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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
The scenario that is imagined in this book is not as far-fetched as I would like. Considering the political climate in America and the number of obstacles that are in the way for any woman seeking an abortion, I can easily see a future where abortion is banned, and Planned Parenthood no longer exists. This is what drew me to this novel; I wanted to see how these women would live and struggle under these conditions.
I think that this novel strives to look at motherhood and the identity of a woman through various different lenses. By looking at these concepts through the women, not only do we get to see their own thought process, we also get an understanding of how people around them feel about these issues. This book is in no way skewed to one side; both anti-abortion and pro-abortion sentiments are voiced and it is easy for the reader to understand both perspectives.
While the topic and the ideas mentioned in this book were interesting, I didn't love this book. To me, this wasn't really a story; it was far too focused on the concepts than it was in the development of the women. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it made the whole book far too cerebral for me. I also didn't feel like there was anything very strong or definitive being said. Everything was a little too experimental, and I prefer if an author sticks to a style and goes with it throughout. In spite of its choppiness, I liked the way the author switched between the different voices of the women in the story; it added some variance to the writing. I also thought it was interesting to not actually give these women names in the beginning of the chapter; they are called "biographer" or "wife" or "daughter" or "mender" based on the way they identify themselves and their role in life. While it did lead to a bit of emotional detachment with the characters, it allowed the reader to view them as a collective, which was probably the intent here.
I think that this novel explored some very interesting ideas and was well-balanced when considering all of the different arguments surrounding abortion and the right to life. However, it didn't really come off as a story and I found it hard to feel that emotional pull to any character. Overall, I would give this a solid 3/5 stars.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com
I think that this novel strives to look at motherhood and the identity of a woman through various different lenses. By looking at these concepts through the women, not only do we get to see their own thought process, we also get an understanding of how people around them feel about these issues. This book is in no way skewed to one side; both anti-abortion and pro-abortion sentiments are voiced and it is easy for the reader to understand both perspectives.
While the topic and the ideas mentioned in this book were interesting, I didn't love this book. To me, this wasn't really a story; it was far too focused on the concepts than it was in the development of the women. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it made the whole book far too cerebral for me. I also didn't feel like there was anything very strong or definitive being said. Everything was a little too experimental, and I prefer if an author sticks to a style and goes with it throughout. In spite of its choppiness, I liked the way the author switched between the different voices of the women in the story; it added some variance to the writing. I also thought it was interesting to not actually give these women names in the beginning of the chapter; they are called "biographer" or "wife" or "daughter" or "mender" based on the way they identify themselves and their role in life. While it did lead to a bit of emotional detachment with the characters, it allowed the reader to view them as a collective, which was probably the intent here.
I think that this novel explored some very interesting ideas and was well-balanced when considering all of the different arguments surrounding abortion and the right to life. However, it didn't really come off as a story and I found it hard to feel that emotional pull to any character. Overall, I would give this a solid 3/5 stars.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com
Rode klok is een dystopian die zich afspeelt in de nabije toekomst, en wordt in de vele lovende recensies geprezen als een actuelere en meer realistische evenknie van 'The Handmaid's tale'.
In de Verenigde Staten zijn abortus, IVF en adoptie door alleenstaande ouders opnieuw illegaal verklaard. We volgen vier vrouwen in een klein dorpje in Oregon, die ieder op hun eigen manier met deze nieuwe beperkingen rondom het moederschap moeten zien om te gaan. Ro is een alleenstaande lerares die wanhopig probeert om zwanger te worden voordat ze te oud is, Susan is een gefrustreerde moeder van twee kleuters en zit gevangen in een ongelukkig huwelijk waarvoor ze haar baan als advocate heeft opgegeven en de 15-jarige Mattie is ongewenst zwanger en zoekt wanhopig naar een manier om waarop zij de zwangerschap kan afbreken. De vierde vrouw is Gin, een eenzame en mysterieuze natuurgenezeres. Zij kan deze vrouwen helpen, mar dreigt het slachtoffer te worden van een hedendaagse heksenjacht.
