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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
I wasn't sure how I felt about this book when I first started reading it but I became so invested in Connie's journey that I didn't want it to end. I loved how rich the character descriptions were and I wanted more time in the utopia -- but it certainly wasn't necessary for the plot. My only complaint isn't about the story at all; it's the fact that the author is white and the main character is Latina in a novel where the character's Latina identity is a huge part of the story. I couldn't quite reconcile with that. I wish I would have read this book with a group of people because there is a lot to unpack in it about gender, identity, and politics.
Read this the first time for a class and then many times, many years ago. I think it's time to reread.
4.5 stars rounded up, and that missing half is because I found it reaaaaally slow to start. I'm usually a super-quick reader and I just could not get through the beginning with any speed at all. I feel like this is the kind of thing that I wouldn't have carried on with if it hadn't come highly recommended, but I am very glad I did. The storyline was intriguing and the characterisation was brilliant. I loved the way pronouns and gender roles worked in Mattapoisett, and the rest of the futuristic language that made it feel so different to read. It didn't make me cry, as someone had told me it would, but the ending did leave me questioning whether anything was real...
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I was first introduced to the novels and poetry of Marge Piercy when I was in college and very focused on the writings of women, especially feminist writings. In going through a bunch of books I had been keeping at my parents' house, I discovered boxes of books I probably haven't read in over ten years, one of which was Woman on the Edge of Time.
::: Edge of Time, Edge of Reason :::
Connie Ramos, the protagonist, is a middle-aged Hispanic woman living in poverty in New York City. Already committed to a mental hospital once after abusing her daughter during a depressive episode, she has lost everything: her daughter, the man she loved, and a life that was on the border of normal, even if it was based on her significant other's pickpocketing. Her niece Dolly arrives, having been beaten up by her pimp, and interrupts Connie in the middle of a conversation with Luciente, a person who claims to be from the future. Luciente disappears as Dolly enters Connie's apartment, and when Dolly's boyfriend/pimp comes after Dolly with a "doctor" to perform an abortion on her, Connie attacks him to help Dolly, and winds up back in Bellevue for her troubles.
Dolly backs up her pimp's story that Connie attacked both of them, and Connie is transferred to another mental hospital, Rockover, where she continues her conversations with Luciente, eventually going over mentally to the future to experience their world, meeting Luciente's friends and family, and experiencing their utopian society, where men and women are equal and share in all tasks, from farming to defense. Everyone shares resources, people own very few possessions, and their world is a welcome respite from the reality of the mental hospital where Connie is literally a prisoner, soon to be subjected to a medical test where a device is implanted in her brain to control her.
As Connie spends more and more time with Luciente, she longs for a world that won't keep her down, even as she balks at some of the things that women gave up to have totally equal status: live birthing and sharing breastfeeding duties with men, who "comother." She also learns that Luciente's people are fighting a war to maintain their utopian society, and that Connie herself must fight to help them attain their reality, for there are many possibilities, and their utopia is only one of them.
::: A Book Before Its Time :::
Woman on the Edge of Time was first published in 1976, in the center of the Women's Rights Movement. In 1976, the Supreme Court upheld a decision in General Elec. Co v. Gilbert that a woman had the right to unemployment benefits during her last trimester of pregnancy, and the year before, in Taylor v. Louisiana, states were denied the right to prevent women from serving on juries because of their gender. The concept of a utopian society where all people were exactly equal must have seemed even more incredible.
The novel is one that people seem to either love or hate. I've read reviews where some think it is too feminist, while others criticize Connie as a stereotype: overweight, poor, and Hispanic, while her brother Luis (who goes by Lewis) has become a success only by blending in with white society, and who has a succession of "Anglo" wives as he moves up society's ladder. Her commitment to the hospital is as much an effort for Luis to be rid of his poor past as it is to help Connie.
The scenes in Matapoissett are especially vivid, with detailed descriptions of societies who choose culture based on the village they live in and not what they are born into, where there are no class distinctions, and where every person's talents and abilities are valued.
Piercy also includes a glimpse of another possible future that Connie visits accidentally. This scene has been mentioned as a precursor to cyberpunk, showing a futuristic society much like that of William Gibson's novels. Connie sees a society in which women are nothing more than objects, and the class division is much greater than it is in her present, and decides to align herself with Luciente's society; to prevent the other from occurring no matter what the cost.
::: Still Timely? :::
While some of the plot points are dated, including how much money would be needed in present society to accomplish much of anything, the overall message of the novel still has a great deal to offer in terms of the overall worth of the individual over class and gender, as well as the treatment of the poor and mentally ill. The sections with the utopian society along make a wonderful tale, even if the reader is never sure whether they are a product of Connie's mental illness or a true reality. Almost thirty years later, this novel is still a riveting read.
