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A review by kaelaceleste
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
3.0
how interesting the many mixed feelings i have about such a short read............
So I loved the concept, oppressed women having secret conversations so they can escape their oppressors and be free forever. I loved Salome the most. this is also just an interesting and tragic subject to write about, and unbelievably devastating when you realize it's based on true events.
but I can't help but feel like...everything I got out of the book, I could have also gotten out of just reading the wikipedia article about the book. or the description of the book. or just a few sentences about the book. or talking to a friend about the book. or...you get it. the full book (I guess it's more of a novella) is really just an extended version of any of those, with a few more details to make a fuller story. I guess that's kind of the point, but I finished it and was kind of like...that's it?
my major issue with it though was the fact that it's written from the perspective of a man. again...I guess this is kind of the point. and they do explain it by saying he's the only one who can read and write, so he has to take minutes for them. but god it actually made me more angry the more I read that that was how the writer chose to tell this story. AGAIN maybe that's the point but seriously? it wasn't written as if I was reading the "minutes", it was written like a single POV narrator just telling the story and I just couldn't help but feel disappointed that that single narrator was a man. throughout the story he also tied in his own experience and life history and sorry but I really didn't care about any of it. this could have been written completely from the perspective of one of the women or multiple women! without any mention of him at all. maybe this seems like I'm being nitpicky but it really took me out of it A LOT and kept me from fully enjoying the story. idk yall that got to me!!
I read that the author herself had Mennonite parents so I guess that was an intentional choice on her part. but that doesn't mean I have to like it lmao
all that being said, I read this before I watched the movie and am still really looking forward to seeing it. I'm curious to see how the male narrator is handled and if I feel differently about it in a movie adaptation, because I've heard nothing but good things. hopefully I'll be able to see it before awards season is over
So I loved the concept, oppressed women having secret conversations so they can escape their oppressors and be free forever. I loved Salome the most. this is also just an interesting and tragic subject to write about, and unbelievably devastating when you realize it's based on true events.
but I can't help but feel like...everything I got out of the book, I could have also gotten out of just reading the wikipedia article about the book. or the description of the book. or just a few sentences about the book. or talking to a friend about the book. or...you get it. the full book (I guess it's more of a novella) is really just an extended version of any of those, with a few more details to make a fuller story. I guess that's kind of the point, but I finished it and was kind of like...that's it?
my major issue with it though was the fact that it's written from the perspective of a man. again...I guess this is kind of the point. and they do explain it by saying he's the only one who can read and write, so he has to take minutes for them. but god it actually made me more angry the more I read that that was how the writer chose to tell this story. AGAIN maybe that's the point but seriously? it wasn't written as if I was reading the "minutes", it was written like a single POV narrator just telling the story and I just couldn't help but feel disappointed that that single narrator was a man. throughout the story he also tied in his own experience and life history and sorry but I really didn't care about any of it. this could have been written completely from the perspective of one of the women or multiple women! without any mention of him at all. maybe this seems like I'm being nitpicky but it really took me out of it A LOT and kept me from fully enjoying the story. idk yall that got to me!!
I read that the author herself had Mennonite parents so I guess that was an intentional choice on her part. but that doesn't mean I have to like it lmao
all that being said, I read this before I watched the movie and am still really looking forward to seeing it. I'm curious to see how the male narrator is handled and if I feel differently about it in a movie adaptation, because I've heard nothing but good things. hopefully I'll be able to see it before awards season is over