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Red Clocks
by
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 surround ...more
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 surround ...more
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Hardcover, 356 pages
Published
January 16th 2018
by Little, Brown and Company
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I guess we can probably expect more of these weird feminist(?) dystopias in the wake of The Handmaid's Tale's Hulu series. Between this and the superhero-movie-turned-superhero-book trend, you can pretty much predict the new book trends based on what's popular on the big and small screens.
Here, Zumas imagines a United States where the Personhood Amendment gives rights to unborn embryos, outlawing abortion and IVF (because said embryos cannot give consent). The Canadian government assist by erect ...more
Here, Zumas imagines a United States where the Personhood Amendment gives rights to unborn embryos, outlawing abortion and IVF (because said embryos cannot give consent). The Canadian government assist by erect ...more
May 26, 2018
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
dnf
DNFed at 20%.
I just couldn't get into it!
I just couldn't get into it!
Red Clocks can be described as a dystopian novel, but it feels entirely contemporary. Instead of creating a far-off dystopian society, Leni Zumas picks up on trends in our current political climate and thinks them through. What are the consequences of making abortion illegal in the US? How does a woman trying to have a baby on her own navigate a world in which in vitro fertilization is banned and only married couples are allowed to adopt? Where do larger concepts of woman- and motherhood come in
...more
Just wanted to recommend this book to people struggling with recent political events. I pretty much ONLY feel like reading feminist dystopian fiction at this point, but this is a rare example of a book in that genre that retains a sliver of ever-more elusive hope. This book is also, in comparison to other recent examples in the genre, compellingly down to earth and credible - now even more so - as the author based its premise on actual legislation proposed by the likes of those currently empower
...more
“Red Clocks” might sound like a dystopian novel, but plenty of conservative politicians are plotting to make it a work of nonfiction. In fact, the author, Leni Zumas, has said that she drew the most frightening details of her story’s misogynistic world from “actual proposals” by men who are currently in control of our government.
Such is the state of affairs in the early 21st century. Feminist writers of speculative fiction don’t need the bizarre rituals of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 classic, “The Ha ...more
Such is the state of affairs in the early 21st century. Feminist writers of speculative fiction don’t need the bizarre rituals of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 classic, “The Ha ...more
Feb 25, 2018
☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ ⚡ϟ⚡ϟ⚡⛈ ✺❂❤❣
rated it
did not like it
Shelves:
2018-gr-choice,
books-i-won-t-finish
All sorts of things are all over the place. I'm supposed to decipher it? Really? Overall this didn't feel like a readable material. At all. DNF. I don't want to torture myself with it anymore. It's probably very forward and front-looking and experimental and feminist and corresponds to a bunch of other buzz-words, still it's incomprehensible. It's like a bunch of books got intermixed along with some other material, probably (including oversized to-do lists, random thoughts and all sorts of note
...more
I have mixed feelings about
“Red Clocks”....
...disturbing issues ...
...disturbing ‘choice’ vagina dialogues
...yet all in the context of brilliance- timely & important.
My review reflects my thoughts and feelings which came from reading “Red Clocks”.
I admire the creative writing style: seriously I do, but it was challenging for me to feel a close intimate connection to the women and their stories. I wanted to feel them deeper in my gut - not just intellectualize their situations. I did a few tim ...more
“Red Clocks”....
...disturbing issues ...
...disturbing ‘choice’ vagina dialogues
...yet all in the context of brilliance- timely & important.
My review reflects my thoughts and feelings which came from reading “Red Clocks”.
I admire the creative writing style: seriously I do, but it was challenging for me to feel a close intimate connection to the women and their stories. I wanted to feel them deeper in my gut - not just intellectualize their situations. I did a few tim ...more
Bold, topical and completely riveting!
From the very first pages, I knew this book was special. It is honestly like nothing I have ever read before and is really hard to describe.
The novel follows the perspectives of four different women, plus a fifth from history, who are all loosely connected to one another. Mainly, we follow these women as they grapple with difficult choices they are faced with based on their gender or sexuality.
I went into this book thinking that it was set in a futuristic ...more
From the very first pages, I knew this book was special. It is honestly like nothing I have ever read before and is really hard to describe.
The novel follows the perspectives of four different women, plus a fifth from history, who are all loosely connected to one another. Mainly, we follow these women as they grapple with difficult choices they are faced with based on their gender or sexuality.
