The Women Could Fly

A Novel

By: Megan Giddings

Narrated by: Angel Pean

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Reminiscent of the works of Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, and Octavia Butler, a biting social commentary from the acclaimed author of Lakewood that speaks to our times—a piercing dystopian novel about the unbreakable bond between a young woman and her mysterious mother, set in a world in which witches are real and single women are closely monitored.

Josephine Thomas has heard every conceivable theory about her mother's disappearance. That she was kidnapped. Murdered. That she took on a new identity to start a new family. That she was a witch. This is the most worrying charge because in a world where witches are real, peculiar behavior raises suspicions and a woman—especially a Black woman—can find herself on trial for witchcraft.

But fourteen years have passed since her mother’s disappearance, and now Jo is finally ready to let go of the past. Yet her future is in doubt. The State mandates that all women marry by the age of 30—or enroll in a registry that allows them to be monitored, effectively forfeiting their autonomy. At 28, Jo is ambivalent about marriage. With her ability to control her life on the line, she feels as if she has her never understood her mother more. When she’s offered the opportunity to honor one last request from her mother's will, Jo leaves her regular life to feel connected to her one last time.

In this powerful and timely novel, Megan Giddings explores the limits women face—and the powers they have to transgress and transcend them.

©2022 Megan Giddings (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Thought provoking

Took a while before I liked the book. it is fiction but there were truths in the story. society treats black women low on society level. but if you are a white male you are at the top. and money can buy your way out of trouble or what society thinks is evil. women losing their rights. that is happening now. loved the ending. look forward to reading or listening to this authors other books.

Great book.

Loved the relevance of the story. Excellent narration. I would definitely recommend to my friends!

I rarely review, this book is worth it.

This book a must listen for every teenager and young adult figuring out who they are and whom they want to be.
I wish it had been around for me.

The writing is sophisticated, almost poetic, the story is modern, unexpected and familiar.
I was ready for a witch story, but received so much more.

The narrator is hypnotic, rich and precise (I want her to read everything)

Meandering

That is the best word I can think of for my feelings about this book. I really struggle to think about this book when I'm not actively listening.

Pissed off and Impressed!

This book has us thinking of what life is like for so many people in this world TODAY. There are so many countries where women don’t have rights, including some of the most powerful, supposedly ‘free’ places of the world.

We were a mix of pissed off and impressed with how the author presented the world the heroine lives in, her family, friends and all of the different dynamics.

At a pivotal point towards the end, the heroine was describing a man, a politician, who thought that what they were doing to her was wrong but didn’t stop it — “To that man, power was more important than being right”. And as we look around the world today, this rings true.

Also, the ending was a very pleasant surprise!

So yes, it was a great read that left us a bit shaken in the best way possible.

At first we didn’t like the narration style because there was no inflection or expression of the different character’s emotions. However, once we finished, it made total sense why the publisher or author wanted it this way.

enjoyed it a lot

very cool book. interesting characters, excellent pacing, and fantastic narrator. I enjoyed the fantasy bit enjoyed even more the social commentary.

Not for me

While the performance of this book was great, I really didn’t like the story. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m more of a crime, thriller, kind of person but this book just didn’t do it for me. It was super slow and there wasn’t much action. it took weeks for me to finish this book because I was so bored

What The Handmaid's Tale should be

This is phenomenal.
So much better than I was expecting or anticipating.
This is heavily feminist, unlike The Handmaid's Tale, which is white feminism.
well done.

Incredible new fiction for fans of Atwood

“The Handmaid’s Tale” walked so this book could fly. Gorgeous lyrical prose, surprising twists, and fabulous performance by the narrator. My favorite read of 2023!

You only need to read the last half

Disappointing, as the thoughts behind race, sex, culture, and society's treatment of women were a great concept to bring in witches. I think to much was trying to be said, so the story became convoluted and disjointed. I wanted to like it and finally got there in the last chapters but the first half seemed superfluous.

Odd syncopation from the narrator that disappeared halfway through and really took away from the story.