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A review by kolorful_kay_reads
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
"As much as he thinks he loves me - his allegiance to his family, his faith, his sex will always prevail... He can tell himself he's only trying to protect me, but there will always be something in him that wants to contain me, hide me from the world." #TheGraceYear
When the girls in this town turn 16, the boys choose select each one for marriage before all the girls are sent to a one-year adventure known as "The Grace Year." Discussion of the year is prohibited; all that is publicly known is that the girls come back as magic-less women... and many of them do not return at all.
You may have seen people compare this as a cross between #TheHandmaidsTale and #TheHungerGames... but let's talk about that, because I strongly discourage that comparison.
The Grace Year (TGY) - quite literally - rips from the world of the Handmaids Tale in that the cultural expectations of women are similar; however, TGY is NOT a book based on history of systems, governments, and religions and reimagining those events in the future. Please note that - when the comparison is made - it's pretty surface-level and does NOT relate to the craft or intention of the novel. This misunderstanding/incorrect word of mouth marketing dampened my experience with the book.
TGY cleverly brings conversations to the foreground around womanhood, oppression, and power; for this, it is a great #BookClubPick . On the down side, it doesn't provide any unique insight. In fact, half-way through it turns into a really gross tropey book that loses the legs it was standing on in the first half.
My recommendation? Read the short story "The Lottery" and then read "The Handmaids Tale" and call it a day.
When the girls in this town turn 16, the boys choose select each one for marriage before all the girls are sent to a one-year adventure known as "The Grace Year." Discussion of the year is prohibited; all that is publicly known is that the girls come back as magic-less women... and many of them do not return at all.
You may have seen people compare this as a cross between #TheHandmaidsTale and #TheHungerGames... but let's talk about that, because I strongly discourage that comparison.
The Grace Year (TGY) - quite literally - rips from the world of the Handmaids Tale in that the cultural expectations of women are similar; however, TGY is NOT a book based on history of systems, governments, and religions and reimagining those events in the future. Please note that - when the comparison is made - it's pretty surface-level and does NOT relate to the craft or intention of the novel. This misunderstanding/incorrect word of mouth marketing dampened my experience with the book.
TGY cleverly brings conversations to the foreground around womanhood, oppression, and power; for this, it is a great #BookClubPick . On the down side, it doesn't provide any unique insight. In fact, half-way through it turns into a really gross tropey book that loses the legs it was standing on in the first half.
My recommendation? Read the short story "The Lottery" and then read "The Handmaids Tale" and call it a day.