I went into this book thinking that it was set in a futuristic ...more
”The sea does not ask permission or wait for instruction. It doesn’t suffer from not knowing what on earth, exactly, it is meant to do. Today its walls are high, white lather torn, crashing hard at the sea stacks. ‘Angry sea,’ people say, but to the biographer the ascribing of human feeling to a body so inhumanly itself is wrong. The water heaves up for reasons they don’t have names for.”
”She was just quietly teaching history when it happened. Woke up one morning to a president-elect she ...more
”She was just quietly teaching history when it happened. Woke up one morning to a president-elect she ...more
I could go on, and on, and on, and on about this book, but really the most important thing I can say is that this is now an all-time favorite. It is absolutely brilliant, and I expect to see it not only on "Best Books of the Year" lists, but also "Best Books of the Decade." It's that good.
We follow five different women whose lives interweave in a small coastal town in Oregon. Their world, though very similar to our own, has passed a "Personhood Amendment" recognizing fetuses as full citizens. Th ...more
We follow five different women whose lives interweave in a small coastal town in Oregon. Their world, though very similar to our own, has passed a "Personhood Amendment" recognizing fetuses as full citizens. Th ...more
I can see why this is getting so much coverage after the recent tv success of The Handmaid's Tale coinciding with a veritable flood of news coverage that has highlighted the position of women as second class citizens all over the world. Inevitably, books which use this kind of near-future/dystopia to address contemporary issues, eg The Power, are going to be the next big thing.
The problem is that that's how this book feels, like it was written as an experiment to fill a publishing hole- while t ...more
The problem is that that's how this book feels, like it was written as an experiment to fill a publishing hole- while t ...more
I circled around this book for a long time, not wanting to read another dystopian breeder novel. But I eventually decided to try it, and I'm glad I did. Told through multiple perspectives (all female), this is a near future dystopia with very probably legislation that outlaws abortion, IVF, and adoption outside of straight married couples for the entire country. The female characters are known first as these new archetypes - the Mender, the Wife, the Biographer, the Daughter, etc. As the story u
...more
My thoughts on this are all jumbled up; I thought I would adore this and it is not a bad book by any means but it took me three months to finish this. I could just not get on board and I am not quite sure where my problems lie.
I love the plausibility of the world Leni Zumas has created here, it feels organic in a way that is scary and frustrating. Set in the not so distant future, reproductive rights have been severely limited: abortion is illegal in all and every circumstances (and in fact cons ...more
I love the plausibility of the world Leni Zumas has created here, it feels organic in a way that is scary and frustrating. Set in the not so distant future, reproductive rights have been severely limited: abortion is illegal in all and every circumstances (and in fact cons ...more
Nov 20, 2018
Bradley
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
traditional-fiction,
2018-shelf
Sorry, SF fans, this one isn't SF no matter how it might be billed that way. There is ONE alteration to reality and it's only a legal one. Abortions are outlawed. The rest is, as they say, history.
Enter into a novel about vaginas. Names are missing because it's popular to write about real people as only their roles.
Other than that, it feels like popular fiction, complete with disgruntled housewives, teachers who dream of having children but are denied, little girls who get pregnant and must suf ...more
Enter into a novel about vaginas. Names are missing because it's popular to write about real people as only their roles.
Other than that, it feels like popular fiction, complete with disgruntled housewives, teachers who dream of having children but are denied, little girls who get pregnant and must suf ...more
RED CLOCKS by Leni Zumas - Thank you so much to Little, Brown and Company for providing my free copy - all opinions are my own.
This novel is outstanding! I have not read another book like this. Yes, it’s feminist—in the sense that these women rule their own lives within the confines of the law. Yes, it’s dystopian—in the sense that these same laws are not in effect in the United States today. But, this story was the most realistic dystopian novel I’ve ever read.
Red Clocks takes place in the ne ...more
This novel is outstanding! I have not read another book like this. Yes, it’s feminist—in the sense that these women rule their own lives within the confines of the law. Yes, it’s dystopian—in the sense that these same laws are not in effect in the United States today. But, this story was the most realistic dystopian novel I’ve ever read.
Red Clocks takes place in the ne ...more
Well, I am going to admit I was a little skeptical of this book going in. Any book that draws comparisons to The Handmaids Tale is bound to come off second best in my experience. Last years "female dystopia" de jour The Power just didn't do it for me, so I was a little worried for Red Clocks.
