Status
Available
Publication
Spectra (1993), Edition: unknown, 336 pages
Description
"Lively, thought-provoking . . . the plot is ingenious, packing a wallop of a surprise . . . Tepper knows how to write a well-made, on-moving story with strong characters. . . . She takes the mental risks that are the lifeblood of science fiction and all imaginative narrative."--Ursula K. LeGuin, Los Angeles Times Since the flames died three hundred years ago, human civilization has evolved into a dual society: Women's Country, where walled towns enclose what's left of past civilization, nurtured by women and a few nonviolent men; and the adjacent garrisons where warrior men live--the lost brothers, sons, and lovers of those in Women's Country. Two societies. Two competing dreams. Two ways of life, kept apart by walls stronger than stone. And yet there is a gate between them. . . . "Tepper not only keeps us reading . . . she provokes a new look at the old issues."--The Washington Post "Tepper's cast of both ordinary and extraordinary people play out a powerful drama whose significance goes beyond sex to deal with the toughest problem of all, the challenge of surmounting humanity's most dangerous flaws so we can survive--despite ourselves."--Locus… (more)
Similar in this library
Media reviews
Aboriginal Science Fiction
"I confess this book defeated me. I didn't finish it and came away with a very low opinion of Tepper's work, which I had not previously read."
"This is, unquestionably, a serious, ambitious novel, about the roles of the sexes ..." "My advice for the future is that someone, either Ms. Tepper or her
Show More
editor, slog through the dense elephant grass of her prose armed with a blue pencil and, whenever wandering herds of adjectives appear - shoot to kill." Show Less
Publishers Weekly
Tepper's finest novel to date is set in a post-holocaust feminist dystopia that offers only two political alternatives: a repressive polygamist sect that is slowly self-destructing through inbreeding and the matriarchal dictatorship called Women's Country. Here, in a desperate effort to prevent
Show More
another world war, the women have segregated most men into closed military garrisons and have taken on themselves every other function of government, industry, agriculture, science and learning. The resulting manifold responsibilities are seen through the life of Stavia, from a dreaming 10-year-old to maturity as doctor, mother and member of the Marthatown Women's Council. As in Tepper's Awakeners series books, the rigid social systems are tempered by the voices of individual experience and, here, by an imaginative reworking of The Trojan Woman that runs through the text. A rewarding and challenging novel that is to be valued for its provoc ative ideas. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member lunacat
300 years after what the people call 'the convulsion', a devastating apocalyptic event that has left areas of devastation around the countryside, women and men now live mostly separately, although alongside one another.
The men reside in garrisons outside the town walls, ready to defend their women
The women do the rest, producing food, power, materials and objects for both the women and the men, governed overall by the Council, a group of women chosen to rule and strictly controlled by a set of rules known as the ordinances. It is seemingly a clear cut society, with each person knowing their position in the world.
However, it is never as simple as it seems.
As Stevia, the daughter of a councilwoman, grows she finds herself caught up in a scheme by the men to learn more from the women and her own desire for friendships and information, as well as her disagreement with some of the ordinances, set her down a path with potentially catastrophic consequences and revealing the truth not only about their own society, but others far different than her own.
A fascinating look at the ways men and women function both together and apart, it is an accentuated and intensified but nonetheless entirely believable study of the way the sexes think and identify with each other. Both societies shown, the world Stavia lives in and the world she discovers, are exaggerated portrayals of ones that exist now, and are therefore both terrifying and intriguing.
However, the feminist message behind the novel does leave a little to be desired, as perhaps it shows its age, being written in 1988. The men are portrayed as simple and uncomplicated, wanting their basic desires met and seeking power whenever they can. Men are also blamed for the downfall of the previous world. As a twenty-first century woman, I felt offended on behalf of men in general. While it is clear that men and women are very different from each other, I don't believe the overall message portrayed.
It is certainly a fascinating and intriguing read though, and I'd be interested to hear other opinions, especially those of a man, as there is a lot to be considered within.
