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hamillherself's review
emotional
reflective
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Pregnancy, and Ableism
Minor: Abortion
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Enjoyable* read. I saw other reviews that were expecting something much more dramatic, but the banality of evil really made it real for me. Want a baby and can pay for it? Hire some lady whose mother's name you never bother to learn. I think this is kind of a perfect horror wake-up call for folks who still think the class divide really isn't that big a deal.
* As enjoyable as it can be to read about bodily indentured servitude...
* As enjoyable as it can be to read about bodily indentured servitude...
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror and Abortion
brotestantethic's review
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Masterful. Ramos creates a world so despicable and yet so like our own. She writes in a way that is easy to read and reflective of her arguments, which are laid out beautifully and mysteriously. Triumphant in everything it aims to achieve—and for that, one of the more devastating things I’ve ever read. Favorite book of 2023 so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Abortion and Sexual content
fbzcab's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Racism
Minor: Abortion, Dementia, and Cancer
badvision's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Infertility, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
cestnicka's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book had a really interesting concept, I loved how it got into the economical disparities between cultures, the divide between the rich and poor and how it affects the way we live, and also the slightly dystopian but also slightly true world that is paid surrogacy.
I also enjoyed the internal struggles the author conveyed within each character and it really is thought provoking and makes you question and think. I also liked that she showed everyone has two sides to them and that there is also more than one way to look at things and how that can get misconstrued sometimes.
It had a lot of potential and could have been a really amazing read, however despite all these great things, I just didn’t love it for a few reasons…
There were too many characters that I felt didn’t add anything to the story and wished they would have focused a bit more on the main character and her struggles.
I also found the book to be too long because of what I said above. The story lacked a focal point. I struggled because it didn’t feel like there was a strong plot. So I kept waiting for something to happen and it took too long for what would be “the plot” to really get going.
I also felt like the ending was pretty weak. I just think it needed a lot more depth. I wish she would have narrowed down the topic a bit more and really focused in on what the good parts of the story were.
It was an ok book but I needed more depth in less pages.
I also enjoyed the internal struggles the author conveyed within each character and it really is thought provoking and makes you question and think. I also liked that she showed everyone has two sides to them and that there is also more than one way to look at things and how that can get misconstrued sometimes.
It had a lot of potential and could have been a really amazing read, however despite all these great things, I just didn’t love it for a few reasons…
There were too many characters that I felt didn’t add anything to the story and wished they would have focused a bit more on the main character and her struggles.
I also found the book to be too long because of what I said above. The story lacked a focal point. I struggled because it didn’t feel like there was a strong plot. So I kept waiting for something to happen and it took too long for what would be “the plot” to really get going.
I also felt like the ending was pretty weak. I just think it needed a lot more depth. I wish she would have narrowed down the topic a bit more and really focused in on what the good parts of the story were.
It was an ok book but I needed more depth in less pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion
epellicci's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Complicated, unsettling, and fraught. In a lot of ways The Farm remined me of The Handmaids Tale. It tells the story of Jane, a young Filipino mother who winds up working as a surrogate mother for the rich clients of an organisation that controls and manipulates her life. Both uncomfortable and a complete page-turner, it discusses race, women's rights, class and power in equal measure and encourages its readers to really engage with the characters. An excellent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Racism, Gaslighting, and Confinement
Moderate: Abortion and Toxic friendship
Minor: Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Slavery
kelly_e's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Title: The Farm
Author: Joanne Ramos
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.5
Pub Date: May 7, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Provocative • Underwhelming • Measured
📖 S Y N O P S I S
"The Farm" is a high end facility offering amazing amenities and top notch care to women they've recruited to be surrogates for wealthy wannabe parents. The "hosts" offer their bodies in return for a big payout when they deliver the babies, a payout that promises to change their lives. Meet June, a single mother from the Philippines, who strongly encourage by her Aunt, decides to apply to be a 'host' in order to offer her daughter a better future in America.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The premise for The Farm, Joanne Ramos' debut novel, sounded so intriguing I couldn't stop myself from picking up a copy. The concept was amazing, and the themes of motherhood, capitalism, immigration and reproductive right were thought-provoking, however, the execution was unsatisfying. This supposed dystopian world seemed way too plausible, and although the characters felt real, I took very little interest in any of the perspectives.
What really irked me was that the whole way through there was this underlying sense building of something awful happening at the farm, but that turned out to be nothing and I was left feeling very underwhelmed. The one thing this book did do well was raise lively discussion around a variety of topics.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• bookclubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"She always said that worst thing you can do to a child is raise it with too much softness, because the world is hard. But Jane is not sure. There are people who move through the world like they own it, and the world seems to bend to their demands."
Author: Joanne Ramos
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.5
Pub Date: May 7, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Provocative • Underwhelming • Measured
📖 S Y N O P S I S
"The Farm" is a high end facility offering amazing amenities and top notch care to women they've recruited to be surrogates for wealthy wannabe parents. The "hosts" offer their bodies in return for a big payout when they deliver the babies, a payout that promises to change their lives. Meet June, a single mother from the Philippines, who strongly encourage by her Aunt, decides to apply to be a 'host' in order to offer her daughter a better future in America.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The premise for The Farm, Joanne Ramos' debut novel, sounded so intriguing I couldn't stop myself from picking up a copy. The concept was amazing, and the themes of motherhood, capitalism, immigration and reproductive right were thought-provoking, however, the execution was unsatisfying. This supposed dystopian world seemed way too plausible, and although the characters felt real, I took very little interest in any of the perspectives.
What really irked me was that the whole way through there was this underlying sense building of something awful happening at the farm, but that turned out to be nothing and I was left feeling very underwhelmed. The one thing this book did do well was raise lively discussion around a variety of topics.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• bookclubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"She always said that worst thing you can do to a child is raise it with too much softness, because the world is hard. But Jane is not sure. There are people who move through the world like they own it, and the world seems to bend to their demands."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Child death
zombiezami's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.75
This was a fascinating book that I could hardly put down. The descriptive writing, themes, and characters were wonderful. The premise and execution reminded me a lot of The Stepford Wives. The author didn't quite stick the landing at the end, though, in my opinion. It's not just that it wasn't a happy ending. The ending just felt a little anti-climactic. Maybe that was the point, but in the realm of sci fi, I feel like the author could have pushed the envelope a little more.I also feel that the time skips made the book feel rushed at times, rather than helping the narrative. Even, so, I was legitimately stunned when we found out that Regan met an actor and not the real client. That was truly sinister.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Gaslighting, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Racism, Xenophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Blood, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity, Excrement, Animal cruelty, and Slavery
Eugenics, Colorismthebooklooks's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage and Abortion