This review previously published at Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/_2005707366_1/content_162396081796
::: Edge of Time, Edge of Reason :::
Connie Ramos, the protagonist, is a middle-aged Hispanic woman living in poverty in New York City. Already committed to a mental hospital once after abusing her daughter during a depressive episode, she has lost everything: her daughter, the man she loved, and a life that was on the border of normal, even if it was based on her significant other's pickpocketing. Her niece Dolly arrives, having been beaten up by her pimp, and interrupts Connie in the middle of a conversation with Luciente, a person who claims to be from the future. Luciente disappears as Dolly enters Connie's apartment, and when Dolly's boyfriend/pimp comes after Dolly with a "doctor" to perform an abortion on her, Connie attacks him to help Dolly, and winds up back in Bellevue for her troubles.
Dolly backs up her pimp's story that Connie attacked both of them, and Connie is transferred to another mental hospital, Rockover, where she continues her conversations with Luciente, eventually going over mentally to the future to experience their world, meeting Luciente's friends and family, and experiencing their utopian society, where men and women are equal and share in all tasks, from farming to defense. Everyone shares resources, people own very few possessions, and their world is a welcome respite from the reality of the mental hospital where Connie is literally a prisoner, soon to be subjected to a medical test where a device is implanted in her brain to control her.
As Connie spends more and more time with Luciente, she longs for a world that won't keep her down, even as she balks at some of the things that women gave up to have totally equal status: live birthing and sharing breastfeeding duties with men, who "comother." She also learns that Luciente's people are fighting a war to maintain their utopian society, and that Connie herself must fight to help them attain their reality, for there are many possibilities, and their utopia is only one of them.
::: A Book Before Its Time :::
Woman on the Edge of Time was first published in 1976, in the center of the Women's Rights Movement. In 1976, the Supreme Court upheld a decision in General Elec. Co v. Gilbert that a woman had the right to unemployment benefits during her last trimester of pregnancy, and the year before, in Taylor v. Louisiana, states were denied the right to prevent women from serving on juries because of their gender. The concept of a utopian society where all people were exactly equal must have seemed even more incredible.
The novel is one that people seem to either love or hate. I've read reviews where some think it is too feminist, while others criticize Connie as a stereotype: overweight, poor, and Hispanic, while her brother Luis (who goes by Lewis) has become a success only by blending in with white society, and who has a succession of "Anglo" wives as he moves up society's ladder. Her commitment to the hospital is as much an effort for Luis to be rid of his poor past as it is to help Connie.
The scenes in Matapoissett are especially vivid, with detailed descriptions of societies who choose culture based on the village they live in and not what they are born into, where there are no class distinctions, and where every person's talents and abilities are valued.
Piercy also includes a glimpse of another possible future that Connie visits accidentally. This scene has been mentioned as a precursor to cyberpunk, showing a futuristic society much like that of William Gibson's novels. Connie sees a society in which women are nothing more than objects, and the class division is much greater than it is in her present, and decides to align herself with Luciente's society; to prevent the other from occurring no matter what the cost.
::: Still Timely? :::
While some of the plot points are dated, including how much money would be needed in present society to accomplish much of anything, the overall message of the novel still has a great deal to offer in terms of the overall worth of the individual over class and gender, as well as the treatment of the poor and mentally ill. The sections with the utopian society along make a wonderful tale, even if the reader is never sure whether they are a product of Connie's mental illness or a true reality. Almost thirty years later, this novel is still a riveting read.
This review previously published at Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/_2005707366_1/content_162396081796
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so many of the books we consider to be "impactful", or have a "commentary on society/way of life" that are so well revered tend to be incredibly narrow-minded, focusing only on those most privileged (looking at you, orwell, dickens, and golding). in recent years we have attempted to break those narratives by including more diverse authors and books into our discussions, but it still seems that so many of the books we celebrate only speak in these grand ways to certain groups of people, usually those already in positions of power. despite the fact that i feel it is a shame, it explains why books like this are not generally talked about in these discussions. because this book has everything to make it an "impactful" book, but because it is female-focused, with its main character being mexican american and poor, it flew under the radar. i genuinely believe that this should be required reading, and if not, should at least be offered in those book group things teachers put on. because holy hell this book changed me. Perhaps the most realistic dystopian book i have read to date, it shows a future of gender, sexual, racial, and environmental equality, with aspects of that actually being reflected in twenty-first century society. but, seeing as how it was released in the 1970s, our main character hardly gets listened to about her troubles — a profound commentary on power imbalances — which unfortunately is still relatable today. this book leaves you thinking, forcing you to confront uncomfortable realities most people face. do yourself a favour and read this book — hell, borrow my water-ruined paperback if you want. it will change your life.
This is definitely one of my favourite books now. Has felt me heart broken and hopeful.
Truely in awe that this was published in 1977 and that so much of the writing around racism, sexism and captilism resonates so accurately with me on 2021.
I adore so many of the characters, i didnt want to finish this book bc i wanted to savour my time with Connie and everyone in Mattapoisett.
Truely in awe that this was published in 1977 and that so much of the writing around racism, sexism and captilism resonates so accurately with me on 2021.
I adore so many of the characters, i didnt want to finish this book bc i wanted to savour my time with Connie and everyone in Mattapoisett.