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helene0707's review against another edition
5.0
This review was written in June 2019.
Following the recent political development in the USA, I thought this novel could not teach me anything new. I bought it in the amazon May Kindle sale, both the cover and title sounding intriguing, but little did I know what was expecting me. Leni Zumas? Never heard of her. Dystopian fiction? Have we not had enough of that genre already? Another feminist wannabe? Hulu must be proud.
Here is the deal: this novel is not for everyone, but it was the right piece of fiction for me at the time. It has been vehemently compared to the Handmaid’s Tale, but although the setting is similar, the novels differ greatly in their approach. Red Clocks follows five women and their everyday struggles in an episodic style. They all have different hardship to bear but are united in the struggles of women in a world where abortion has become completely illegal. Funerals need to be held for babies who have been born prematurely, abortions are prosecuted, and soon, adoption is only going to be available to families consisting of one man and one woman. The emotional toll, which logically follows, is explored in the novel and Leni Zumas does an excellent job at that.
Other reviews have mentioned the difficulty of starting the novel and not putting it aside. I second that it is hard to get past the first 20% and I too only ended up reading about 5% per day until I had got past the first part. The plot seems slow to begin with but quickly takes off and will keep you hooked for what is to come. The episodic events end with cliffhanger after cliffhanger and you can expect the ending to be anything but happy for every character.
Is Red Clocks an extraordinary novel in the dystopian fiction genre? Highly unlikely. Is it a novel we need to understand the implications pregnancy can have? Yes, very much so.
In short: Excellently written prose with very distinguishable POV. Almost every character feels unique and round (the only exception being “The Mender” in my opinion whose episodes were a bit too short. I found myself being especially curious about her life) and very believable. A novel which has been put unjustly on a pedestal next to the Handmaid’s Tale. Just because the novels are dystopian fiction and feminist does not mean they are interchangeable.
Following the recent political development in the USA, I thought this novel could not teach me anything new. I bought it in the amazon May Kindle sale, both the cover and title sounding intriguing, but little did I know what was expecting me. Leni Zumas? Never heard of her. Dystopian fiction? Have we not had enough of that genre already? Another feminist wannabe? Hulu must be proud.
Here is the deal: this novel is not for everyone, but it was the right piece of fiction for me at the time. It has been vehemently compared to the Handmaid’s Tale, but although the setting is similar, the novels differ greatly in their approach. Red Clocks follows five women and their everyday struggles in an episodic style. They all have different hardship to bear but are united in the struggles of women in a world where abortion has become completely illegal. Funerals need to be held for babies who have been born prematurely, abortions are prosecuted, and soon, adoption is only going to be available to families consisting of one man and one woman. The emotional toll, which logically follows, is explored in the novel and Leni Zumas does an excellent job at that.
Other reviews have mentioned the difficulty of starting the novel and not putting it aside. I second that it is hard to get past the first 20% and I too only ended up reading about 5% per day until I had got past the first part. The plot seems slow to begin with but quickly takes off and will keep you hooked for what is to come. The episodic events end with cliffhanger after cliffhanger and you can expect the ending to be anything but happy for every character.
Is Red Clocks an extraordinary novel in the dystopian fiction genre? Highly unlikely. Is it a novel we need to understand the implications pregnancy can have? Yes, very much so.
In short: Excellently written prose with very distinguishable POV. Almost every character feels unique and round (the only exception being “The Mender” in my opinion whose episodes were a bit too short. I found myself being especially curious about her life) and very believable. A novel which has been put unjustly on a pedestal next to the Handmaid’s Tale. Just because the novels are dystopian fiction and feminist does not mean they are interchangeable.
cathd80's review against another edition
1.0
(1.5 stars)
From the very beginning reading Red Clocks is like looking through a very grimy window. Everything is tinged with dirt and difficult to see, much less see clearly. Four women, each speaking in alternating chapters and never revealing their names, only their most defining characteristic: the Biographer, the Mender, the Wife, the Daughter. In chapters not their own, others use their real names for them: Ro, Gin, Susan, and Mattie, and all are dealing with some aspect of pregnancy-wanting it or not. Initially I wasn't even sure of the novel's timeline and thought it was set long ago and the characters were huddling around outdoor fires on the Oregon coast. It was almost a quarter of the way through, with the announcement of the constitutional amendment giving fetuses 'personhood' and a new law allowing only straight married couples to adopt, that I felt the weight drop onto my shoulders. Oh…dystopia and in the not-so-distant future. As in, it might be happening in America soon.
The stories of these four women are so dark, as are the women themselves. There is sympathy for Gin and Mattie, two young women caught by their circumstances, but any sort of feeling is harder to come by for Susan and Ro. Their lives are on the opposite sides of the spectrum-Susan, a married stay-at-home mother with two young children who fights the urge to run her car off a cliff and Ro, a high school teacher whose longing for a baby is so great she fantasizes about running away with the pregnant Mattie so she can keep her baby. They are grown women and while life may not have turned out the way they wanted their pathos feels like chewing sand-gritty and unpleasant with no flavor.
