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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
“The skein talks back to him. It says: I’m ready. It says: Come on, my son. It says: Whatever you need, I’ve got it. Power doesn’t care who uses it. The skein doesn’t rebel against him, doesn’t know that he’s not its rightful mistress. It just says: Yes. Yes, I can. Yes. You’ve got this.”
This book. I went into this book knowing only that it was dystopian and based on women gaining power in their lives. Interesting concept, given the current political environment, but it was so much more, and literally made me sit back hard. In the early stages, you cheer the women taking back their power and sense of control. But then it changes, and Alderman takes a careful look at the corrupting nature of power and control. She evokes images of WWII and the persecution of so many groups of people that the Germans felt were inferior. There are references to female genital mutilation, sex selection, and the rewriting of history to suit a current political or societal agenda.
Beautiful pacing and well-developed characters. Alderman has an impeccable writing style, and she draws her readers in completely. Her descriptions are evocative, and while there is episodes of physical violence and sexual assault, she utilizes the moments effectively. This book deserves all of the rewards it is going to receive.
This book. I went into this book knowing only that it was dystopian and based on women gaining power in their lives. Interesting concept, given the current political environment, but it was so much more, and literally made me sit back hard. In the early stages, you cheer the women taking back their power and sense of control. But then it changes, and Alderman takes a careful look at the corrupting nature of power and control. She evokes images of WWII and the persecution of so many groups of people that the Germans felt were inferior. There are references to female genital mutilation, sex selection, and the rewriting of history to suit a current political or societal agenda.
Beautiful pacing and well-developed characters. Alderman has an impeccable writing style, and she draws her readers in completely. Her descriptions are evocative, and while there is episodes of physical violence and sexual assault, she utilizes the moments effectively. This book deserves all of the rewards it is going to receive.
Zumas' America of 'family values' and illegal abortion doesn't read like a futuristic dystopia but a scarily believable wake up call. The four women, (or five if you count the historic character,) fall into familiar archetypes. The frustrated housewife, the pregnant teen, the 'witch,' vilified for her difference. However Zumas breathes life into the characters, making them fully rounded humans full of faults desires and frustrations. A compelling, funny and ultimately uplifting novel, despite the dark future of the setting. I loved this book.
Plot & Pacing
The plot took a while to hook me but once I got to the 30% mark, I became pretty invested in it. The pacing from then on moves at a reasonable speed. The plot is somewhat of a dystopian but also something that I could see happening one day with the entire abortion debate. Even the adoption restrictions seemed realistic as there are many politicians who have deemed even more extreme ones.
I liked how all of the different women in the story connect to the main plot and to one another's subplots. My favorite subplot would probably be that of the daughter, though I found the mender's to be pretty interesting as well. I wasn't really expecting the plot/plots to go the way it/they did so that was a nice surprise.
Setting & World-Building
I felt this world was constructed pretty well and felt like a realistic what-if to our current United States of America.
Characters & Development
Four women have their own POVs in this through the third person and I felt the author did a great job keeping them unique.
I related most to the Daughter and also felt the most for her and her situation. The Mender was a very interesting character and she was also easy to feel for. I had a harder time feeling much for the Biographer, though I liked how her character developed--she probably had the most development out of all of the characters by the end.
I struggled at times with the character of the Wife, though there were moments in which I felt I could even relate to her. Overall, I enjoyed the four characters and their stories. They all felt pretty realistic as well.
The side characters did their part and were decent enough. Yasmine probably interested me the most out of all of them, though.
Character Relationships
Not all of the main characters interact with each other, per say, but they all are involved in the same overarching plot. Out of the ones who interacted, I felt the relationship between the Biographer and the Daughter was the most interesting and dramatic. But I was also intrigued by the Daughter and the Mender as well, especially once the mystery is revealed.
I also liked the relationship the Daughter had with her parents and how that contributed to the feelings she had about her situation.
The relationship between the Biographer and her dad was also sweet.
The author did a great job of creating tension between the Wife and her husband.
Writing & Voice
I honestly struggled with the writing. It was difficult to get into and at times I was a little confused by it and had to re-read. The story of the Arctic Explorer also took me a while to get into. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing, I did manage to get used to it enough to enjoy the story and characters. But I do feel that I would have liked this even more had I been able to enjoy and connect to the writing better.
Climax & Ending
I had no idea how the climax would resolve itself but was happy at how it did. I also liked how the overall ending wrapped up for the main characters and also the letter to Yasmine at the end.
Overall, I'd give this one 3.5 stars. Would definitely recommend for anyone who is passionate about reproductive rights.
This inventive novel really grabbed me. It struck me as just slightly hallucinatory, perhaps because the inner voices of each character were so fully formed and distinct. The chapter changes were in effect changes in my resonance, changes in my own viewpoint.
The biographer's chapter excerpts were the least successful of the author's devices, to my eye- and even they were only slightly clunky.
I loved how the intersecting lives opened to me, how I could move from such profound identification with Gin to the same with Susan. Any of those lives (save Mattie's) would have been possible for me, had one or two days gone differently. One or two moments.
I want to read this again in a year.
The biographer's chapter excerpts were the least successful of the author's devices, to my eye- and even they were only slightly clunky.
I loved how the intersecting lives opened to me, how I could move from such profound identification with Gin to the same with Susan. Any of those lives (save Mattie's) would have been possible for me, had one or two days gone differently. One or two moments.
I want to read this again in a year.
With the renewed interest in Atwood there are a whole raft of dystopian feminist science fiction novels about women's reproductive rights. This is not the best of them. Its artful interleaving of the story of Eivør Minervudottir, though, is very readable.
This was a hard read for me. Between the all-too-real setup of the Personhood Amendment and other related laws setting up the story and the fact that Justice Kennedy retired last week, putting Roe and other reproductive rights at risk, this was a hard read just thematically. I wasn't crazy about the writing style. I hated the wife character and didn't really feel like she brought anything to the story. I appreciate the value of this book, but it just made me feel terrible the whole time I read it.
Absolutely excellent. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys The Handmaid's Tale.
4 stars
I wasn't sure until the very end how I would rate this story.
Even though this dystopian novel is not very fast paced and the writing style is a bit unusual in parts, it was interesting and had an important message to share. The women's lives in this novel are quite different but as their stories progress we see the common bond they share.
I wasn't sure until the very end how I would rate this story.
Even though this dystopian novel is not very fast paced and the writing style is a bit unusual in parts, it was interesting and had an important message to share. The women's lives in this novel are quite different but as their stories progress we see the common bond they share.
Cannot understand for the life of me how everyone is raving about this book. I got a quarter of the way through the audiobook and wanted to quit. Too many story lines, none of which had a completely distinct tone, with the exception of the explorer, whose story bored me despite understanding the symbolism. Maybe I’m just really burnt out on feminist fiction, but yeah, this was a miss for me.