kfara's review against another edition
1.0
So disappointing- the plot line didn’t get interesting until half way through the book and fell flat in its face in the close. I had higher hopes for this read, but it was painful just to finish it.
vanessa_issa's review against another edition
3.0
Esse livro veio de uma recomendação de similares a The Handmaid's Tale, o que obviamente me fez ter muitas expectativas. Mas é beeem diferente. Pra começar, não se trata de uma distopia, mas sim de algo que infelizmente acontece muito no nosso mundo real, que é a exploração de imigrantes (mulheres).
Golden Oaks é onde nossas personagens principais trabalham, sendo escolhidas pelos clientes para gerarem seus filhos. Os casais não necessariamente têm problemas de infertilidade, mas por motivos diversos (até mesmo por vaidade, como medo de estragar o corpo) preferem contratar essas mulheres. Elas recebem do bom e do melhor para gerarem bebês saudáveis. Se o cliente gostar, pode até pensar em ter mais filhos com a mesma mulher, o que resultaria em mais dinheiro para ela. A proposta parece muito atrativa, porém existem muuuuitas armadilhas no meio do caminho. Elas podem ser penalizadas muito facilmente. São vigiadas o tempo todo. Não têm privacidade pra nada. Não podem decidir por si mesmas. São apenas corpos, produtos à venda. E o cliente é quem manda.
É um livro que aborda questões muito importantes. Por exemplo, o preconceito com as mulheres, as classificando de formas diferentes. As brancas e educadas são tidas como "Premium Hosts", enquanto as pretas são menos valorizadas. A maior parte delas são imigrantes filipinas, mostrando também a exploração de pessoas que não conseguem ter oportunidades justas de trabalho. Há também questões sobre o aborto, a liberdade, o papel da mulher em uma família, a independência financeira e todas as possibilidades que vêm com ela... Enfim. Muita coisa que precisa ser discutida mesmo.
Mas... eu confesso que a narrativa da autora não me agradou. Me irritava um pouco ver tantos pontos de exclamação nas frases. Em alguns capítulos parecia que não acontecia nada, eu tive dificuldade pra conseguir manter meu foco. Não cheguei a me apegar profundamente em nenhuma personagem, o que me chateou. Eu esperava me envolver muito mais. :/
Golden Oaks é onde nossas personagens principais trabalham, sendo escolhidas pelos clientes para gerarem seus filhos. Os casais não necessariamente têm problemas de infertilidade, mas por motivos diversos (até mesmo por vaidade, como medo de estragar o corpo) preferem contratar essas mulheres. Elas recebem do bom e do melhor para gerarem bebês saudáveis. Se o cliente gostar, pode até pensar em ter mais filhos com a mesma mulher, o que resultaria em mais dinheiro para ela. A proposta parece muito atrativa, porém existem muuuuitas armadilhas no meio do caminho. Elas podem ser penalizadas muito facilmente. São vigiadas o tempo todo. Não têm privacidade pra nada. Não podem decidir por si mesmas. São apenas corpos, produtos à venda. E o cliente é quem manda.
É um livro que aborda questões muito importantes. Por exemplo, o preconceito com as mulheres, as classificando de formas diferentes. As brancas e educadas são tidas como "Premium Hosts", enquanto as pretas são menos valorizadas. A maior parte delas são imigrantes filipinas, mostrando também a exploração de pessoas que não conseguem ter oportunidades justas de trabalho. Há também questões sobre o aborto, a liberdade, o papel da mulher em uma família, a independência financeira e todas as possibilidades que vêm com ela... Enfim. Muita coisa que precisa ser discutida mesmo.
Mas... eu confesso que a narrativa da autora não me agradou. Me irritava um pouco ver tantos pontos de exclamação nas frases. Em alguns capítulos parecia que não acontecia nada, eu tive dificuldade pra conseguir manter meu foco. Não cheguei a me apegar profundamente em nenhuma personagem, o que me chateou. Eu esperava me envolver muito mais. :/
nerdyprettythings's review against another edition
4.5
Am I in my "saving the best books for the end of the year" era? This is definitely one of my favorites of the year. The description of the titular Farm sounds like dystopia, but nothing in it is far from reality, especially the lives that led the different women there. I thought the juxtaposition of the treatment and outcomes of the (white, educated) "premium" hosts and the (POC, poor) women who made up the majority of those at the Farm was done with a lot of care. There's also some really interesting stuff happening with the people "in charge" of the recruitment and running of the Farm. But also holy crap it made me want to kill some people and that's the mark of a really great book imo.
bookapotamus's review against another edition
3.0
The second I discovered what The Farm was about I immediately knew I had to read it. This alternative baby-making factory storyline (mirrored on the cover as well!) popped onto my head and I was like, "oh this could get crazy and twisty in the most delicious of ways!" I went into this expecting something, but getting something else. I think I just wanted a different book, and I think there was so much potential here, that just went unlocked.
