Reviews

Millenium Hall by Sarah Scott

il0v3reading01's review

informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

shebbyreads's review

3.5

Gotta love a communist lesbian utopia 

britlaccetti's review

2.0

Like others have mentioned, this book has a promising plot. However, the execution is painfully slow and dull. I bought a used copy and found it humorous that notes were only present about 30 pages into the book. The essence of the novel is that there are a group of women who have been wronged by men in their past, and seek out a life of woman seclusion (All women Utopia) filled with benevolence acts to the society in which they live in. I would probably only recommend the book to someone who was highly interested in the early ideas of feminism.

myeonghopabo's review

3.0

started getting boring towards the end but i appreciate the contemplation on female religious piety and, how the private and public spheres advance the other

evelynrb's review

3.0

when do i get to live in a feminist lesbian utopia!!???

katieejayne's review

2.0

**Actual Rating 2.5/5**
I've read this book....and I still can't tell you what its truly about. I've never been so confused reading a book before. From what I can gather it seems these two gentleman find themselves in a women's sanctuary. I can't really think of any other name for it honestly. All the women have either lost their husbands or fallen on unfortunate times and through mutual friends have found Millennium Hall. The novel is comprised of essentially the histories of some of the founding women of this place. How they came to find themselves either in possession of or in need of Millennium Hall and I can't explain more than that.

I can see how it fits into a Utopian genre but my god it was dull. There were that many women that I couldn't quite remember who was who, or if one lady was referred to using multiple names.

Research will be done to fully wrap my head around this one. I'm at a loss at the moment.
www.a-novel-idea.co.uk

bigtomlaff's review

challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

An interesting read that isn't really about the story, but should be appreciated for the ideas and concerns about the society of its time that it raises. The book is a very early feminist text, perhaps that is the wrong word, maybe proto-feminist? The book does not read like a feminist text of 19th/20th century, as it seems that a lot of women in it are slandered also, and sometimes women are made the antagonists to other women, but I think the essay at the front of this version helps one to understand the reasons for this. It is somewhat revolutionary for its time, given that it depicts stories of women who have been mistreated by men, and argues that women could live together peacefully and efficiently without men. However it does tend to have a strong religious and capitalist bias, but we can't all be perfect I suppose. Worth a read if you are researching the history of feminist ideas.

joch4n6's review

1.0

i ripped out a good chunk of my eyebrows while reading this book

bluefortheroses's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

leslie_d's review

3.0

Laborious reformist/ feminist utopia makes for a dull read for modern readers, and yet historical context and a consideration toward the crafting of the novel makes it a fascination for those entertained by such things.

(read for a course on History of the Novel)