A review by lucyfinch
The Growing Season by Helen Sedgwick

2.0

An interesting premise, I had high hopes for exploring a dystopia on par with Brave New World. I was disappointed with the (lack of) story however, as most of the novel covers backstory to some very 2-dimensional characters. We find the out the "issue" with the pouch about 1/3rd in, and the rest of the book drags along as the characters find out, while observing mundane things in their surroundings - e. g. from the final pages:

"Standing outside the Full Life birthing centre, Eva could tell that the front panel of glass had recently been replaced. There was a piece of cream-coloured tape still visible along one edge, the kind window fitters use to seal the glass against the frame during installation. She hoped that no one else had noticed it - she didn't want it to be removed."
Who cares? Not me.