Ik heb een enorme zwak voor goede dystopians en was erg onder de indruk van 'Rode Klok'. De levensechte personages, met invoelbare emoties en dilemma's maken dat het geheel zich ontvouwt tot een angstaanjagend en meeslepend verhaal. Het doet beseffen dat bepaalde rechten omtrent het moederschap en het vrouwenlichaam niet altijd en overal vanzelfsprekend zijn, en dat het iets blijft om ons als vrouw-zijnde voor in te blijven zetten om dit te laten bestaan, ongeacht wat oranjeharige Amerikaanse idioten daar al dan niet van vinden.
In de Verenigde Staten zijn abortus, IVF en adoptie door alleenstaande ouders opnieuw illegaal verklaard. We volgen vier vrouwen in een klein dorpje in Oregon, die ieder op hun eigen manier met deze nieuwe beperkingen rondom het moederschap moeten zien om te gaan. Ro is een alleenstaande lerares die wanhopig probeert om zwanger te worden voordat ze te oud is, Susan is een gefrustreerde moeder van twee kleuters en zit gevangen in een ongelukkig huwelijk waarvoor ze haar baan als advocate heeft opgegeven en de 15-jarige Mattie is ongewenst zwanger en zoekt wanhopig naar een manier om waarop zij de zwangerschap kan afbreken. De vierde vrouw is Gin, een eenzame en mysterieuze natuurgenezeres. Zij kan deze vrouwen helpen, mar dreigt het slachtoffer te worden van een hedendaagse heksenjacht.
Ik heb een enorme zwak voor goede dystopians en was erg onder de indruk van 'Rode Klok'. De levensechte personages, met invoelbare emoties en dilemma's maken dat het geheel zich ontvouwt tot een angstaanjagend en meeslepend verhaal. Het doet beseffen dat bepaalde rechten omtrent het moederschap en het vrouwenlichaam niet altijd en overal vanzelfsprekend zijn, en dat het iets blijft om ons als vrouw-zijnde voor in te blijven zetten om dit te laten bestaan, ongeacht wat oranjeharige Amerikaanse idioten daar al dan niet van vinden.
i didnt review this book right away because i am still unsure exactly what i think of it.
it was a good story, engaging and worth the read but it was also hard for me to get into at first. i almost considered dnf this because i was bored and some of the chapters just had random words on them and some even in a different language.
we follow three different perspectives in this book and the daughter was definitely my favourite to read from, then the mender & then the biographer. it was good but also weird.
it was a good story, engaging and worth the read but it was also hard for me to get into at first. i almost considered dnf this because i was bored and some of the chapters just had random words on them and some even in a different language.
we follow three different perspectives in this book and the daughter was definitely my favourite to read from, then the mender & then the biographer. it was good but also weird.
3 1/2 stars.
Zumas' Red Clocks is inventive, with a believable swing on dystopia. There is a good amount of excellent prose here as well, but the format and sometimes cringe-worthy dialogue seems to dilute what is otherwise a powerful and important story.
Zumas' Red Clocks is inventive, with a believable swing on dystopia. There is a good amount of excellent prose here as well, but the format and sometimes cringe-worthy dialogue seems to dilute what is otherwise a powerful and important story.
Red Clocks is the story of 4 women in small-town Oregon and how their lives change after the US repeals Roe v. Wade and makes abortion illegal again. It sounds terrible, and it is, but it also has a lot of hope and a lot of storylines with powerful women thinking about and working towards what they want in life. It's literary chick-lit, tbh. For which I am so down (ahahaha).
I got a free audiobook through libro.fm (check 'em out bbs), but this isn't really an audiobook kind of book. At least for me. It's got these historical tidbits about a female explorer from the 1800s and they're the weirdest, most experimental parts of the book and they show up between each of the 4 main characters' POV switches and the audiobook just didn't make sense like that. Reading it was easier to understand. The explorer stuff was mostly confusing and boring, tbh, but it does set a historical precedent for doing what you want even if society doesn't want you to. The characters can still be happy and resist even if society/the government bars you from important shit.
