A review by colingooding
Women Talking by Miriam Toews

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an interesting read after having enjoyed the movie. There are meaningful differences and it's dense enough that it didn't feel like I was just playing the movie through in my head again. 

There are a lot of sort of philosophical and religious debates topics here that aren't strikingly original, but are still interesting to explore (if you truly believed in eternal salvation, why would you ever stop trying to save those you care about?). There's a large cast of characters with different viewpoints and experiences, and there is plenty of the titular talk to that kept me engrossed. 

I did find it a bit strange that even with this title, the entire thing is from the point of view of a make narrator, but it does make sense in the context of the story, and I found the final monologue to be very moving. 

Definitely recommend this whether you've seen the movie or not. 

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