However, I needn't have worried, Red Clocks is a beautifully written, gloriously weird and at times funny character study of five women. This world that Zumas has created feels very much like the world we li ...more
However, I needn't have worried, Red Clocks is a beautifully written, gloriously weird and at times funny character study of five women. This world that Zumas has created feels very much like the world we li ...more
Zumas creates women with lovely endearing individuality and humaneness. I was concerned for their welfare and wanted them to turn out to have happy lives, almost to the degree that I feel about characters in Kent Haruf's novels. On the downside the characters's story arcs were not particularly interesting and their reactions to menstrual-related events never strayed much beyond the obvious, with the exception of the mender, whom I adored. Too bad her dramatic arc was wrapped up in a B movie plot
...more
How weird to be reading this book on my least-favorite commuting day of the year, when the annual March for Life is held in DC and I have to resist the urge to yell at people to get the eff out of my way on the Metro.
This is getting billed as a dystopian novel to cash in on Handmaid hysteria, but it's really not that much of a stretch from our current environment, given that abortion access is being so severely curtailed in many states. The leaders of Zumas' world, though, have taken it a step ...more
This is getting billed as a dystopian novel to cash in on Handmaid hysteria, but it's really not that much of a stretch from our current environment, given that abortion access is being so severely curtailed in many states. The leaders of Zumas' world, though, have taken it a step ...more
Red Clocks is a quietly dystopian novel. There has been no war, no plague, no machine gunning down of the senate. Instead, the world Zumas creates is eerily similar to our own. All that has changed is a pro-life government signed a bill into law while the majority of the country sat at home and thought it could never happen. Sound familiar? Uncomfortable yet? Red Clocks feels eerily possible and that possibility is the novel’s strength. Speculative fiction is best when you believe we could take
...more
It took me a bit to figure out how this book worked. But once I did, I liked it. It's a story about a VERY possible near future where single women can't adopt, or get in vitro, and no one can get safe abortions because they're illegal. So basically, it's the US pre-1973. And that is frightening.
“Red Clocks” by Leni Zumas
I had heard about this novel as part of the speculation leading up to the 2018 Women’s Prize – and was surprised not to see it longlisted. My perception was that it was a dystopian and political novel – very much in the spirit of The Handmaid's Tale (or The Power).
In fact the book surprised me in a number of ways:
Firstly in how little a “stretch” there was to the alternative world portrayed;
Secondly by how autobiographical it was;
Thirdly in being at heart more about r ...more
I had heard about this novel as part of the speculation leading up to the 2018 Women’s Prize – and was surprised not to see it longlisted. My perception was that it was a dystopian and political novel – very much in the spirit of The Handmaid's Tale (or The Power).
In fact the book surprised me in a number of ways:
Firstly in how little a “stretch” there was to the alternative world portrayed;
Secondly by how autobiographical it was;
Thirdly in being at heart more about r ...more
It's a not entirely unlikely future scenario - hell we're already well underway with the cagily named "Heartbeat" rulings being pushed in several US states. In this, the darkest of timelines, abortion has become illegal. Those that provide abortion services can be charged with second degree murder and those seeking abortion can face significant jail time. In vitro fertilization is banned and legislation is being put into place demanding every child should have two parents.
In this environment we ...more
In this environment we ...more
Apr 04, 2018
Colleen Fauchelle
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2018-books
This is a story of 5 woman there day to day life, their dreams and goals, there desires and struggles. The chapter headings are The Daughter, The Mender, The Wife, The Biographer, The explorer, It shows what they are seems more important that who they are. You only find out their names by other characters in the book using them.
It's a book about what makes a family and it is saying you need two adults to have a child. It also talks about the rights of the ity bity baby in its first few weeks of ...more
It's a book about what makes a family and it is saying you need two adults to have a child. It also talks about the rights of the ity bity baby in its first few weeks of ...more
Jan 01, 2018
Book of the Month
added it
The Handmaid's Tale for Our Generation
By Judge Cristina Arreola
Don’t let the pink and red cover fool you. Red Clocks is no romance or “beach read.” Instead, it is a frightening dystopian novel about what happens when politicians successfully manage to push back on women’s reproductive rights little by little, until none are left at all.
In Lena Zumas’s near-future America, The Personhood Amendment has made both abortion and in-vitro fertilization illegal, and the Every Child Needs Two Act is abou ...more
By Judge Cristina Arreola
Don’t let the pink and red cover fool you. Red Clocks is no romance or “beach read.” Instead, it is a frightening dystopian novel about what happens when politicians successfully manage to push back on women’s reproductive rights little by little, until none are left at all.
