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lady_oracle 's review for:

Femlandia by Christina Dalcher
DID NOT FINISH

"a feminist commune, set up and explored during an active economic apocalypse? sign me up!" said a woefully naive me.

the lead character is flat and frankly annoying, and so Not Like Other Girls ("What do they call that? Tall? Grande? One of those. I never could figure out why “tall” was the name for the smallest size.") despite being such a caricature of femininity it was hard to stomach. i don't need to identify with a lead, but i need to understand their reasoning, especially if i can't bring myself to actually like them.

the prose beats you over the head because the author assumes you're an idiot. the memories serve no purpose other than to re-iterate the lead's perspective. entire paragraphs devoted to making sure the reader comes to the same conclusion as the lead. suffocating attempts at sarcasm and wit, insufferable monologuing, and a lack of world-building made the first 10 chapters feel like 40.

i honestly couldn't even make it to the actual commune - these first 10 chapters have felt claustrophobic, and not in a fun thriller way.

did not - could not - finish