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steveatwaywords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
While this book falls into the category of science fiction, it is better understood as speculative fiction (and social commentary). A woman who is forced into mental institutions (in the early 1970s) is able to time travel to a future utopic society. To be sure, the utopia has come about only following the worst practices of apocalyptic consumption-capitalism: it struggles in the aftermath; but its people have learned an ethic (and matched morality) about sustainability and life which--for its time, especially--is hugely forward-looking, especially in terms of gender, sexuality, and child development. These sections, coupled with a future language which is at once as familiar as it is paradigm-shifting, make the book a valuable experience.
Where Piercy has more trouble is in sustaining the story and its significance across past and future. There are some tempting discussions about the malleability of time, of the power of "responders" like our protagonist Connie, and of the responsibility we have to ourselves. Implementing these future-thinking ideas into the 1970s, however, was often forced and at times neglected or forgotten. The resolution to the novel feels equally . . . irresolute in this way. Yes, our Connie grows into her moment, but its nature is quickly narrated and left unexamined. One wonders if she needed "the future" at all to enact it and what might we have said had she done so. (And this is not because the novel is brief; its nearly 400 pages with long asides into the descriptions of meals, bandages, and the biographies of minor characters.)
It is, in part, the nature of a lot of science fiction from this era to offer its themes through "heady" trips into other-spaces; and readers are often left to make of the experiences what they will. I'm thinking of almost all of Huxley, a lot of Heinlein, Daniel Keyes, Harlan Ellison, and even some of LeGuin. In this sense, Piercy's novel has like company. But I could not help thinking that its resolution fell somewhat short of the author's future vision.
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Medical trauma
Moderate: Medical content, Domestic abuse, Grief, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and War
gbentley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Medical content, Physical abuse, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicide
anita1812's review against another edition
Graphic: Violence and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Abortion, and Mental illness
peteredout's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Classism, Ableism, Racism, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Colonisation, Child abuse, Body horror, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
arlaubscher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Body shaming, Drug use, Blood, Colonisation, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Infertility, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault
racheldefriez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Sexual content, Addiction, Abortion, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Violence
uhm_kai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Confinement, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Addiction, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
lottiegasp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, War, and Miscarriage
abmochapman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Consuelo Ramos is a Mexican American woman who was unjustly committed to a mental institution in 1970s New York. While she faces institutional ableism and abuse, she finds herself making contact with the year 2137. A time of radical equality, horizontal decision-making, and environmental sustainability, it stands in stark contrast to the present. But it is not guaranteed. The fate of the future rests on the struggle of people like Consuelo.
Woman on the Edge of Time is not a perfect work. Another review named Charlotte Kersten on Goodreads points out some of the more problematic aspects of the book’s discussions of sex work and relationships. Yet, within the novel, I found so much meaning. To me, both utopianism and organizing are about dreaming of something better. And I really felt like Piercy’s dreams for the future reflected this. 2137 seems like a time where I and so many others could thrive.
I fully anticipate returning to (and lending out) this novel again and again. I hope you’ll consider adding it to your list!
Graphic: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Suicide, Ableism, Death, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Police brutality, Homophobia, Incest, and Sexual violence
Minor: Abortion and Addiction
aprilhinkle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The themes of time travel and utopia were, in my opinion, the weakest part of the book. But Piercy's bravery at imagining a different world and exploring it through the main character's eyes makes up for the moments it felt weak. She is an astounding writer of the real, tangible world and a decent sci-fi writer.
As a woman this book felt so important. It is a glimpse into the battles that other women had to endure to be given basic human rights and decency. The fight that we are still fighting for bodily atonomy and being seen as a whole person. And the fight we as a society have around the persistent cruelties of our class system. This is a book for feminists, communists, anyone who has been institutionalized, and for anyone who wants more about how we get free.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual assault