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cristinareading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This book is well written but I base my star rating on how much I enjoy reading something and this was a difficult book to read. It had a very sad way of seeing the world.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Misogyny, Slavery, Sexism, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Violence, and Police brutality
penguins_save_lives's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Medical trauma, War, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Police brutality, Murder, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
esmee_bos's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Trafficking, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Police brutality, War, Hate crime, Rape, and Violence
vivikasweiven's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Torture, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Cursing, Child abuse, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death, and Adult/minor relationship
karmapen's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Child abuse, Violence, Torture, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Drug use, Bullying, Rape, Sexual violence, War, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
Moderate: Blood, Ableism, Body shaming, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death
greenmind's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I liked the premise, the structure and the prose style itself. But I'm not necessarily sure that a matriarchy would behave like this so I struggled a bit with the idea - it's a book inside a book though, so maybe it works better in that regard - it's written by a fictional man, so maybe his idea of a matriarchy can only be considered from a patriarchal fantasy? Or maybe it really is that hard to imagine a true matriarchy which could function differently than what we ourselves know after thousands of years... It made me think about the ideas brought up in here a lot though, so I think it's successful speculative fiction, in that sense. Personally, I found it lacking believability at times and it also grossed me out in a way which surprises me because I've read a lot of disgusting writing which hasn't caused that reaction. I'm just convinced women would gang-rape, slave-own and murder men, women and children for fun and with glee in the way that men regularly behave in warzones. I think the power would be wielded differently, and we can see how in the handful of matriarchal cultures around today or documented. Mothers still love and protect their sons, but the boys are socialised very differently and the older men behave differently within that... but I'm still unsure what I make of all of this. The "end notes" chapter from the female writer to the "male writer" character of the fictional book we've just read say much of the sorts of thing which run through my mind... but I'm unconvinced still, even though I feel made fun of by the author for that in a way. I still think the fact men don't get pregnant and give life makes them more likely to want to control women as a resource for reproduction all the more - and you can see that trend with the push towards normalising surrogacy and artificial womb science, in their interfering superstition in female healthcare, the power structures and beliefs of all major religions. The power isn't so literal as a jolt of physical electricity, but more the creator power which woman demonstrate when they grow new humans. Men are very uncomfortable with women controlling their own reproductions, as this would control all reproduction globally. One could argue that the effort to cut women from motherhood through tech and brothel-market capitalism hints at where essential power really lies, but the story has no space for mothers and babies here. It is certainly all very thought-provoking. The Father and The Son makes less sense to me than The Mother and Her Children in terms of creation myths, but... that's patriarchy for you. I’ve never heard of an equivalence of the violence men perpetrate towards women and female children daily being something women do when they are able to. I find those who argue that “woman totally would” are revealing themselves as naive about the reality of sex differences in crime statistics - 98% male for violent crimes.
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Ableism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, War, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
whailey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Torture, War, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexism, Trafficking, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Bullying, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Genocide, Confinement, and Police brutality
innerweststreetlibrarian's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really needed the first half of this book after the grinding misogyny of the last one I read, but oof it got really hard to keep going once I was about halfway through. Definitely needed more contemplation time between chapters to process what was going on. And that was quite a LOT. Very, deeply thought provoking, and a tad horrifying. Basically excellent.
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Torture, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Hate crime, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Trafficking, and Gun violence
Minor: Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
paukinra's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Drug use, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Child abuse, Police brutality, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Hate crime, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape
steds's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Trafficking, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Murder, Police brutality, War, Genocide, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Bullying, Death, and Gaslighting