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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Red Clocks is the story of five women, an Arctic explorer, her biographer, a wife, a daughter, and a mysterious herbalist, and takes place in an America that no longer allows abortions or IVF. Leni Zumas moves from one woman's narrative to the next, slowly revealing their connections. Part speculative fiction, part dystopian thriller, Red Clocks is a riveting read.
I have very mixed emotions about Red Clocks. I bought this novel as apart of my Book of the Month subscription as my first read of the year, and we can all see how that turned out if I am just now finishing the book here at the end of the year. Either way I digress as I did start the book in January,but in the beginning I hated the format of the writing, the POV's made no sense, and the tie ends simply were not there. However, as I neared the end of my year I refused to believe that BTM had lead me so far astray, therefore I digressed to read till the end of the book no matter if I was not watching a movie in my mind.
As one reads Red Clocks the stories slowly begin to blend together (like page 210 kind of late) and the author tries to convey some great thoughts about feminism and freedom of choice and body as well. There were several moments in the book where a character would begin to say something very profound and you as the reader become very confused because in the next sentence that same character or one around them has moved the conversation to something else.
I truly believe this to be more contemporary and experimentally formatted because there are some moments where the paragraphs almost felt as broken as thoughts as if the novel was written from the perspective of these characters thoughts with a few omnipresent details to fill in a few gaps within the world that was being built.
If you as a reader can get past the "choppy" writing as it has been described as I think there are several really good conversation pieces that this novel is not meant to be a movie but something that helps to grow and formulate an idea about an idea. It is no secret that this has been labeled a piece about abortion it is front and center in the novel however I think this novel was really meant to make women in particular but also all people to question:
1. what does it mean to be woman and what makes being one different and special
2. Why do you as the reader feel the way that you do about abortion. If you are pro-life this novel will make you uncomfortable in places but if you are pro-choice it will do the same. There will be moments in this novel in which both sides will want to rail against the novel and probably throw it at a wall. I believe writing those two POV's difficult for any writer to convey in the manner in which so many of us are accustomed to reading our information. But that is a good thing. This novel is a challenge to see us as readers think outside of the box.
I may not revisit this novel and re-read it time and time again, but I do believe that the characters were left vague for a reason. I do believe that there are good and well thought out thoughts in the novel, but I also believe that it was meant to challenge and present a true mental task for the reader by making us link all the dots.
As one reads Red Clocks the stories slowly begin to blend together (like page 210 kind of late) and the author tries to convey some great thoughts about feminism and freedom of choice and body as well. There were several moments in the book where a character would begin to say something very profound and you as the reader become very confused because in the next sentence that same character or one around them has moved the conversation to something else.
I truly believe this to be more contemporary and experimentally formatted because there are some moments where the paragraphs almost felt as broken as thoughts as if the novel was written from the perspective of these characters thoughts with a few omnipresent details to fill in a few gaps within the world that was being built.
If you as a reader can get past the "choppy" writing as it has been described as I think there are several really good conversation pieces that this novel is not meant to be a movie but something that helps to grow and formulate an idea about an idea. It is no secret that this has been labeled a piece about abortion it is front and center in the novel however I think this novel was really meant to make women in particular but also all people to question:
1. what does it mean to be woman and what makes being one different and special
2. Why do you as the reader feel the way that you do about abortion. If you are pro-life this novel will make you uncomfortable in places but if you are pro-choice it will do the same. There will be moments in this novel in which both sides will want to rail against the novel and probably throw it at a wall. I believe writing those two POV's difficult for any writer to convey in the manner in which so many of us are accustomed to reading our information. But that is a good thing. This novel is a challenge to see us as readers think outside of the box.
I may not revisit this novel and re-read it time and time again, but I do believe that the characters were left vague for a reason. I do believe that there are good and well thought out thoughts in the novel, but I also believe that it was meant to challenge and present a true mental task for the reader by making us link all the dots.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book, the characters, and their relationship to one another. The short sections and unique writing style kept me engaged, but for others seems to have been a deterrent. But I enjoyed where it was vague or disjointed because it felt truer to life, where things just don't wrap up neatly. The book is highly relevant right now, given where we're at in this country, and I would very much recommend it.
Review is on audio version.
This was recommended to me by one of my high school students and then was a deal of the day. It was a solid story and well read.
This was recommended to me by one of my high school students and then was a deal of the day. It was a solid story and well read.
I did not like the writing of this book and really took away from the story.
Red Clocks follows 4 women and tells the story of another woman. It examines women's place in society and how they have been defined through the ages.
Red Clocks follows 4 women and tells the story of another woman. It examines women's place in society and how they have been defined through the ages.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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:
Complicated
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although at first I wasn’t sure if I liked the style of writing and the layout, about a third of the way through it clicked for me. This is a story of complicated women living in a world that is against them in a lot of ways. It is very dystopian to read after the overturning of Roe v Wade, but important as well.
I was really excited to read this book - there is a current mania around dystopian novels and the female role in this world. The premise of this book was intriguing: follow these women who are all facing hardships related to pregnancy, abortion, motherhood, etc.
While I found the stories vaguely interesting and could relate with many points in the story (being a mother of 2 with another on the way), I just didn't feel like the characters reached any sort of apex in their learning processes.
Now, I've seen many complaints on here as it relates to the broken and choppy form of how the stories are presented. Mind you - this did not bother me at all and I was able to keep up with the flow of information and characters just fine.
What bothered me was that even though all of these women/girls are presented with their challenge, none of them really had a transition from "before challenge" to "after challenge". I felt that the character development was missing and I think this is what disappointed me the most about it.
While I found the stories vaguely interesting and could relate with many points in the story (being a mother of 2 with another on the way), I just didn't feel like the characters reached any sort of apex in their learning processes.
Now, I've seen many complaints on here as it relates to the broken and choppy form of how the stories are presented. Mind you - this did not bother me at all and I was able to keep up with the flow of information and characters just fine.
What bothered me was that even though all of these women/girls are presented with their challenge, none of them really had a transition from "before challenge" to "after challenge". I felt that the character development was missing and I think this is what disappointed me the most about it.