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A review by midwifereading
The Change by Kirsten Miller
1.0
I don't know what to rate this. I *wanted* to love it. Three middle aged women with (essentially) some super powers taking down billionaire pedophiles/murderers?! Sign me up!
Good writing, check.
Well developed characters, check (mostly).
Intriguing premise, check.
Bad guys get what's coming, REALLY BIG CHECK.
Page turning suspense, check.
For all of these things, it deserves at least 3-4 stars.
But...
Even though I couldn't put it down, I wanted to. It's soaked in vitriol toward the male half of the population. Have women experienced violence, oppression, abuse, and all kinds of evil at the hands of men? Yes. Too much to measure, for most of history, and even into today. She does give lip service in that she says most men are harmless, and a few are good, but we still need to burn down every system they have ever built. Understandable, but horribly misguided. But that's another topic for another day.
Harriet especially embodies deep, sharp, raging misandry. And she's supposed to be the main heroine. I hated her. She felt much more like a supervillain, complete with tragic backstory. But I couldn't root for her.
Although she helped women to leave abusive, unfaithful husbands (good), she also had no problem advocating for vindictive punishment of these men via her wild garden of poisonous plants, to various degrees. And she was happy to use/objectify men the same way she had been. She cuts off her nose to spite her face, and I am supposed to see her as a hero?
We are also supposed to believe that her intelligence stayed intact in spite of her perpetually stoned state. Smoking yourself into oblivion is not conducive to clear thought and planning. Nor is it a healthy coping mechanism. My suspension of disbelief broke with so many of Harriet's choices. Just. No.
Nessa and Jo, however, were wonderful characters. I think I stuck it out and finished the book for them. They grew so much, and I loved watching their decisions, struggles, and their heart to do what was right.
***SPOILER ALERT***
In addition, while this book explores the ethics of vigilante justice vs. trusting a broken system, it's clear where the author wants you to land. We are supposed to cheer when Harriet straight up murders several men for their deeply evil crimes. Sure, they "had it coming," but I cannot cheer.
I am with Gandalf. "Many that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For not even the very wise can see all ends."
Then there's the twisting of the Fall in Genesis. I can't even. This author has NO IDEA what she's talking about in those pages. At. All. Another topic for another time.
So what's the solution? I don't know. I don't regret reading it, but I did not enjoy it. It's got so many elements I like -- truly powerful female protagonists, good writing, etc... But that dark thread of what feels like rage and hatred that connects it all is too much for me. Maybe that was the point.
So, if you hate men, you're going to love it.
Good writing, check.
Well developed characters, check (mostly).
Intriguing premise, check.
Bad guys get what's coming, REALLY BIG CHECK.
Page turning suspense, check.
For all of these things, it deserves at least 3-4 stars.
But...
Even though I couldn't put it down, I wanted to. It's soaked in vitriol toward the male half of the population. Have women experienced violence, oppression, abuse, and all kinds of evil at the hands of men? Yes. Too much to measure, for most of history, and even into today. She does give lip service in that she says most men are harmless, and a few are good, but we still need to burn down every system they have ever built. Understandable, but horribly misguided. But that's another topic for another day.
Harriet especially embodies deep, sharp, raging misandry. And she's supposed to be the main heroine. I hated her. She felt much more like a supervillain, complete with tragic backstory. But I couldn't root for her.
Although she helped women to leave abusive, unfaithful husbands (good), she also had no problem advocating for vindictive punishment of these men via her wild garden of poisonous plants, to various degrees. And she was happy to use/objectify men the same way she had been. She cuts off her nose to spite her face, and I am supposed to see her as a hero?
We are also supposed to believe that her intelligence stayed intact in spite of her perpetually stoned state. Smoking yourself into oblivion is not conducive to clear thought and planning. Nor is it a healthy coping mechanism. My suspension of disbelief broke with so many of Harriet's choices. Just. No.
Nessa and Jo, however, were wonderful characters. I think I stuck it out and finished the book for them. They grew so much, and I loved watching their decisions, struggles, and their heart to do what was right.
***SPOILER ALERT***
In addition, while this book explores the ethics of vigilante justice vs. trusting a broken system, it's clear where the author wants you to land. We are supposed to cheer when Harriet straight up murders several men for their deeply evil crimes. Sure, they "had it coming," but I cannot cheer.
I am with Gandalf. "Many that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For not even the very wise can see all ends."
Then there's the twisting of the Fall in Genesis. I can't even. This author has NO IDEA what she's talking about in those pages. At. All. Another topic for another time.
So what's the solution? I don't know. I don't regret reading it, but I did not enjoy it. It's got so many elements I like -- truly powerful female protagonists, good writing, etc... But that dark thread of what feels like rage and hatred that connects it all is too much for me. Maybe that was the point.
So, if you hate men, you're going to love it.