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jenny_wren's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Wow! I loved this! Its about a virus that originated in Scotland but soon becomes a global pandemic. It tells the story from the perspectives of a range of characters - doctors, scientists and members of the public. The virus is carried by females but contracted by males who die with 2 to 3 days. It kills 90% of those who catch it. Its a race against time to find a vaccine but with so many deaths and experts lost, its a real challenge for those who survive. It affects all males - even new born babies. It looks at how the world will have to change because of a shortage of food, supplies and people.
This is such a thought provoking book that packs more of a punch because of COVID - even though it was written pre COVID. Something like this is a possibility now in a way it wasn't thought even probable before. I had to laugh in places how there were still those people who didn't think the virus was real and men believing it was a conspiracy - writing off women as hysterical and not knowing what they're talking about!
This was amazing - it was a long book but I spent my whole Sunday reading it - just couldn't put it down!
This is such a thought provoking book that packs more of a punch because of COVID - even though it was written pre COVID. Something like this is a possibility now in a way it wasn't thought even probable before. I had to laugh in places how there were still those people who didn't think the virus was real and men believing it was a conspiracy - writing off women as hysterical and not knowing what they're talking about!
This was amazing - it was a long book but I spent my whole Sunday reading it - just couldn't put it down!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Infertility, and Medical content
Minor: Sexism and Suicide
auteaandtales's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Racism, Gun violence, War, Cancer, Car accident, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Trafficking, and Transphobia
bookishnookish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
End of Men sure is an interesting book. I could not put it down and stayed up till the wee hours of the morning reading it. The characters of Catherine and Amanda were most compelling and I was pulled in by their characters.
The premise of the book is that a virus has spread very quickly to kill off 90% of men on Earth. Women survive and are left with a world where they have to take over and very quickly at that.
While I loved the way the book moves, I did find a few things irksome. There were a few episodes of cattiness and the entire light Dr. Lisa was painted in put me off. The fact that she was ambitious but apathetic and quite callous just doesn't sit well with me. I just felt that she could have been an ambitious and forthright character, without the negative portrayal. Her character was made to feel that all ambitious people are ok with walking over the dead to achieve their goals and I don't believe that to be true. While I liked the individual povs and chapters that gave an insight into the psyches of the cast of characters, I would have liked to see how women were taking over on a larger scale - not just at the top, but every day life and jobs, without men. That and the gender bias angles could have been explored a bit more.
It is not a perfect book by any means but it is a story about humanity and humanity is definitely not perfect.
The premise of the book is that a virus has spread very quickly to kill off 90% of men on Earth. Women survive and are left with a world where they have to take over and very quickly at that.
While I loved the way the book moves, I did find a few things irksome. There were a few episodes of cattiness and the entire light Dr. Lisa was painted in put me off. The fact that she was ambitious but apathetic and quite callous just doesn't sit well with me. I just felt that she could have been an ambitious and forthright character, without the negative portrayal. Her character was made to feel that all ambitious people are ok with walking over the dead to achieve their goals and I don't believe that to be true. While I liked the individual povs and chapters that gave an insight into the psyches of the cast of characters, I would have liked to see how women were taking over on a larger scale - not just at the top, but every day life and jobs, without men. That and the gender bias angles could have been explored a bit more.
It is not a perfect book by any means but it is a story about humanity and humanity is definitely not perfect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
Minor: Death of parent
bookishbecky's review against another edition
4.0
I was hooked with this book and read it in 3 sittings. A plague which only affects men begins to spread in Scotland and the doctor who discovers it is ignored until it is too late.
And so begins a heartbreaking book of loss, politics and change. I loved that the book showed that not all of the changes were bad (in the cases of better jobs and rights for women and the escape from domestic violence.)
I also thought it was interesting that toward the end of the book there was commentary on many issues that affect women such as medical and safety equipment and that the remaining men were then struggling with the issues of objectification which women have discussed for so many years.
I was shocked to find this was a debut as it was so gripping and brilliantly written. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
There are a lot of trigger warnings for this book so please do look them up before reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicide
holliejoy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
pamshenanigans's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book was okay, albeit having confusing POVs even if I really focus and listen to the audiobook. 🥱
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Death of parent
kitty03's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, and Miscarriage
literaryjunarin's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
What would it look like if women ruled the world?
In this book, the year is 2025, and a mysterious illness has broken out in Scotland, a lethal virus that only affects men. Husbands, sons, brothers, and grandfathers all started dying, leaving women behind.
The book is structured as a collection of accounts of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences. From the doctor who first discovered the virus, a social historian, a scientist, an intelligence security analyst, their stories gave the reader a view of how the world has changed with the absence of men.
