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mandi_lea's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Transphobia, War, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Genocide, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Rape, and Sexism
olmackdonedidit's review
challenging
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
4.5
Fair warning, the book has some elements of bio-essentialism towards the end. Not necessarily malicious in character, but the sort of silly conclusions that can be drawn when applying a totalizing framework to something as intimate as identity.
That said, The Female Man does live up to the billing. Russ deserves her placement as one of the leading lights of the new sci-fi movement in the 1970s.
That said, The Female Man does live up to the billing. Russ deserves her placement as one of the leading lights of the new sci-fi movement in the 1970s.
errski's review against another edition
I don't want to read this book anymore. I think the book is fine, I am not enjoying the way it is written, and life is short.
A LOT of people really like this book, and parts were enjoyable for me, I just cannot get into the story and it's a lot of rambling or almost stream-of-consciousness, which could be good, but maybe not for me. Maybe someday I'll pick this book back up, but for now, eh...
A LOT of people really like this book, and parts were enjoyable for me, I just cannot get into the story and it's a lot of rambling or almost stream-of-consciousness, which could be good, but maybe not for me. Maybe someday I'll pick this book back up, but for now, eh...
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
3.0
Very weird fiction, not a straight narrative so if you're going in expecting something like Margaret Atwood, be prepared for something more along the lines of rambling Angela Carter a la The Passion of New Eve.
This is more of an exploration of ideas and unpicking of a woman's lot in society than an actual story. Some parts of it stand up really well. Some parts had me angry. Some parts just haven't aged as well or aren't conveyed as effectively. Certainly I've never come across a book like this one before and I'm really surprised I'd never heard of the author or her works until stumbling upon her in the library. I think this novel is due for a reissue later this year (2019)- timely.
This is more of an exploration of ideas and unpicking of a woman's lot in society than an actual story. Some parts of it stand up really well. Some parts had me angry. Some parts just haven't aged as well or aren't conveyed as effectively. Certainly I've never come across a book like this one before and I'm really surprised I'd never heard of the author or her works until stumbling upon her in the library. I think this novel is due for a reissue later this year (2019)- timely.
juni0765's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
outcolder's review
4.0
I have certain expectations with 'science fiction' and this is a different thing; yeah, there are parallel universes and there is one post-human character, but I would put this book closer to stuff like [b:Naked Lunch|7437|Naked Lunch|William S. Burroughs|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407330990s/7437.jpg|4055] or [b:The Freelance Pallbearers|8162351|The Freelance Pallbearers|Ishmael Reed|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|2745439]. The author frequently appears in person to address the reader directly, the barely-present plot is anything but linear, and difficulty telling the characters apart or what universe we are currently in seem like deliberate choices. So I ended up reading it a lot slower than I would a typical science fiction book, because I needed to take little pauses to digest it.
There are lots of rants and other bits that are funny, but I think some readers will probably not get the jokes. I mean, this is not for people who are squeamish about 1970s radical feminism.
One of the characters lives in a world where World War II and second wave feminism never happened. There are millions of stories out there in our world about women who are stuck in a precarious economic situation and under tremendous psychological pressure to find a man and make babies with him, preferably someone with plenty of dough. Many of those stories are super-popular, even while they highlight the unfairness of the woman's situation or even ask if getting married and making babies is really the ultimate fulfillment it is supposed to be. You can do all that and be popular at the same time but maybe the message gets a little lost. Here, it is the message that comes through and the story that gets a little lost. Still, I think this book would make an awesome Broadway musical, something like "Sweet Charity" but with female assassins and time travel.
There are lots of rants and other bits that are funny, but I think some readers will probably not get the jokes. I mean, this is not for people who are squeamish about 1970s radical feminism.
One of the characters lives in a world where World War II and second wave feminism never happened. There are millions of stories out there in our world about women who are stuck in a precarious economic situation and under tremendous psychological pressure to find a man and make babies with him, preferably someone with plenty of dough. Many of those stories are super-popular, even while they highlight the unfairness of the woman's situation or even ask if getting married and making babies is really the ultimate fulfillment it is supposed to be. You can do all that and be popular at the same time but maybe the message gets a little lost. Here, it is the message that comes through and the story that gets a little lost. Still, I think this book would make an awesome Broadway musical, something like "Sweet Charity" but with female assassins and time travel.
kivt's review
3.0
I've been in the middle of this for a good 6 months now. I like Russ but her narratives are really weird and disjointed in a way I don't find compelling, so it's hard to find the will to finish this. I really like the world and the basic plot, though!
zoe2000's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a tough one, boys. Is a literary piece still masterfully crafted if it's barely intelligible?
sheayardyjosh's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5