Scan barcode
A review by celinewyp
Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Essentially, this book is about women gaining agency and finding solidarity. It is a beautifully feminist story, really epitomizing how life can feel like it’s women against the rest of the world, even other women, at times. During Josie’s quest to find her mother, she finds her admiration of her “father” challenged, in which I see parallels to battling internalized misogyny. Besides, the Girls come across atrocities perpetrated by men who objectify and sexualize them, who view them as monstrous witches, crimes against nature and God. These events mirror the real-life experiences that women go through every day. Except these Girls are blessed with powers, which help them gain the upper hand. Even so, they barely manage to get out of the scrapes they stumble into.
Beyond all this, the book is very suspenseful and thrilling. It was so hard for me to try and guess what would happen next, where the twists will come in, and how everything will end. The writing style is solid. It’s not immersive or particularly beautiful, but it serves its purpose. I would like to think that because the book is written from the perspective of Josie, a scientist herself who’s trying to discover the secret of parthenogenesis herself. So the writing is to the point but still descriptive.
This really makes it into an amazing read for me and the book is one I would recommend to everyone.
The reason why this isn’t a 5-star read for me is because it gets kind of confusing with the number of mother-daughter pairs there are. I think some characterization suffers because of it as well. The author does use this opportunity to add a bit about how women of colour experience different kinds of prejudice compared to white women, which was great.
I think the book explores the consequences of “virgin births” quite well, including reactions of the public and how the Girls go through life being products of these births. However, the science isn’t completely explained. I like seeing some stronger scientific basis in my sci-fi, so I found it somewhat difficult to get into how the parthenogenesis works in humans or how the powers came about.
Still, I loved the book! After some consideration, I like the ending as well. The Girls all learn that they’re stronger together, and something else happens that’s really good but also a spoiler haha.
Essentially, this book is about women gaining agency and finding solidarity. It is a beautifully feminist story, really epitomizing how life can feel like it’s women against the rest of the world, even other women, at times. During Josie’s quest to find her mother, she finds her admiration of her “father” challenged, in which I see parallels to battling internalized misogyny. Besides, the Girls come across atrocities perpetrated by men who objectify and sexualize them, who view them as monstrous witches, crimes against nature and God. These events mirror the real-life experiences that women go through every day. Except these Girls are blessed with powers, which help them gain the upper hand. Even so, they barely manage to get out of the scrapes they stumble into.
Beyond all this, the book is very suspenseful and thrilling. It was so hard for me to try and guess what would happen next, where the twists will come in, and how everything will end. The writing style is solid. It’s not immersive or particularly beautiful, but it serves its purpose. I would like to think that because the book is written from the perspective of Josie, a scientist herself who’s trying to discover the secret of parthenogenesis herself. So the writing is to the point but still descriptive.
This really makes it into an amazing read for me and the book is one I would recommend to everyone.
The reason why this isn’t a 5-star read for me is because it gets kind of confusing with the number of mother-daughter pairs there are. I think some characterization suffers because of it as well. The author does use this opportunity to add a bit about how women of colour experience different kinds of prejudice compared to white women, which was great.
I think the book explores the consequences of “virgin births” quite well, including reactions of the public and how the Girls go through life being products of these births. However, the science isn’t completely explained. I like seeing some stronger scientific basis in my sci-fi, so I found it somewhat difficult to get into how the parthenogenesis works in humans or how the powers came about.
Still, I loved the book! After some consideration, I like the ending as well. The Girls all learn that they’re stronger together, and something else happens that’s really good but also a spoiler haha.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Rape