The men reside in garrisons outside the town walls, ready to defend their women
Show More
and living a warrior life, one of games, parades and mock battles, the only exceptions the few men that choose to return to inside the towns when they reach the age of fifteen. Scorned and ridiculed by the other men, they are welcomed with open arms by the women and take on the role of servants. The women do the rest, producing food, power, materials and objects for both the women and the men, governed overall by the Council, a group of women chosen to rule and strictly controlled by a set of rules known as the ordinances. It is seemingly a clear cut society, with each person knowing their position in the world.
However, it is never as simple as it seems.
As Stevia, the daughter of a councilwoman, grows she finds herself caught up in a scheme by the men to learn more from the women and her own desire for friendships and information, as well as her disagreement with some of the ordinances, set her down a path with potentially catastrophic consequences and revealing the truth not only about their own society, but others far different than her own.
A fascinating look at the ways men and women function both together and apart, it is an accentuated and intensified but nonetheless entirely believable study of the way the sexes think and identify with each other. Both societies shown, the world Stavia lives in and the world she discovers, are exaggerated portrayals of ones that exist now, and are therefore both terrifying and intriguing.
However, the feminist message behind the novel does leave a little to be desired, as perhaps it shows its age, being written in 1988. The men are portrayed as simple and uncomplicated, wanting their basic desires met and seeking power whenever they can. Men are also blamed for the downfall of the previous world. As a twenty-first century woman, I felt offended on behalf of men in general. While it is clear that men and women are very different from each other, I don't believe the overall message portrayed.
It is certainly a fascinating and intriguing read though, and I'd be interested to hear other opinions, especially those of a man, as there is a lot to be considered within.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SanyaWeathers
I can no more pick a favorite book than I can pick a favorite breath of air, but this one would be a serious contender for the title. It has a message without being preachy. It's a "what might be" that feels completely plausible. The characters are for the most part complex, and products of their
As another reviewer said, it's difficult for me to review this novel without gushing, so I'll end with the observation that the book's meaning for me has changed as my life has changed. It was electrifying to me as a young college student, it was powerful when I was choosing a husband, and it breaks my heart when I look at my infant son.
Show More
environment and civilization. A few plot holes are big enough to drive a truck through, but I didn't even notice until I was out of the grip of the story. Accusations of "man hating" are generally flung at this novel, but I invite the flingers to reread the story - a second reading turns up a great deal more nuance than the first reading provides. The worst men (and the worst women) were made, not born - their genes are stacked against them, but their society has deliberately created an environment in which only the truly dedicated can escape. As another reviewer said, it's difficult for me to review this novel without gushing, so I'll end with the observation that the book's meaning for me has changed as my life has changed. It was electrifying to me as a young college student, it was powerful when I was choosing a husband, and it breaks my heart when I look at my infant son.
Show Less
LibraryThing member torchsinger
I am always recommending books to people, but I always keep a paperback copy of this book to actually GIVE to people to read- it is that important to me that people read and discuss this book. Yes, it is overtly feminist, but not in any man-bashing way. It combines the best of feminist theory
Show More
against a dystopian backdrop, overlaying classic Greek literature, and written with the pacing of a well-written mystery. The ending blew me away, and this is one book I can re-read over and over again to find subtle details I missed during previous visits. If I could, I would make this a required text at the high school where I teach! Show Less
LibraryThing member Berly
[The Gate to Women's Country] by Sheri S. Tepper. Four Stars
I probably would not have finished this book if it were not for two things: 1) Jim recommended this to me during his Portland visit and 2) after I got bogged down around page 90 or so, I cheated and read towards the end, which is something
The roles and fates of men and women in war are further explored by the reenactment of the story of Helen of Troy, which the women perform each year as a reminder to themselves. One of the warriors contemplates the story:
" 'Put the people to the sword.' That meant they'd killed the men, killed the children, too, likely. And then they took the women, but Odysseus didn't say anything about [the women's] faces. Nothing.
"Why? Why didn't Odysseus say how the women felt? How they looked? Why didn't any of the sagas talk about that?"
