettling novel set in a dystopian world where magic is real - so naturally, it’s treated as fearsome & unholy and used to oppress & control women, especially queer women of color.

We follow Jo, an almost-28-year-old woman who is questioning her place in the world and her ability to live freely. Her age is pretty crucial; women are mandated to marry by the time they are 30 or submit to constant monitoring by the Bureau of Witchcraft. But how can you fall in love with this pressure of freedom? How can you be sure that your relationship is real? How is it possible to care for someone who ultimately has full power over you - and not let that care turn into toxicity or resentment?

Jo doesn’t want to give up her life, but the odds are stacked against her: her mother is absent, she’s bisexual, she’s Black, and she expresses her opinions (with wit!).

Jo’s mother disappeared fourteen years ago. She’s struggling with the grief of that loss, an uncomfortably distanced relationship with her (white) father, and anger with her mother both for leaving her alone and for subjecting her to the whims of the government. When women - especially women of color - disappear, that’s flagged as possible witchcraft. And after her mother’s disappearance, Jo (as a young Black woman) is now constantly treated with suspicion due to her proximity to a “likely witch”.

But now, Jo is agonizingly ready to move forward. When she decides to declare her mother as legally dead, she uncovers a will with a promising amount of money – she just has to take an unusual trip with some even more unusual stipulations in order to claim her inheritance.

In this world, any sort of female autonomy is an act of defiance. Jo is seeking agency that the world believes is inherently dangerous (and that she simply doesn’t deserve). The oppressors in this book speak with rage-inducing racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. rhetoric that will unfortunately feel deeply familiar. It’s the same nonsense that those in power always utilize to stay in control. So while the speculative elements of the story are heightened and imaginative, it feels VERY real. (An interesting aspect of the novel is that Jo’s mother believes that witches aren’t real; that magic is simply a useful tool to oppress anyone who threatens the current way of life.)

The story is slow-paced, and Giddings’ worldbuilding feels a bit purposefully vague. You’ll read a lot of contradictions (maybe intentional and maybe not); it “makes sense” because it is inherently nonsensical, but don’t expect to have a clear picture of this culture. The sequence of events is also very choppy at times. The Women Could Fly interrogates a lot of topics, and encourages you - the reader - to engage thoughtfully with the questions it poses.

Let me be very clear - this book may not be for you. I adored Giddings’ first book, Lakewood, and if you did as well you’ll have a better idea of what to expect here. The content is incredibly rich, but it is slow and confusing. If you’re someone who enjoys reading in book clubs or discussing media with others (especially involving social commentary) this would be a perfect choice.

People fear what they don’t understand. They are especially afraid when something new may threaten their power; they have a desperate need for control. The Women Could Fly explores this conflict in a new & interesting way.

Ultimately, I found this book captivating & challenging & upsettingly prescient.

CW: racism, misogyny, sexism, homophobia/biphobia, abandonment, forced institutionalization, grief, suicidal thoughts, police brutality, death of a parent, vomit, animal blood/gore, animal death

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mjscooke's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I received a digital reading copy of this from Pan Macmillan via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a dystopian world where single women are monitored for signs of witchcraft, The Women Could Fly is a simple novel of grief & self discovery steeped in magical realism. Fourteen years after her mother's disappearance Josephine is still dealing with her grief and grappling with the unfair world she lives in and struggling with how her country & society controls its citizens. More social commentary than gripping story, it is worth the read for sarcasm and defiance of the protagonist and if you enjoy a meandering prose of thoughts.

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