Reviews - The Female Man | The StoryGraph

515 reviews for:

The Female Man

Joanna Russ

3.4 AVERAGE

zoe2000's review against another edition

2.0

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was a tough one, boys. Is a literary piece still masterfully crafted if it's barely intelligible?

sheayardyjosh's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

tenderedge's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Glory be!

dalyandot's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Classic feminist satire, contrasting women's place in 1970s USA with an future women's utopia and a alternate timeline where 1960s sexual revolution/women's liberation didnt happen

gemmysyl's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

stierwood's review

4.0

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

WEIRD!!!!! A bit second wavey for my taste (didn’t love the way trans women were portrayed, nor the random comparisons of gender inequality to slavery (Black women do exist, Ms Russ, and this showed a preeeetty white perspective on feminism). )

These things aside, I did like how strange it was. I love a weird ass book. Vibes on vibes on vibes, so much went over my head, it’s obvious Russ is a creative genius.

Was intrigued by this book because it’s so often compared with The Left Hand of Darkness, and after reading it, I don’t think it quite did what the left hand of darkness did. Joanna Russ thought the left hand of darkness didn’t go far enough, but her response to it is entirely rooted in binary with a crazy weird portrayal of trans women. So idk about all that. I seems that she was much more trapped in the muck of 1960s politics than Le Guin was, but she thought she ate with all that “le guin didn’t go far enough— we need a book about a female planet” stuff. So like, le guin was in the year 3000 and Russ thought she was too but really was still in the year 1960.

lizawall's review against another edition

Ok, so I loved loved loved this book. When I first read it, I had a moment towards the end of squirming a little bit and, having loved it all the way through, suddenly saying, is there some trans misogyny here? And the more I think about it, yes, absolutely, totally.

The way that on the men's land there are these "fake" women who are portrayed as being kind of icky and a sad product of patriarchy is totally, 100% fucked up.

Which breaks my heart because there is so much in this book I feel like I need, INCLUDING at times a great take on genderqueerness AND the clear unity of gender politics and politics-politics, a second wave perspective I think we really need to pay attention to, except that it's always getting ruined by these totally fucked trans politics (and feelings). Whyyyyyy?!? :-(

[Ed: Just found this interview with Samuel R. Delany where she talks about being embarrassed about her earlier "stereotyped" views of gay men. (Also in this interview she talks about loving Sarah Orne Jewett which is amazing and wonderful to me!) Then there's this exchange:

"Question from the Audience: You mentioned that your opinions of gay men used to be very different and traditional. I was wondering if your opinions of transsexual women have changed since you wrote The Female Man.

JR: Oh yes, oh yes, it’s almost as if my life has arranged itself to disabuse me of one prejudice after another. And all of these have gone because none of them were real, really."

So that's something, I guess. Maybe she could write a new version now that all of her prejudices are gone?]