Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Naiset puhuvat

This is the best book I've read this year (so far). I'm glad I went in knowing the basic plot, because it definitely deserves a bunch of content warnings and isn't for the faint of heart. But both the writing itself and the structure, how the story was told, were absolutely masterful. The perspective choices, the character backgrounds, the jokes and small details, every single choice that Toews made elevates it to the absolute height of what the book is capable of. The pacing is perfect, tight without being unforgiving. When I finished reading it I had to lay down on the floor and stare at the ceiling for a while so I could process. An absolute masterpiece. But please please do pay attention to the content warnings, this book speaks about some of the most difficult subjects I've ever read about in a book.

Content Warnings

nota_candycaine's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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alisonvh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative fast-paced

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

4.0

I'm not sure how I feel about a book called "Women Talking" being narrated by a man, but on the whole, I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad I read it.

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jouljet's review against another edition

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dark inspiring reflective tense 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

4.0

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somebodysgottadoit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Miriam Toews is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors, and Women Talking is only solidifying that stance.

There’s nothing I could say that could emulate the beauty of this book and what a pleasure it was to read, so I’ll leave you with my favourite quote:

“What good is it to be alive if you are not in the world?” (Toews 215).

Content Warnings

lilymouse's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

Beautiful and heartwrenching

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ldandridge's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

A powerful story, and I really enjoyed the format of it being a record of their conversation over two days. Like others have said, though, I question the efficacy of telling this story through a man's perspective. Overall I really liked this and it will definitely sit with me for a while.

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nickoliver's review against another edition

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reflective 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? Yes

This is a hard book to rate. I found it to be a frustrating read for the most part, because the women discussed things that were quite obvious in my eyes, and they also talked in circles a lot. The crimes committed to these women and their families were just horrendous, and the fact that they had to actively think about doing anything about it was so weird to me. Like, of course you shouldn't ignore what happened and keep living with men who literally raped a three-year-old. You should do something about it. And the fact that they just kept wondering, 'Yeah, but won't God send us to Hell if we leave and don't forgive the men?' made me want to fling myself off a cliff. I know my relationship with religion is different, but Jesus, who the fuck wants to believe in a God who'd let rapists into heaven and punish women for being raped?

However, I feel like I have to take a step back when it comes to this book. After all, I grew up in a household that was Catholic on paper but mostly atheistic in practice. I didn't live in a patriarchal colony that taught me from the moment I developed a conscience that I had nothing to offer but my ability to make babies. Of course, if you grow up in a colony that's completely shut off from the world and you have no education, can't write, can't read, wouldn't even be able to pinpoint your town on a map, your take on things will be different. It's always easier to be on the outside of things and judge people on the inside. So, I think I have to think about that first before giving this book a bad rating based on my frustration with the women.

Though to be fair, I also wasn't a fan of the rest of the book. Like I said, the women kept talking in circles, so that made it a bit boring. I also had a hard time telling the women apart and knowing their relationships to each other; I kept mixing them up with each other. Plus, the person who kind of "narrated" the story was a man, and he often either went off on tangents about his own life or talked about his love for one of the women, and those parts just didn't feel like they should've been in the story? For a book called "Women Talking", it sure concentrated a lot on a man.

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