emmaledbetter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
ashleyccunningham's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While at times I felt the prose or metaphors went over my head, I ultimately loved this book and how it captured the sacred act of personal choice through so many lenses.
jxg255's review against another edition
2.0
The story was somewhat similar to The Handmaid’s Tale and was different. At times, it was interesting and then lagged. None of the characters were really engaging. I have a lot of questions at the end instead of wrapping up the story. Too open ended.
brianna_4pawsandabook's review against another edition
4.0
This book is haunting when you think that this could actually happen. The Handmaid's tale is far enough distanced from our actual reality that we don't really think "oh, this is the direction our country is actually heading". Throughout the entire book, this is what I was thinking while reading Red Clocks. They talk about so many things that are LITERALLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN CONGRESS.
4 women in a small town in Oregon are dealing in their own way with the 28th amendment to the Constitution, the Personhood amendment, outlawing abortion, in vitro fertilization as well as a law saying that only families that have a mother and father are allowed to adopt. (slightly askew, because if abortion were illegal, odds are there would be a lot more babies that would need to be adopted, so being picky wouldn't be good for the foster system, but that is never addressed).
The only reason this is getting 4 stars instead of 5, is I questioned some of the writer's choices when it came to her writing style. I wasn't a fan of how the characters weren't referred to by their names very often, but rather by "The Biographer", "The Wife", "The Daughter" and "The Mender". I know that there was a stylistic choice there, I just didn't see or understand the merit of it. The way the character's stories overlapped was also slightly confusing in some parts, and I felt like they were overlapping, just for the story's sake, and not necessarily to drive the plot. But overall, this book is so good, and a necessary commentary on the state of our nation, and what could happen in our country if women don't stand up and speak up for themselves.
4 women in a small town in Oregon are dealing in their own way with the 28th amendment to the Constitution, the Personhood amendment, outlawing abortion, in vitro fertilization as well as a law saying that only families that have a mother and father are allowed to adopt. (slightly askew, because if abortion were illegal, odds are there would be a lot more babies that would need to be adopted, so being picky wouldn't be good for the foster system, but that is never addressed).
The only reason this is getting 4 stars instead of 5, is I questioned some of the writer's choices when it came to her writing style. I wasn't a fan of how the characters weren't referred to by their names very often, but rather by "The Biographer", "The Wife", "The Daughter" and "The Mender". I know that there was a stylistic choice there, I just didn't see or understand the merit of it. The way the character's stories overlapped was also slightly confusing in some parts, and I felt like they were overlapping, just for the story's sake, and not necessarily to drive the plot. But overall, this book is so good, and a necessary commentary on the state of our nation, and what could happen in our country if women don't stand up and speak up for themselves.
sirlancelot2021's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
leah_alexandra's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I will start with a big content warning because it was significant enough for me not to be stuck at the bottom. If you struggle reading about medical content, doctor visits, some procedures/if you have vaso Vagal like me and these are triggers, just be prepared for some significant scenes, especially at the beginning, which I was not prepared for.
Parts of the book were well done but overall it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. We almost didn’t get enough time with any character to the degree it felt hard to connect, and when we did get time, everyone was just portrayed almost grotesquely. I found Susan’s story personally unbearable, and also thought it was unnecessary to use stand in titles instead of the women’s names when we learn their names quite quickly. The polar explorer stuff was interesting and well written but it felt like a different book to me.
Parts of the book were well done but overall it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. We almost didn’t get enough time with any character to the degree it felt hard to connect, and when we did get time, everyone was just portrayed almost grotesquely. I found Susan’s story personally unbearable, and also thought it was unnecessary to use stand in titles instead of the women’s names when we learn their names quite quickly. The polar explorer stuff was interesting and well written but it felt like a different book to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Medical content, Animal death, Body horror, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Addiction
nerdyrev's review against another edition
4.0
The hype on this book was pretty exciting. People were calling it the spiritual successor to The Handmaid’s Tale, so I was naturally excited. It was one of the Book of the Month selections the month after I had stopped subscribing to the service, so I knew it should be on my radar. After reading it, while I would not compare it to Handmaid’s, it is an incredible work of women’s lit on motherhood and loss.
The chapters are told from different perspectives and are named by what the woman represents- Daughter, Mother, Biographer, and Mender. What we know is abortion is illegal in the US and a new law is about to take effect requiring two (a man and a woman) to raise one child. It is sometime in the near future.
The Daughter has been having sex with a boy in her class who quickly moves on from her when he gets bored with her. He leaves her not knowing she is pregnant. The daughter does not want to keep the child and now must figure out what to do.
The Mother is the mother of two in a marriage which is failing. Her children continue to get on her nerves and are growing into this world where clearly males are in charge. She longs to get out of her family, but is completely stuck.
The Biographer is a teacher and a writer. She has been trying to become pregnant by in vitro fertilization and other methods, but is beginning to run out of time and money. The law is changing and if she does not get pregnant, she will be out of time to be a single mother. She longs to be a mom.
The Mender has been labeled the town witch. She performs natural abortions for those seeking her help. Recently, she has given a drink to induce labor to the local principal’s wife, who died shortly after she drank the tea. The Mender will have to fight for her life in a court which has banned any type of abortion.
As the story goes on, the 4 women’s lives will become intertwined with one another as they live their lives within this town.
There are parts of this book which are slow moving, but at the conclusion of the book, I found those parts to be more deliberately slow to draw out relationships or struggles within the women. Their characters become more and more alive as the story progresses and as the world becomes fuller. We see there are no easy answers or black and white answers within this world, even though the country has decided to make the abortion issue black or white.
As much as this is about motherhood and children, it is also very much about the loss of children/family. I will not give too much away as some of it lies in spoiler territory, but I can safely talk about the Biographer. She longs for motherhood and we see her heartbreak as her chances for such become slimmer and slimmer. She begins to get desperate and makes some questionable decisions. She is recognizing though that the family she longs for will not be, so she must wrestle with that loss of the child that never was.
This is overall an incredible book. I can see some being turned off by it because it approaches abortion directly and does not give a quick or easy answer. These women struggle and their world is very much against them, with the Mender, quite literally. There cannot be a happy ending for these women in this world and we recognize that from the very beginning of the book.
I gave this one 4 stars.
sarahely's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
atgerstner's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This book is a weird read post Dobbs. It’s also a little too purple, and the Wife plot line didn’t add a ton to the story.