Gosh, this book is sad. The accounts of the mothers who have their husbands and sons killed broke me. Some women have daughters but some only have sons. They were left alone. Suddenly, all pregnant women during the Male Plague wished to have daughters. After giving birth to a son, they started grieving immediately because what if the baby is not immune to the virus?
The world was in chaos because there's not enough manpower to control the panicking people. Police, army, security services, paramedics, fire services, these professions consist of mostly men and they died one by one.
I liked how the book included stories about the death of loving husbands but also about those abusive husbands, husbands who got so scared he left his family only to find out he's immune, husbands who were trapped on a ship because they can't land to avoid the plague. The strategies made by the women leaders were interesting as well. Evacuating the teenage boys to a hotel, newly born baby boys quarantined immediately, training women to military, etc.
I just wished that the stories of transwomen and gay men were expanded more. They only have 2 pages.
In this book, the year is 2025, and a mysterious illness has broken out in Scotland, a lethal virus that only affects men. Husbands, sons, brothers, and grandfathers all started dying, leaving women behind.
The book is structured as a collection of accounts of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences. From the doctor who first discovered the virus, a social historian, a scientist, an intelligence security analyst, their stories gave the reader a view of how the world has changed with the absence of men.
Gosh, this book is sad. The accounts of the mothers who have their husbands and sons killed broke me. Some women have daughters but some only have sons. They were left alone. Suddenly, all pregnant women during the Male Plague wished to have daughters. After giving birth to a son, they started grieving immediately because what if the baby is not immune to the virus?
The world was in chaos because there's not enough manpower to control the panicking people. Police, army, security services, paramedics, fire services, these professions consist of mostly men and they died one by one.
I liked how the book included stories about the death of loving husbands but also about those abusive husbands, husbands who got so scared he left his family only to find out he's immune, husbands who were trapped on a ship because they can't land to avoid the plague. The strategies made by the women leaders were interesting as well. Evacuating the teenage boys to a hotel, newly born baby boys quarantined immediately, training women to military, etc.
I just wished that the stories of transwomen and gay men were expanded more. They only have 2 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The End of Men is the story of a highly contagious, fast-acting lethal plague. No, not Covid. This one kills only men, although women can be carriers. It’s set in the near future, from 2025-2031, from the day the plague is first suspected until after a vaccine is found and life is settling back into its new normal, one that still contains a host of challenges.
Given that this was written before Covid it is amazing how prescient parts of it are.
The story unfolds in nine main sections, starting with Before and Outbreak, travelling through Panic and Despair, then finishing with Adaptation and Remembrance. It is told from three main perspectives - a doctor who treats the first case, one of the scientists desperately searching for a vaccine, and a social anthropologist who documents the plague’s human stories. There are shorter sections from many more characters, plus a few newspaper articles and the like. All sections are in the first person, present tense which helps absorb the reader into the story, creating a real sense of immediacy. The variety of characters and their diverse geographic locations helps emphasise the global aspect of the plague, although sadly Africa and South America and large chunks of Asia don’t really feature.
I loved how all encompassing this novel was. We saw how the plague affected people at a personal level - men fearing they were going to die, women dealing with the loss of sons and husbands. But there’s also plenty of attention given to longer term national and international concerns, and fascinating questions are raised. How would society function when male dominated industries had no workers? What would it mean for the trans community? How could newborn baby boys be kept alive and at what emotional cost? Would such a pandemic spell the end of armed conflict? Would more women enter same-sex relationships?
The audio is excellent. The large cast of narrators and range of accents really brought the story alive, emphasised its global reach and helped differentiate the characters.
I was absorbed from beginning to end in this excellently envisioned piece of speculative fiction. So much food for thought. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Infertility
avgsilva's review against another edition
3.75
It's crazy to think that it was written before the pandemic, while reading I couldn't stop seeing parallels.
I liked the story, it was quite emotional and the issue of loss is well written in my opinion.
What disturbed me are the numerous pov. It's nice to see how different people are copying with the situation, but the chapters are quite short so I didn't really have time to get into the story of the narrator that it was already someone else. Plus, some characters had more chapters than other and I was disappointed not to hear more about some of them.
I liked the story, it was quite emotional and the issue of loss is well written in my opinion.
What disturbed me are the numerous pov. It's nice to see how different people are copying with the situation, but the chapters are quite short so I didn't really have time to get into the story of the narrator that it was already someone else. Plus, some characters had more chapters than other and I was disappointed not to hear more about some of them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death