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laceydaisy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment and Suicide
carissa230's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.25
A pandemic has started in Scotland and the death rate is extremely high and very fast. It is only effecting men, but women are carriers.
The books is told from multiple perspectives. One woman is trying to save the world, one woman is trying to save her son, one man just trying to survive on a ship. It was very interesting to read about a pandemic after a pandemic. Since it’s in Scotland it’s hard for me to determine how close to reality it is. The US didn’t handle the pandemic that well at all.
The books is told from multiple perspectives. One woman is trying to save the world, one woman is trying to save her son, one man just trying to survive on a ship. It was very interesting to read about a pandemic after a pandemic. Since it’s in Scotland it’s hard for me to determine how close to reality it is. The US didn’t handle the pandemic that well at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death of parent
cheye13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It started off well, but lost me around halfway. Ultimately, I'm not sure what... the point... was...
It's pitched as a feminist dystopia, but only mentions women taking over positions of power in the briefest asides. The real focus is the fallout of losing half the population. All of the recovery is focused on repopulation: protecting surviving men, birthing healthy boys, rationing sperm. Despite the female POVs, all the attention is once more on the men. Counterintuitively, it felt like the story coddled men while women buckled down to helm survival.
The most cohesive and developed theme was not women in positions of power, but fertility. The book is tidily bookended by Catherine's fertility problems and eventual pregnancy. All of the grief and fear we see in-depth is for husbands and sons – not fathers or brothers. Fertility stories are important, but this one felt incidental; it was the most coherent throughline, but didn't explore the topic in any meaningful way.
The specific careers (genetics, anthropology, government intelligence) spread the content of the novel too thin. With such intricate professions, there wasn't enough research to provide more than a superficial involvement in the novel's entire premise.
The identity diversity also felt like a hamfisted afterthought rather than a significant facet of the characters that would affect their approach to events. I appreciated the acknowledgement of the trans experience, but it felt extremely shoehorned, and again, not explored in any meaningful way. Sexuality and racial diversity wasn't handled any better, and there was nearly no class diversity.
The writing style was exceedinly readable, and the narrative was generally engaging. But ultimately, I sat down for a dissection of gender in the modern world, and instead got an exceedingly heteronormative narrative that in no way challenged the status quo, skirted gender essentialism, and was also kinda depressing.
It's pitched as a feminist dystopia, but only mentions women taking over positions of power in the briefest asides. The real focus is the fallout of losing half the population. All of the recovery is focused on repopulation: protecting surviving men, birthing healthy boys, rationing sperm. Despite the female POVs, all the attention is once more on the men. Counterintuitively, it felt like the story coddled men while women buckled down to helm survival.
The most cohesive and developed theme was not women in positions of power, but fertility.
The specific careers (genetics, anthropology, government intelligence) spread the content of the novel too thin. With such intricate professions, there wasn't enough research to provide more than a superficial involvement in the novel's entire premise.
The identity diversity also felt like a hamfisted afterthought rather than a significant facet of the characters that would affect their approach to events. I appreciated the acknowledgement of the trans experience, but it felt extremely shoehorned, and again, not explored in any meaningful way. Sexuality and racial diversity wasn't handled any better, and there was nearly no class diversity.
The writing style was exceedinly readable, and the narrative was generally engaging. But ultimately, I sat down for a dissection of gender in the modern world, and instead got an exceedingly heteronormative narrative that in no way challenged the status quo, skirted gender essentialism, and was also kinda depressing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Misogyny, Suicide, Transphobia, and War
the transphobia I mention isn't just that inherent in the premise; a trans character mentions how much more difficult life has been for trans people after "the plague," including an increase in general transphobia and transphobic violencetilly_and_the_books's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, Death of parent, Child death, Death, and Terminal illness
clauglezzz_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
The irony of reading this book while locked in my room with covid is undescribable. The first pages tore my heart out and stomped on it. Anthony's death had me bawling for 2 hours I wanted to do nothing more than to go out of my room and hug my dad but i couldn't. The chapter that was just blog from a misogynist saying that women had caused the plague made me so angry i trew the book across the room. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions and i cannot recomendit enough
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Confinement
Moderate: Sexism, Infertility, Misogyny, and Medical content
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
thelibraryofanna's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage, Infertility, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment, Suicide, and Misogyny
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