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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I really, really, REALLY, wanted to like this book but the writing felt too dull, too cheap, too short for the storylines that were presented. I guess I just wanted more emotions from the characters, everything seemed to fall flat for me.
Super super interesting read. A post-Trumpian world that doesn't feel very far away. Very entrenched in strong sense of place, rainy PNW setting. Dark and mysterious and kind of magical.
Lovely ending. Presents the "both/and", feminine way of seeing things as opposed to the "either/or", masculine way. It IS possible. It can be real.
"She wants more than one thing.
To write the last sentence of Minervudottir.
To write the first sentence of something else.
To be courteous but fierce with her father's doctors.
To be a foster mom.
To be the next principal.
To be neither.
She wants to stretch her mind wider than "to have one."
Wider than "not to have one."
To quit shrinking life to a checked box, a calendar square.
To quit shaking her head.
To go to the protest in May.
To do more than go to a protest.
To be okay with not knowing.
To see what is. And to see what is possible."
Lovely ending. Presents the "both/and", feminine way of seeing things as opposed to the "either/or", masculine way. It IS possible. It can be real.
"She wants more than one thing.
To write the last sentence of Minervudottir.
To write the first sentence of something else.
To be courteous but fierce with her father's doctors.
To be a foster mom.
To be the next principal.
To be neither.
She wants to stretch her mind wider than "to have one."
Wider than "not to have one."
To quit shrinking life to a checked box, a calendar square.
To quit shaking her head.
To go to the protest in May.
To do more than go to a protest.
To be okay with not knowing.
To see what is. And to see what is possible."
This is supposed to be a futuristic (not that far in the future though) dystopian novel where abortion is illegal again. Honestly, with the political climate we find ourselves in, this book hit a little too close to home. Now that I've finished it, I realize that there was no true plot; this was a snap shot of the life that these four (apparently there were five, but I couldn't totally understand what the 5th was even saying) women are living in this futuristic society.
However, I enjoyed this snap shot. So often, something has to actually truly occur in order for books to be considered exciting and interesting. I thought it was fine that nothing happened in terms of changing the laws, but since this future is very real, I like to think about what we can do if it does become a reality.
However, I enjoyed this snap shot. So often, something has to actually truly occur in order for books to be considered exciting and interesting. I thought it was fine that nothing happened in terms of changing the laws, but since this future is very real, I like to think about what we can do if it does become a reality.
This book is a portrait of what life in America would be life after the passing of the Personhood Amendment. Under the new law, all abortion and IVF procedures are outlawed and crossing the border into Canada for an abortion is illegal. Planned Parenthood has been defunded and abortions are still performed in “term houses.” This book follows a handful of characters: a woman who is unhappy in her marriage, a single woman desperate to get pregnant, a witch who performs abortions and other naturopathic medicine, and the book is scattered with the story of an 1800’s polar ice explorer.
In today’s political climate surrounding anti-choice laws being passed, I thought this would be interesting. It wasn’t. I honestly can’t believe this got past a publisher. It’s bad, y’all.
The characters were flat, the writing was overinflated and difficult to take seriously, the dialogue was trash, and I kept wondering why Zumas refused to call her characters by their names. The entire plot of the wife was unnecessary and just annoying to read. I didn’t care one bit about the polar ice explorer. The concept was great but Red Clocks just didn’t do it for me. If you like awful writing scattered with incomplete sentences, maybe you’ll like it better.
In today’s political climate surrounding anti-choice laws being passed, I thought this would be interesting. It wasn’t. I honestly can’t believe this got past a publisher. It’s bad, y’all.
The characters were flat, the writing was overinflated and difficult to take seriously, the dialogue was trash, and I kept wondering why Zumas refused to call her characters by their names. The entire plot of the wife was unnecessary and just annoying to read. I didn’t care one bit about the polar ice explorer. The concept was great but Red Clocks just didn’t do it for me. If you like awful writing scattered with incomplete sentences, maybe you’ll like it better.
A dystopian tale of an America where abortion is completely illegal and fetuses have rights. Or a utopian story if you are a republican/Trump supporter.
Maybe a little slow at first, but so completely worth it! Excellent, beautiful, deep.
Topical and fascinating. I loved finding out how the characters were related and following their stories but I feel like I need more from certain storylines.
Five women’s stories, interwoven by life in a small Oregon coastal town in a near-future world where the US has banned abortion and IVF, and restricted adoption to couples only. Beautifully written, beautifully real.
Too graphic, crude, sexual. Not my type of book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such an important book! So happy I finally got around to reading it. I loved how real this world felt, especially compared to the often extreme themes covered by similar books. I could see this world in our own, and that is so important. I think I would have liked it better if I physically read the book instead of listening to it.