I probably would not have finished this book if it were not for two things: 1) Jim recommended this to me during his Portland visit and 2) after I got bogged down around page 90 or so, I cheated and read towards the end, which is something
Show More
I never do. Between Jim's high opinion and my renewed interest after reading further on, I finished the book and I am glad I did. This is a post-apocalyptic book in which the roles of men and women are very clearly defined. In fact, the two sexes do not even live together, only meeting up for Carnivals. Women live within walled cities, preserving what's left of culture and past civilization; the warrior men live outside the walls in garrisons. The two groups are separated by the stone wall and by the greater differences of their competing dreams. But there is a gate into Women's Country. Can the two groups ever reconcile and live in harmony?The roles and fates of men and women in war are further explored by the reenactment of the story of Helen of Troy, which the women perform each year as a reminder to themselves. One of the warriors contemplates the story:
" 'Put the people to the sword.' That meant they'd killed the men, killed the children, too, likely. And then they took the women, but Odysseus didn't say anything about [the women's] faces. Nothing.
"Why? Why didn't Odysseus say how the women felt? How they looked? Why didn't any of the sagas talk about that?"
Show Less
LibraryThing member heidilove
this book doesn't make it into the Top Ten because it's so darned cool or well written but because i have had some of the greatest conversations of my life discussing this, where it went wrong, where it went right, and talking about the world in which we live, for good and for ill (almost always
Show More
with rob). Show Less
LibraryThing member EmScape
Tepper's story takes place in a dystopian future following an unnamed apocalyptic event. The new society functions in such a way that the men and women live mostly separate lives with the woman doing most of the administrative and labor work of the civilization and the men living in "Warrior
A great deal of the book is also concerned with the annual theatrical production of the story of the Trojan War with a focus on Iphegenia. I was only passingly familiar with the tale, though it seems to have been distorted a bit for the purposes of this book. A reader more familiar with that story might find the first part of the book more enjoyable or comprehensible.
I love a good speculative fiction book that also causes deep contemplation of gender roles, societal trappings and the ways in which people strive for a more Utopic future, I just wish the tale had been more compelling prior to the revelation.
Show More
Barracks." The two get together for recreational purposes twice per year, but otherwise do not socialize. However, some men have chosen not to remain within the ranks of the warriors and they are known as Servitors and perform the rest of the town's labor duties. The men of the barracks suspect the women have some great secret and plot to discover this. The story is told from the point of view of Stavia, with chapters alternating between Stavia as a child and her experiences as a woman. There's a great revelation towards the end that changes the reader's entire paradigm of the book, which is fortunate, because for most of the book, I was alternately confused and horrified by this society that emerged from the wreckage. A great deal of the book is also concerned with the annual theatrical production of the story of the Trojan War with a focus on Iphegenia. I was only passingly familiar with the tale, though it seems to have been distorted a bit for the purposes of this book. A reader more familiar with that story might find the first part of the book more enjoyable or comprehensible.
I love a good speculative fiction book that also causes deep contemplation of gender roles, societal trappings and the ways in which people strive for a more Utopic future, I just wish the tale had been more compelling prior to the revelation.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Halfway through. Finding it a dreary slog. I don't like this world; I don't want to read about these people. It's too much negative energy in my life. So, I'm thinking about putting it down, despite trusted friends' rave reviews. To help me decide, I'm reading other GR members' reviews. I find
---------------
Decided to finish.
O. M. G. It does develop. Revelations. Pieces of the puzzle. Drama. Brilliance. The play. The distinction between Stavia the actor and Stavia the observer.
I can't say I 'enjoyed' the book. And it does have a very high 'yuck factor.' But I highly recommend it to *everyone* with a strong enough stomach. I especially recommend it to book clubs & BotM discussion groups, because there's not only a lot to discuss here, there's a lot just to understand. That reviewer who gave it only one star missed a lot. Heck, I probably did, too.