We start off meeting several women - all with different stories, lifestyles, families and economic classes. We definitely got the spectrum of women who enter into the farm (or are already there) and they could not be more different. We also delve into the head of Mae, who runs The Farm, driven by money, ambition and class, while innocent women are lied to and secluded. But Mae's not entirely the bad guy here. There's a host of reasons why the women are there, most borderline on selfishness, but the stories are intriguing and interesting just the same.
This book is more of an exploration of personal emotions and drive, and what you'd do for yourself, or your family, or to get ahead - and how far would you go. But it is not a story about a baby making factory... okay maybe a tiny bit, but not much. Not as much as I craved it to be.
I ended up wanting MORE farm, and less of those personal stories and emotions though. I understand there needs to be a "where did they come from?" and "what are their reasons?" but The Farm could have been such a central character here, and more front and center, and I think that is the nook I wanted to read.
I did like the book. The ending was a bit too neat and blah for me, but it was still enjoyable and a pleasant read.
We start off meeting several women - all with different stories, lifestyles, families and economic classes. We definitely got the spectrum of women who enter into the farm (or are already there) and they could not be more different. We also delve into the head of Mae, who runs The Farm, driven by money, ambition and class, while innocent women are lied to and secluded. But Mae's not entirely the bad guy here. There's a host of reasons why the women are there, most borderline on selfishness, but the stories are intriguing and interesting just the same.
This book is more of an exploration of personal emotions and drive, and what you'd do for yourself, or your family, or to get ahead - and how far would you go. But it is not a story about a baby making factory... okay maybe a tiny bit, but not much. Not as much as I craved it to be.
I ended up wanting MORE farm, and less of those personal stories and emotions though. I understand there needs to be a "where did they come from?" and "what are their reasons?" but The Farm could have been such a central character here, and more front and center, and I think that is the nook I wanted to read.
I did like the book. The ending was a bit too neat and blah for me, but it was still enjoyable and a pleasant read.
beccasp's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
kcthom6's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.25
jennapackard's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
teebird's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
mollconn7's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5, a little bit of a slow start, but overall not too bad!
caitlyn888's review against another edition
5.0
People have been marketing this book as a "Handmaid's Tale" read-a-like, and while I can draw the obvious connections between the two (women serving as surrogates for couples who can't have their own babies, the loss of autonomy for the surrogates), I think "The Handmaid's Tale" is more dystopian while "The Farm" represents a very possible reality. The concept of an organization where millionaires pay top dollar for poor and working class women to stay in a facility for the duration of their pregnancy could be a lucrative business operation in the future. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have used an agency called Family Creations to find their surrogate and paid a good chunk of change to both the agency and the surrogate for their baby, and the surrogate had to follow strict guidelines set forth by the celebrity couple. Basically, this stuff already happens, just not on such a grand scale.
Joanne Ramos raises some interesting questions throughout the book, namely: Is surrogacy really an autonomous, free-minded choice if you are a poor immigrant with no other prospects? Is placing a premium price on certain surrogates (read: white, middle-class) really based on health quality or just ingrained racist beliefs? At what point do the restrictions placed upon these women transform the facility from a retreat into a prison? Should the "Clients" (those paying for the surrogacy) get full say over what happens to the "Hosts" (the surrogates) since they are paying top dollar for the care and well-being of their future child?
Ramos doesn't set out to answer all of these questions, but she makes the reader think about women as a commodity in the quickly-evolving fertility industry. There is big money in this field, which leads one to wonder if the humanity aspect of surrogacy will eventually become second to the business transaction. This is truly a thought-provoking read.
Joanne Ramos raises some interesting questions throughout the book, namely: Is surrogacy really an autonomous, free-minded choice if you are a poor immigrant with no other prospects? Is placing a premium price on certain surrogates (read: white, middle-class) really based on health quality or just ingrained racist beliefs? At what point do the restrictions placed upon these women transform the facility from a retreat into a prison? Should the "Clients" (those paying for the surrogacy) get full say over what happens to the "Hosts" (the surrogates) since they are paying top dollar for the care and well-being of their future child?
Ramos doesn't set out to answer all of these questions, but she makes the reader think about women as a commodity in the quickly-evolving fertility industry. There is big money in this field, which leads one to wonder if the humanity aspect of surrogacy will eventually become second to the business transaction. This is truly a thought-provoking read.