Reviews

Das weibliche Prinzip by Meg Wolitzer

turquoiseshell's review against another edition

3.0

I did not think this book was very good, and I don’t think it contributes anything to the world. The characters are not even unlikable... just boring. The author must think she’s so smart to have anticipated the criticism she would inevitably get for this book in a meta sort of way. By this I mean that throughout the book the characters point out that others call their work “rich white lady feminism” and call them out for their collective privilege and lack of diversity. The characters lazily write this off, as Meg Wolitzer must also have done. Ironic, isn’t it, that just as the two female characters’ books and work didn’t contribute anything new or productive to the world, neither did this novel itself. The novel attempts to speak on our current political climate but just seems silly and dated. Maybe that was the point, but if so, it wasn’t effectively done. If the main character had gone to work for “Femme Fatale,” maybe it would have been a more interesting book... but the main character would never have done that, because she’s boring and lame.

rachsteiner's review against another edition

hopeful informative 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? No

4.5

hattietr's review against another edition

3.0

This book just felt like there were way too many ideas and it didn't really know what it was. I found the pacing frustrating as we kept going back to hear a different characters' backstory and then big things would happen in the present day that would be glossed over or mentioned in retrospect. The writing was also a bit weird, often there was a line that just felt jarring to the rest of the text. I thought the premise and the first third was good, and it was certainly a page-turner, but ultimately left me confused as to what it was and what it wanted to say.

saranies's review against another edition

4.0

This book started off slow and kind of dragged in the middle, but the last third was amazing. I thought that a couple of the things were predictable and I was happy to discover that I was wrong:

Spoiler

both the letter and Kristen (the girl who can't read as well as them) turn up as a conflict between Zee and Greer and someone Cory sleeps with, respectively, just as any Chekov gun should, but not in the way that I thought they would.

I loved that the book ended with the Women's March, although the author does think that the bus ride only took 4.5 hours from DC to NYC.... That's how long it should have taken, but with traffic, it was more like 6 hours.

I need more books with feminist rage and the urge to do something is an underlying theme.

mollyluckhurst's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

such intricate emotional and social webs

hurricaner's review against another edition

I really wanted to like this book. But it’s just entirely too drawn out. 

theacaposito's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

sandeep_s's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

marianne_louise's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was too long for its content and could have been half the size. It had some interesting points but repeated it's ideas a lot. Ultimately a fiction about a feminist magazine; predictable but enjoyable.  

maticorde94's review against another edition

3.0

Overall a good book. However there are times where you the general story is affected by the introduction and description of so many characters at a time. However it was entertaining and I really got inside the story.