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timbookshelf's review
Struggling with the writing style. To ditatched from the characters.
(Also a tough topic to read about with fertility)
(Also a tough topic to read about with fertility)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
joanarcherknight's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This dystopian novel is not so much a dystopia anymore. It was an interesting read, but the style wasn't to my liking. It was more curiosity that drove me to finish the story, rather than any actual care for the characters. Interesting themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Pregnancy, and Cursing
Moderate: Abortion and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Domestic abuse and Addiction
202claire's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Cannibalism and Suicidal thoughts
stories's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abortion, and Infertility
Moderate: Confinement, Addiction, Animal death, Cannibalism, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts
polysemy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexism, Pregnancy, Abortion, and Infertility
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Cannibalism
jen_again's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Infertility
Moderate: Death, Medical content, and Infidelity
npavitt's review against another edition
reflective
fast-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
1.75
The premise of the book is really interesting and the writing style was interesting. As a woman, nothing the characters were feeling was really surprising but I imagine it would be insightful for a male reader. I feel like a lot more could be done with the ideas of abortion being illegal and IVF banned for single mothers and have left feeling neither here nor there with it. At a time when these issues are so widely discussed and (somehow!) continue to be debated it didn't feel like it gave me a drive to fight which I was expecting to feel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Abortion, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, and Infidelity
Minor: Vomit, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
wordsofclover's review
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In the America of Red Clocks, a human embryo has more rights than that of a woman carrying it. Due to a special amendment in the law, abortion is illegal in every state in America and women who attempt an abortion can be jailed. Those who miscarry can be charged with manslaughter or forced to for the funeral of the fetus, and single women who want to adopt are not allowed due to a 'Every Child Needs Two' rule. Even IVF is out of the question as the embryos did not give consent.
This is a strange book to read because even though everything in it seems so over the top and crazy, we all know too well that the strict abortion laws portrayed in this book are almost identical to those currently in place in Poland, and where up until very recently in my own country of Ireland. The journeys American women in this book go on to Canada - a journey of fear, loneliness and pain - is currently being experience by Polish women travelling to neighbouring countries and all the Irish women who took the flight to England, and bled on the way back.
This is actually a book I put off reading for over two years because when I originally received it, Repeal the 8th hadn't yet passed in Ireland and all the fears and entrapment felt by the women in this book were ones I also felt when I fear what would happen if I ever went through an unwanted pregnancy. However, having read it now and at the right time - now Irish women have the control over their own bodies for the first time in a long, long time - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and not just for the points it made (how women and those in vulnerable position are always the ones that are affected the most by insane abortion rules aka men trying to control women's bodies AND abortion laws don't stop abortions from happening, they just stop safe ones)
I liked entering the world of the various women in this book, and all the different things they were going through and how different they all were. I definitely had favourites and least favourites with Ro (The Biographer) being on top and Susan (The Wife) being on the bottom. I actually would have loved more from Gin's perspective (The Mender) as I feel like she had a lot more to tell and give to the story and her character fell a little bit into the stereotype of the witchy woman. Ro also does deal with the cliche of becoming a slightly manic with despair woman desperate for a baby which I have seen before in books and it never really looks great - however, I liked seeing Ro's journey come full circle and her peace and acceptance in where her life would be going next.
While Mattie (The Daughter) played an important part in being the section of the story dealing with the fear and anxiety over an unwanted pregnancy, and the lengths a person will go through to not be pregnant anymore, there wasn't much else to her story. There were times where I couldn't figure her out as she seemed quite smart but she had also been so dumb when it came to Ephraim.
While Susan was interesting in terms of the woman who seems to have it all (almost) but really she doesn't, her storyline is also been there, done that. I do think it would have been better to have a woman who was on the opposite side of the tracks when it came to the abortion laws as all the women we're following agree in a person's right to choose. It was a bit strange having no-one on the other side other than some of the side characters who all happened to be men (Mattie's dad and Mr Fivver for instance).
I did enjoy this a lot, and it was the kind of book when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about reading it which says a lot!
This is a strange book to read because even though everything in it seems so over the top and crazy, we all know too well that the strict abortion laws portrayed in this book are almost identical to those currently in place in Poland, and where up until very recently in my own country of Ireland. The journeys American women in this book go on to Canada - a journey of fear, loneliness and pain - is currently being experience by Polish women travelling to neighbouring countries and all the Irish women who took the flight to England, and bled on the way back.
This is actually a book I put off reading for over two years because when I originally received it, Repeal the 8th hadn't yet passed in Ireland and all the fears and entrapment felt by the women in this book were ones I also felt when I fear what would happen if I ever went through an unwanted pregnancy. However, having read it now and at the right time - now Irish women have the control over their own bodies for the first time in a long, long time - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and not just for the points it made (how women and those in vulnerable position are always the ones that are affected the most by insane abortion rules aka men trying to control women's bodies AND abortion laws don't stop abortions from happening, they just stop safe ones)
I liked entering the world of the various women in this book, and all the different things they were going through and how different they all were. I definitely had favourites and least favourites with Ro (The Biographer) being on top and Susan (The Wife) being on the bottom. I actually would have loved more from Gin's perspective (The Mender) as I feel like she had a lot more to tell and give to the story and her character fell a little bit into the stereotype of the witchy woman. Ro also does deal with the cliche of becoming a slightly manic with despair woman desperate for a baby which I have seen before in books and it never really looks great - however, I liked seeing Ro's journey come full circle and her peace and acceptance in where her life would be going next.
While Mattie (The Daughter) played an important part in being the section of the story dealing with the fear and anxiety over an unwanted pregnancy, and the lengths a person will go through to not be pregnant anymore, there wasn't much else to her story. There were times where I couldn't figure her out as she seemed quite smart but she had also been so dumb when it came to Ephraim.
While Susan was interesting in terms of the woman who seems to have it all (almost) but really she doesn't, her storyline is also been there, done that. I do think it would have been better to have a woman who was on the opposite side of the tracks when it came to the abortion laws as all the women we're following agree in a person's right to choose. It was a bit strange having no-one on the other side other than some of the side characters who all happened to be men (Mattie's dad and Mr Fivver for instance).
I did enjoy this a lot, and it was the kind of book when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about reading it which says a lot!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion and Infertility
mckeelyshannon's review
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Favorite quote from this book - “ She knew—it was her job as a teacher of history to know—how many horrors are legitimated in public daylight, against the will of most people.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
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