In Lena Zumas’s near-future America, The Personhood Amendment has made both abortion and in-vitro fertilization illegal, and the Every Child Needs Two Act is abou ...more
A few months ago, I read about this upcoming title and had to have it immediately. Luckily through NetGalley I received an ARC. This book is definitely worth the hype and I hope its popularity continues to grow exponentially. Due to the subject matter, Red Clocks is reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale and other dystopian feminist works; male-supremacist legislation, reversal of Roe v. Wade, illegal abortions, etc. Yet, Zumas succeeds at writing an original, thought-provoking story that deeply res
...more
Damn, I really wanted to love this book. The premise is obviously timely and appropriate, and the book had a lot of hype. But I just didn't care for it.
The unnamed character thing seemed unnecessary. It reminded me of Annihilation - four women characters, all unnamed (I can hear the conversation now: "Hey! Instead of a BIOLOGIST, let's have your main character be a BIOGRAPHER!") and I really hope having a bunch of unnamed women characters is not going to become a trend in near-future dystopian ...more
The unnamed character thing seemed unnecessary. It reminded me of Annihilation - four women characters, all unnamed (I can hear the conversation now: "Hey! Instead of a BIOLOGIST, let's have your main character be a BIOGRAPHER!") and I really hope having a bunch of unnamed women characters is not going to become a trend in near-future dystopian ...more
A note: I received my M.A. from Portland State (where Leni teaches) and while I do not know her personally, many of my M.F.A. colleagues speak highly of her.
Red Clocks is a dystopian novel, though I could see this future happening with a few wrong turns. Similar to The Handmaid's Tale, women find themselves in an inequitable society where the Personhood Amendment has granted rights to embryos, IVF is illegal, and of course, abortion is universally banned.
This novel features an experimental writ ...more
Red Clocks is a dystopian novel, though I could see this future happening with a few wrong turns. Similar to The Handmaid's Tale, women find themselves in an inequitable society where the Personhood Amendment has granted rights to embryos, IVF is illegal, and of course, abortion is universally banned.
This novel features an experimental writ ...more
When I recently heard that Leni Zumas’ new novel “Red Clocks” was partly inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “The Waves” I felt I had to read it. I love Woolf’s poetically-charged novel so much and it’s lived with me for so many years I feel like it’s a part of my body and soul. The plot of Zumas’ novel doesn’t directly relate to Woolf’s writing but it gives several nods to it and pays tribute to her predecessor so part of the great pleasure of reading this book was knowing I was in the company of a fe
...more
Red Clocks was an interesting read for me. It is all about women, and the kind of pressures that society puts on these women, in order for them to decide how to and whether to have children. For me, having a child is a very private experience for the individual involved, and no Government or person in society should have any say in how that person decides to go about it.
This is a dystopian, set in The United States, and in the story, abortion is classed as murder, and miscarriage is manslaughter ...more
This is a dystopian, set in The United States, and in the story, abortion is classed as murder, and miscarriage is manslaughter ...more
I have seen a significant uptick in the "feminist dystopia" genre in the last year, but RED CLOCKS is the first book to fall into this category that feels fully realized and fully successful to me.
It took me a little while to get going, to understand how the characters fit together, and to see how the structure of the book was going to work. But once I was oriented I found myself getting deeply absorbed. I read this book on the sidelines of t-ball practice, with people and kids running all arou ...more
It took me a little while to get going, to understand how the characters fit together, and to see how the structure of the book was going to work. But once I was oriented I found myself getting deeply absorbed. I read this book on the sidelines of t-ball practice, with people and kids running all arou ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play Book Tag: Red Clocks - Leni Zumas - 4 stars | 2 | 15 | Apr 14, 2020 04:32AM | |
| The F-word: November FICTION selection RED CLOCKS | 5 | 43 | Nov 28, 2019 11:47PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Red Clocks by Leni Zumas - 4 stars | 2 | 12 | Aug 29, 2019 01:02PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Red Clocks - Leni Zumas - 3 Stars | 14 | 17 | Aug 27, 2019 08:49AM | |
| Goodreads Choice ...: Red Clocks - August 19 | 4 | 60 | Aug 22, 2019 05:30AM | |
| Bustle Book Club : Reading 'Red Clocks' While Reproductive Rights Are Under Attack | 1 | 16 | May 20, 2019 01:57PM |
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