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ruth24's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. It's one of those SciFi type books where everything seems great at first, but gets progressively sinister. I can totally see this happening in real life, if it hasn't already!
wellenina's review against another edition
3.0
La dovrei anche smettere, io, di dare retta alle fascette dei libri: "Scomodo come una verità che non si vuole ammettere, inquietante come un incubo che è già realtà. Il romanzo di Joanne Ramos chiede la ribellione delle donne". Eh? Ma parliamo dello stesso libro? Un libro che ruota tutto attorno al tema delle differenze di classe (in termini di cultura e mentalità, stili di vita, opportunità) che è vecchio come il mondo e non ha niente di scomodo, inammissibile, tantomeno inquietante. La ribellione delle donne? Quelle che decidono di offrire una prestazione lavorativa regolata da contratto e ben remunerata? Mi aspettavo sanguinari sfruttamenti, ma niente. Per non parlare di un'altra mistificatoria citazione, in copertina, che lo paragona al Racconto dell'Ancella, e mi ha fatto girare ogni pagina con l'aspettativa di una distopia che (spoiler?) non è mai arrivata.
False aspettative a parte, il libro non è niente di che e non gli avrei mai lasciato una recensione se non fosse stato per inveire contro la fascetta. Se questa è una sorta di strategia di marketing, sì, le fascette funzionano, mi arrendo.
#aspettandounadistopia
False aspettative a parte, il libro non è niente di che e non gli avrei mai lasciato una recensione se non fosse stato per inveire contro la fascetta. Se questa è una sorta di strategia di marketing, sì, le fascette funzionano, mi arrendo.
#aspettandounadistopia
tayler_morg's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
msilkwolfe's review
3.0
I liked but didn’t love this one. It included some fascinating and important themes: surrogacy, immigration, the top 1%, and motherhood, but something about it kept me from being totally engrossed and wow-ed. I maybe had trouble suspending my disbelief at moments, as well as truly believing the relationships in the story. Might be an interesting one for book club discussion, though?
rae_swabey's review
4.0
The Farm of the title is a high end surrogacy facility where pregnant 'hosts' grow the embryos of wealthy clients.
Told from various perspectives, including two of these hosts and a manager, this novel looks at the places where biology, technology, race, gender and class intersect without being simplistic or didactic.
Pacy and well observed, this book is a page turner, and still manages to have real emotional and intellectual depth.
Told from various perspectives, including two of these hosts and a manager, this novel looks at the places where biology, technology, race, gender and class intersect without being simplistic or didactic.
Pacy and well observed, this book is a page turner, and still manages to have real emotional and intellectual depth.
sweet_ness's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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? No
4.5
book_concierge's review
4.0
Digital audiobook narrated by Fran de Leon.
Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is searching for a better opportunity to secure the future for herself and her daughter. So, the chance to become a “host” at Golden Oaks – a luxury resort in New York’s Hudson Valley – seems ideal. She’ll have every amenity: organic meals, a personal fitness trainer, daily massages, and an idyllic setting. All she has to do is be a surrogate mother for someone else’s child. But things at “The Farm” (as Jane and her fellow surrogates refer to it), aren’t as ideal as the brochures promise.
While the original premise seems plausible, the reality of Jane’s situation quickly devolves into a somewhat dystopian nightmare. She seems to be being played by not only those who run the operation but, perhaps, by one or more fellow surrogates. It also seems that the relative she’s entrusted with her daughter’s care while she spends nine months at Golden Oaks isn’t as trustworthy as Jane originally thought. All this adds to the tension … both for Jane and for the reader.
It certainly held my attention and I really wanted to see how Jane would fare in this scenario. I think this would be a work that book clubs would love to discuss.
Fran de Leon does a fine job narrating the audio. She has good diction and keep a good pace. There are a lot of characters, most of them female, and there were a few times when I got confused about who was speaking, but I quickly caught up.
Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is searching for a better opportunity to secure the future for herself and her daughter. So, the chance to become a “host” at Golden Oaks – a luxury resort in New York’s Hudson Valley – seems ideal. She’ll have every amenity: organic meals, a personal fitness trainer, daily massages, and an idyllic setting. All she has to do is be a surrogate mother for someone else’s child. But things at “The Farm” (as Jane and her fellow surrogates refer to it), aren’t as ideal as the brochures promise.
While the original premise seems plausible, the reality of Jane’s situation quickly devolves into a somewhat dystopian nightmare. She seems to be being played by not only those who run the operation but, perhaps, by one or more fellow surrogates. It also seems that the relative she’s entrusted with her daughter’s care while she spends nine months at Golden Oaks isn’t as trustworthy as Jane originally thought. All this adds to the tension … both for Jane and for the reader.
It certainly held my attention and I really wanted to see how Jane would fare in this scenario. I think this would be a work that book clubs would love to discuss.
Fran de Leon does a fine job narrating the audio. She has good diction and keep a good pace. There are a lot of characters, most of them female, and there were a few times when I got confused about who was speaking, but I quickly caught up.
motherofladybirds's review against another edition
3.0
Exploration of class and race, colourism and motherhood through surrogacy. Set in USA I liked it but I was not surprised by it and did not really warm to the characters. I think it missed some of the complexities of surrogacy. It portrayed exploitation of women in poverty well.
safpearl's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
I wish it was more fleshed out. could have been a other 100 pages
shareen17's review
3.0
The farm is a surrogate-mother business where everything is controlled for the maximum benefit of the newborn's health. It explores somewhat the immigrant experience and extreme wealth division, although it doesn't make any conclusions about these issues. Super-unsatisfying ending in my opinion!