A lot of people keep comparing Red Clocks to The Handmaid's Tale, which I don't agree with. The world in THT could be a much more developed dystopian emerging from the RC world, and that's what makes RC scary, but not without hope. I could see characters like Ro being the creator of slogans like "nolite te bastardes carborundorum" that could keep people inspired through the dark-ass days of rights & freedoms being destroyed. But also, because Zumas's world is more hopeful in general, I could see a future for Red Clocks that never goes that bleak, a future in which Ro & Susan fight and win. Honestly, it's a world super similar to our own and it helped soothe some of my anxieties about the future.
So yeah, if you like books with complicated female/fem characters, that emphasizes how terrible & complicit men often can be (but not always, geez, *eyeroll*), and has a pretty obvious vaginal symbol on the cover (YAY), this is your book yo.
I got a free audiobook through libro.fm (check 'em out bbs), but this isn't really an audiobook kind of book. At least for me. It's got these historical tidbits about a female explorer from the 1800s and they're the weirdest, most experimental parts of the book and they show up between each of the 4 main characters' POV switches and the audiobook just didn't make sense like that. Reading it was easier to understand. The explorer stuff was mostly confusing and boring, tbh, but it does set a historical precedent for doing what you want even if society doesn't want you to. The characters can still be happy and resist even if society/the government bars you from important shit.
A lot of people keep comparing Red Clocks to The Handmaid's Tale, which I don't agree with. The world in THT could be a much more developed dystopian emerging from the RC world, and that's what makes RC scary, but not without hope. I could see characters like Ro being the creator of slogans like "nolite te bastardes carborundorum" that could keep people inspired through the dark-ass days of rights & freedoms being destroyed. But also, because Zumas's world is more hopeful in general, I could see a future for Red Clocks that never goes that bleak, a future in which Ro & Susan fight and win. Honestly, it's a world super similar to our own and it helped soothe some of my anxieties about the future.
So yeah, if you like books with complicated female/fem characters, that emphasizes how terrible & complicit men often can be (but not always, geez, *eyeroll*), and has a pretty obvious vaginal symbol on the cover (YAY), this is your book yo.
I really loved the multiple perspectives and the very beautiful descriptions. I was disappointed by the lack of exploration of repro Justice issues for queer/trans folks though- that’s not totally on Leni Zumas, but I would’ve liked to see that more.
i think i would have enjoyed it more would it not have been advertised as a dystopia. i know it can be seen as one depending on where you live but the thing is.. this book is (kind of) my reality. abortion in Brazil is illegal. you can be sentenced from 1 to 3 years in prison if you have one (but only abortions 'cause the rest... this week a singer kicked a pregnant woman in the belly and was only sentenced to 18 days in semi open regime, so you can have an idea about what we face every day). so, yeah, not dystopic in my opinion and i went in expecting a dystopia and got depressed when faced with my own reality (of sorts). (on a quick search, i found articles discussing how miscarriages here can also be seen as a crime, so yeah, scary reality and not dystopia)
This is probably the scariest book I've ever read. It feels incredibly plausible---obviously abortion is an issue that people feel very strongly about, but I've also heard people say that in vitro fertilization is wrong. I'm sure there are some who would be happy to see it banned, along with single mothers being able to adopt children. (It must be nice to have so much free time to devote to obsessing how other people live their life, right?)
This is similar to the Handmaid's Tale, but whereas that felt like an only vaguely possible alternate reality, this feels like something we're headed toward---and I find that terrifying. The idea that only certain people should be allowed to have children and that everyone who ends up pregnant should be forced to carry that child to term, regardless of that woman's own thoughts about it...it can clearly lead to disaster. And we see in this book exactly what that DOES lead to.
This is not likely to change anyone's mind, but it is still incredibly important. I'll sit with these characters for a long time. Highly recommended.
A dark, dystopian novel that hits very close to present day issues regarding women’s reproductive rights. Most women can relate to at least one of the five women that are highlighted and impacted by the Personhood Amendment in this tale.
While I felt each of their stories were important, I was disappointed with the narrative and the creative writing fell short to me. I could’ve done without and would have liked more character development. I also hated Ro, the biographer, and it seemed like she was kind of the main focus. I wanted more from this novel.
While I felt each of their stories were important, I was disappointed with the narrative and the creative writing fell short to me. I could’ve done without and would have liked more character development. I also hated Ro, the biographer, and it seemed like she was kind of the main focus. I wanted more from this novel.