Red Clocks

A Novel

De: Leni Zumas

Narrado por: Karissa Vacker, Erin Bennett

A Popsugar most anticipated book of fall

A Ploughshares most anticipated book of fall

One of Publishers Weekly's most anticipated titles of fall 2017

Five women. One question. What is a woman for?

In this ferociously imaginative novel, abortion is once again illegal in America, in vitro fertilization is banned, and the Personhood Amendment grants rights of life, liberty, and property to every embryo. In a small Oregon fishing town, five very different women navigate these new barriers alongside age-old questions surrounding motherhood, identity, and freedom.

Ro, a single high-school teacher, is trying to have a baby on her own while also writing a biography of Eivør, a little-known 19th-century female polar explorer. Susan is a frustrated mother of two, trapped in a crumbling marriage. Mattie is the adopted daughter of doting parents and one of Ro's best students, who finds herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. And Gin is the gifted, forest-dwelling herbalist, or "mender", who brings all their fates together when she's arrested and put on trial in a frenzied modern-day witch hunt.

Red Clocks is at once a riveting drama whose mysteries unfold with magnetic energy and a shattering novel of ideas. In the vein of Margaret Atwood and Eileen Myles, Leni Zumas fearlessly explores the contours of female experience, evoking The Handmaid's Tale for a new millennium. This is a story of resilience, transformation, and hope in tumultuous - even frightening - times.

©2018 Leni Zumas (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Odd

This storyline had so much potential, the theme so relevant to today’s politics, but it just came off as odd to me. Really, really odd. There is a lot of jumping around of characters and subplots that I found distracting and while it will all connect (sort of) by the end I didn’t care. I did get the authors intent (I think, sort of, maybe) and the writing isn’t bad but in the end this book just doesn’t gel right. Save the credit.

Fabulous!

The story flips between 5 women experiencing important moments in each woman’s life. I did not find it difficult to follow the flips between each woman & timeline. The moment I realized the importance of the relationship between the “Healer” named Gin & the “Daughter” named Mattie, I got a flush of exhilaration!
If you are interested in women’s issues & the biological plight we all face, this is a VERY good book.
I listened to this book during my hour long commutes to & from work. If you liked The Handmaid’s Tale, you will enjoy this!
The narrator did an incredible job expressing the character’s age, tone & individuality!

Worthy to be compared to Handmaid’s Tale

Given today’s political environment and talk of Roe v Wade, this was a timely read. Imagine a world where Roe v Wade is overturned and the legislature (which folks seem to forget is equally powerful as President) make laws that limit a woman’s right over her body at point of conception. The author present the day-to-day perspective of 4 women. But while it seems mundane in that she presents their lives as normal, where the book climaxes is quite as chilling as Handmaid’s Tale.

A glimpse at what the future could hold?

With eerily realistic interpretations of a Government agenda gone awry this story hit too close for comfort on many levels. It's a compelling story with a surprising ending that left me wanting to know more about what the next 10 years of these women's lives looks like.

Where was the climax?

I had very high hopes for this book. I expected to feel enraged or empowered or SOMETHING at the end but it fell very flat. I enjoyed the character building a lot even though one of the characters was not really interacting with the overall uniting force of this unjust law. I wish there was more of an impact made on their lives based on their experiences. Also... why was she eating dirt?!?!?!

A relevant tale

This book was great and so relevant to our current times....a cautionary tale. One can only hope that one's actions will be enough to keep our countryvfrom actually going down this road.

A Thought-provoking, grounded, unsettling look at what our country can look like in the future.

I enjoyed it for the present day characters the first time around. The second time around, I payed extra attention to the character from Roberta's biography. I truly loved the quite literal witch hunt but craved more of Gin/The Menders character & less of Susan/The Wife. I found the news snippets great at building up the world they all live in. They are scary yet things you could actually see coming to or in this case has already come to fruition.

One of the best books I’ve listened to in a while

I really loved the style and themes, which are complex, thought-provoking, real. Dreamy quality to the writing, beautiful imagery.

Excellent

This novel was wonderful, and a chilling look at the not so distant future of abortion in this country. This novel is an exquisite read and I recomm2nd it highly.

Really good

I was on edge to give up from beginning of the book more then couple chapters , but after u know the characters u will understand it ... was very good :-)