A rival to Aldous Huxley

Sorry, but... this book is POWERFUL. Mad Max + Handmaid's Tale all mixed into one. This is about a world just like ours in a totally new crisis. Over time, the human race will either fall or rearrange itself to adapt. If you like novels about the power of women and the rearrangement of the human-imposed order of things, listen. You will be shocked emotionally, and delighted mentally.

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I am BLOWN away!

Oh. My. Goddess. I haven't stopped talking about this book since I started listening to it! Every one of my female friends has been pestered thoroughly to pick it up.

What would the world look like if women were the more powerful gender? If men's opinions and physicality were valued less? If they were the ones vulnerable to exploitation? So often, we hypothesize that a matriarchy would be a gentler society, free of rape and full of empathy. Naomi Alderman confronts this Utopian vision and then grinds it under the heel of science fiction.

Beginning with teenage girls acquiring the electrical powers, the shift initially seems positive. They can defend themselves from those who would hurt them: rapists, kidnappers, abusers. I reveled in the first part of the book, imagining a world like The Power's. But then the change continues and all men begin to fear for their lives. The power imbalance flips and now women are performing horrifying acts of violence on the other gender. I found myself a little disgusted with myself, to have enjoyed the first part of the book's thought-experiment. I think this is what Alderman intended, to show how easily one can believe that dominance is deserved.

I really enjoyed the framing device the book employed, especially visits to the "artifacts" of the world before. I highly recommend this book to all, with the caveat that it may make you uncomfortable (as any truly good speculative fiction should.) Additional trigger warning for depictions of sexual assault and violence.

I had previously listened to Adjoa Andoh read Americanah and I loved her performance on both books.

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Fascinating-Original

Brilliant, fast paced, unique story. Listened in 1 day, didn't want it to end.

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F*ck Me @ That Last Sentence!

This was easily the best book I've read in a long time. I had such a guttural reaction to the very end that there aren't even words to describe the sounds that came out of me. I was stunned. Well worth the Audible credit.

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3 people found this helpful

Enjoyable Listen

This book was recommended to me in such a a way that it’s path, at times, came to be quite unexpected. I enjoyed listening to the story and being surprised and different turns, and found the main characters well crafted enough to be engaging. I *really* enjoyed the narrator, who met the challenge of many characters with a variety of accents, although I found the Bessapara characters all sounded indistinguishable from each other.

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electric concept that stays

Great book. well written. interesting concept. lots to think about. narration sometimes too much. overall would recommend.

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Mesmerizing

From start to finish, one of the most thought provoking and captivating books I’ve read in a long time

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Wow!!

I have read post-apocalyptic literature for many years and feel I have a pretty broad exposure to the canon. This is simply one of the best books of this genre I have ever read. It is really one of the best books of any genre that I have read. Read it if you are a sci-fi reader, a feminist, a reactionary male rights proponent, interested in how a Trump became president, how #metoo has changed the world, how the deep state came about or for a million other reasons. Just be sure to read it.

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2 people found this helpful

Excellent Thought Experiment

It's a great read, it's an interesting premise, and as a thought experiment, it's very compelling.

I'm not convinced that women would become sexually violent (or even just as regular violent) as men are, regardless of physical strengths being reversed, but I like the idea of entire generations of women growing up not being afraid of how men will hurt them.

And oh my god, that last line. *chef's kiss*

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If you liked the handmaids tale, you’ll love this

This book is thought provoking, different, and had me completely wrapped up in the story. Wonderfully performed. I can’t say enough good things about it!

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1 person found this helpful