Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Women Talking

Between 2005 and 2009, over 130 women of a small Mennonite community in Bolivia were sprayed with belladonna to incapacitate them and then repeatedly raped. The youngest victim was only three years old. Then men were turned over to the authorities in order to save them from a victim who threatened them with a scythe. Now that the men are being bailed out, the women gather to discuss their next move: leave their community, fight the other men in the community to keep the attackers away, or forgive their rapists.

This book made my blood boil for all of the expected reasons and possibly one surprising reason. This is the fictionalization of an actual event as told by someone formerly of a Mennonite community. The women hold conversations in a barn to come to a consensus on whether or not to leave their small community for their own safety and that of their children.

The aspect of this book that aggravates me is that the author relies on a male narrator (the character within the story) to tell the women's story. This novel would have been stronger if we had been able to listen to the survivors make their decision instead of having "the minute keeper" offer his interpretation of what was being said. The women were extremely strong characters and having their story told through a male view was extremely off-putting

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evanlyn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

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bookforthought's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

A poignant, reflective and profoundly inspiring read on the patriarchy and the power of resistance, community and love. For such a short book, it takes its time but is definitely worth it to spend as much time as possible with this memorable cast of characters. The audiobook narrator was fantastic, well worth listening to!

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alylentz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This was a tough but very memorable read. I went into it only having a vague idea about the movie, and overall it was really different than I was expecting, and I can understand a lot of the disappointed reviews if you're expecting <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>, because this certainly isn't that. For me, the reviews that compare it to a play really resonated: it's a familiar story that asks big questions and leaves you with memorable characters. It did make me cry and there's so much in here that if you didn't come away still thinking about some things, I think you would be doing it wrong.

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thehistoriette's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sgrizzle's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

3.75

Finished this short book just in time to watch the movie adaptation just in time for the Oscars, where it is nominated for best picture. It is 100% what it says in the title, women talking. The women of a Mennonite colony decide what to do after it is discovered that for years, several of the men have been drugging and raping them at night. The book is set up as schoolteacher August, a man who was not involved, taking the minutes of the meeting. Framing the story of women about women and so women led yet told through the words of a man is an interesting choice (and one that is different in the movie). It’s both quiet and tense, philosophical and yet deeply practical, as these women decide their fates. Definitely not for everyone, and I don’t disagree with some of the criticisms I’ve seen, but ultimately I found it really moving, particularly knowing it is based on a true story.

(As an aside, I read an interview with the author where she said she wanted to base a story on the real situation, but also she didn’t want it to be about the violence itself, since so many stories are about violence, but about coping with the aftermath. I really appreciate that take.)

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hinkleh's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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carlytenille's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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