The rest of this review is at The Gilmore Guide to Books: https://wp.me/p2B7gG-2B8
From the very beginning reading Red Clocks is like looking through a very grimy window. Everything is tinged with dirt and difficult to see, much less see clearly. Four women, each speaking in alternating chapters and never revealing their names, only their most defining characteristic: the Biographer, the Mender, the Wife, the Daughter. In chapters not their own, others use their real names for them: Ro, Gin, Susan, and Mattie, and all are dealing with some aspect of pregnancy-wanting it or not. Initially I wasn't even sure of the novel's timeline and thought it was set long ago and the characters were huddling around outdoor fires on the Oregon coast. It was almost a quarter of the way through, with the announcement of the constitutional amendment giving fetuses 'personhood' and a new law allowing only straight married couples to adopt, that I felt the weight drop onto my shoulders. Oh…dystopia and in the not-so-distant future. As in, it might be happening in America soon.
The stories of these four women are so dark, as are the women themselves. There is sympathy for Gin and Mattie, two young women caught by their circumstances, but any sort of feeling is harder to come by for Susan and Ro. Their lives are on the opposite sides of the spectrum-Susan, a married stay-at-home mother with two young children who fights the urge to run her car off a cliff and Ro, a high school teacher whose longing for a baby is so great she fantasizes about running away with the pregnant Mattie so she can keep her baby. They are grown women and while life may not have turned out the way they wanted their pathos feels like chewing sand-gritty and unpleasant with no flavor.
The rest of this review is at The Gilmore Guide to Books: https://wp.me/p2B7gG-2B8
scytale's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
amandaexe's review against another edition
2.5
2.5/5
This had an interesting premise, with an interesting background that hits uncomfortably close to home these days. Too bad the story itself wasn't memorable at all. The characters weren't interesting, I thought most of the plotline with the Mender was mostly pointless, as was the story the Biographer was trying to tell. The story was stretched too thin trying to fit in everyone and make sure they all connected in some way.
Besides that, the writing left a lot to be desired. I guess the style wasn't for me, this book was too crass at times for my taste, especially considering the topics it was dealing with. The first few chapters were so off-putting I don't know if I would have continued this if I wasn't listening to it on audio. It got better eventually, but I can't see past its many flaws to get to the important message.
This had an interesting premise, with an interesting background that hits uncomfortably close to home these days. Too bad the story itself wasn't memorable at all. The characters weren't interesting, I thought most of the plotline with the Mender was mostly pointless, as was the story the Biographer was trying to tell. The story was stretched too thin trying to fit in everyone and make sure they all connected in some way.
Besides that, the writing left a lot to be desired. I guess the style wasn't for me, this book was too crass at times for my taste, especially considering the topics it was dealing with. The first few chapters were so off-putting I don't know if I would have continued this if I wasn't listening to it on audio. It got better eventually, but I can't see past its many flaws to get to the important message.
jordynkw's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sophasphinx's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
Funny enough, this author was a visiting professor at my university for while!
Most reviews concerning Red Clocks talk about the prophetic power of the novel. Being published before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I feel that the book has become immortalized as an unheeded omen. It's definitely relevant for our time, and overall a good read with a nice narrative voice, but while it succeeds in commenting on the state of reproductive health in America and shines a much needed spotlight on issues surrounding single mothers and adoption, it fails terribly in discussing how reproductive health intersects with racial justice. One of the few characters of color in the book is treated AWFULLY by the narration, becoming a flat prop piece despite the author clearly wanting to do the opposite. The book talks about misogyny in fertility treatment super well, in a way I have not seen in other books, but it's not enough to fix the wonky and downright embarrassing treatment of racial issues in the novel.
I'm rounding this score up because it's a well-written, relevant book. But as a collective of feminist writers we must, must do better with the representation of reproductive health for people of color (and non-cisgender voices!!!!). The mishandling of these topics in the novel is its greatest detractor.
Funny enough, this author was a visiting professor at my university for while!
Most reviews concerning Red Clocks talk about the prophetic power of the novel. Being published before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I feel that the book has become immortalized as an unheeded omen. It's definitely relevant for our time, and overall a good read with a nice narrative voice, but while it succeeds in commenting on the state of reproductive health in America and shines a much needed spotlight on issues surrounding single mothers and adoption, it fails terribly in discussing how reproductive health intersects with racial justice. One of the few characters of color in the book is treated AWFULLY by the narration, becoming a flat prop piece despite the author clearly wanting to do the opposite. The book talks about misogyny in fertility treatment super well, in a way I have not seen in other books, but it's not enough to fix the wonky and downright embarrassing treatment of racial issues in the novel.
I'm rounding this score up because it's a well-written, relevant book. But as a collective of feminist writers we must, must do better with the representation of reproductive health for people of color (and non-cisgender voices!!!!). The mishandling of these topics in the novel is its greatest detractor.
jillian_lw's review against another edition
3.0
This was fine. I didn't think the women the plot centered on had distinct enough personalities, and I had trouble feeling connected to any of them. The topic of reproductive health is an important one, but this book just didn't grab me.
amykhead's review against another edition
5.0
I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this book. Loved it!
helloamymo's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the concept of this book, but I found the titles of everyone confusing so I didn’t ‘get it’ until the halfway mark.
kaneekakapur's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0