Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed reading Red Clocks, so much so, I stayed up late just to finish it. I loved that this book was more character driven than it was focused on the plot. The reason this isn't a four or five star read for me is because of one particular character. I was left confused as to why she was included (I won't give away who for possible spoilers). Reproductive justice is an important topic and this book explores what it would look like if those freedoms were taken away.
3.5, great concept didn't love the way it was written.
Personally interesting and timely concept given the current political jeopardization of female reproductive rights. Yet, I failed to empathize with any singular character due to the distant voice coupled with the intertwining narrative with improbable connections that felt imposed on a concept rather than freely flowing from (potential) human experience.
I found it hard to get into right away - the choppy story writing is not something I'm used to. But once I did, the choppiness became brilliant! It's a stark way to tell a stark tale and I was amazed at how the writing style reinforced the staccato and hopeless feelings that this type of dreadscape would feel like. I felt the despair that much more, I think, because of it.
The story itself was brilliant as well. Upsetting, but brilliant. Told from the perspective of three women and a girl that felt so real to life I could picture them and further, picture women and girls in my life that could easily have been the reference material.
The story itself was brilliant as well. Upsetting, but brilliant. Told from the perspective of three women and a girl that felt so real to life I could picture them and further, picture women and girls in my life that could easily have been the reference material.
See my review here: https://sanchesters.home.blog/2019/01/19/imagine-a-world/
Really more of a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to give this book the benefit of the doubt as I've been in a bit of a reading slump. [EDIT: Now rounded down, because I gave The Handmaid's Tale 3 stars, and it was better than this one.] It took me longer than it should have to finish this book, but I did enjoy Zumas' descriptive writing and characterization. Overall, I didn't feel the "oompf" from this book that I probably should have. I do anticipate this will be a popular title in 2018 given current debates around reproductive rights. I also thought Eivor's sections were a bit jarring at first, but by the end of the book, I thought her story was an appropriate fit.
4.5*
Strong, empathic, a terrible possibility.
The lives of women being policed, put on display. However, I had trouble understanding the added value of the biography of the explorer.
Strong, empathic, a terrible possibility.
The lives of women being policed, put on display. However, I had trouble understanding the added value of the biography of the explorer.
I enjoyed the language within this book. The message and the plot at a point seemed predictable, but the language kept it more interesting than the plot line itself. I was not fond of the wife's storyline. I may have missed something that made hers more connected to the other women. She seemed self-centered and annoying at times (that may personal bias). The other characters I enjoyed from the compassion I felt for the Daughter and the Biographer to the uneasy feeling I had with the Mender.
In this dystopian view of the United States, stringent abortion and adoption laws have been passed. Abortions and in vitro fertilization are outlawed and only families with two parents may adopt children. The story intertwines the lives of four women who are affected by these laws.
Recommended for fans of The Handmaid's Tale. This book is hitting a little too close to home these days. Not recommended for someone looking for a break from this current political climate.
Book Riot 2018 Read Harder Challenge: A book with a cover you hate.
Recommended for fans of The Handmaid's Tale. This book is hitting a little too close to home these days. Not recommended for someone looking for a break from this current political climate.
Book Riot 2018 Read Harder Challenge: A book with a cover you hate.
This is The Single Best Book I've Read This Year. Except maybe Poor Things. I've read a lot of reviews saying it was pretentious. I don't agree. But maybe that only means I'm a little pretentious too (but does that really surprise anyone?). I think that's because of the style, but the style is one of the things I loved about it. The jumpy thoughts, the lyricalness, the far-removed-from, the very-realistic-still, the ommission. Mostly the ommission. The characters ommited their own names, only thought of themselves as the one part of them they knew the best, they were ommitted grammatically as subject of their own sentences, ommited from public opinion, politics, history. This book was terrifying. It's speculative, but you forget that. It's terrifying to realise that just like in real life, bystanders tend to forget to care about laws and changes that affect others directly and the society and history as a whole. It's a confronting reminder to care and it's a confronting read in general, about autonomy, authority over your own body, and how history repeats itself. Please read this for its raw honesties, please don't think it's pretentious.