Here's some of what I did get (but it's very spoilery, so don't read until you're at least 3/4 through the book):
Yes the servitors 'get some.' They are the fathers of all the children, and they are beloved. The assignations are a way to make the warriors think they still have a role, so they don't become as brutish as the polygamists down south. If, at the beginning of the book, you don't see any reason to want to live in Women's Country, imagine living with the polygamists! Fortunately, they are dying out due to inbreeding.
Also, sending boys between the ages of 5 and 15 to become warriors does 1. use up some of their natural aggressive energy, and 2. give them strength and training, and 3. provide a way to get information for the Women on the doings of the warriors, and 4. give the truly violent youth a role and community of their own.
And the women have been working on this selective breeding program for 300 years, while at the same time recovering from the devastation (nuclear war, I assume, as much land is still raw & radiated) and rebuilding civilization. They have achieved results, too: in the very beginning 5/century came back, between the ages of 15 & 25, and by the time Stavia was in her 30s, it was up to 20/ century. (Remember, a century is the 100 boy babies born each year, though some fudging is done so the men can have their even ranks.)
Yes, this book isn't queer-friendly. But for its time, it could have been worse. At least homosexuality is seen by the Women as a disease, not a sin. And they do need all the good genes they can get, so 'curing' the healthy, peaceful men is key to the long-term plans.
The Women aren't perfectly happy (think how tired Morgot is all the time), but they're doing the best they can.
The play, too, needs to be read carefully. It's billed as a comedy, but it sure doesn't read as one. Only at the very end do we realize that's more like a comedy in the classic sense, not a tragedy, and that's because it ends with a sort of revenge. I'd be willing to bet there's more to the play, and the whole book, that I'm not getting, too.
Glad I read it. Would love to discuss in the SF&F group. Would give it 5 stars for genius and value, but since I didn't actually *like* it, I'm going to withhold a rating, at least for now.
Show More
myself agreeing 100% with a certain one-star review...---------------
Decided to finish.
O. M. G. It does develop. Revelations. Pieces of the puzzle. Drama. Brilliance. The play. The distinction between Stavia the actor and Stavia the observer.
I can't say I 'enjoyed' the book. And it does have a very high 'yuck factor.' But I highly recommend it to *everyone* with a strong enough stomach. I especially recommend it to book clubs & BotM discussion groups, because there's not only a lot to discuss here, there's a lot just to understand. That reviewer who gave it only one star missed a lot. Heck, I probably did, too.
Here's some of what I did get (but it's very spoilery, so don't read until you're at least 3/4 through the book):
Also, sending boys between the ages of 5 and 15 to become warriors does 1. use up some of their natural aggressive energy, and 2. give them strength and training, and 3. provide a way to get information for the Women on the doings of the warriors, and 4. give the truly violent youth a role and community of their own.
And the women have been working on this selective breeding program for 300 years, while at the same time recovering from the devastation (nuclear war, I assume, as much land is still raw & radiated) and rebuilding civilization. They have achieved results, too: in the very beginning 5/century came back, between the ages of 15 & 25, and by the time Stavia was in her 30s, it was up to 20/ century. (Remember, a century is the 100 boy babies born each year, though some fudging is done so the men can have their even ranks.)
Yes, this book isn't queer-friendly. But for its time, it could have been worse. At least homosexuality is seen by the Women as a disease, not a sin. And they do need all the good genes they can get, so 'curing' the healthy, peaceful men is key to the long-term plans.
The Women aren't perfectly happy (think how tired Morgot is all the time), but they're doing the best they can.
The play, too, needs to be read carefully. It's billed as a comedy, but it sure doesn't read as one. Only at the very end do we realize that's more like a comedy in the classic sense, not a tragedy, and that's because it ends with a sort of revenge. I'd be willing to bet there's more to the play, and the whole book, that I'm not getting, too.
Glad I read it. Would love to discuss in the SF&F group. Would give it 5 stars for genius and value, but since I didn't actually *like* it, I'm going to withhold a rating, at least for now.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sturlington
Even though this is the Tepper that I’ve heard of most, I think I liked it least of all of her novels that I’ve read. It’s set in the far future, a few hundred years after an apocalyptic event—probably a nuclear war—has nearly wiped out humanity. The new civilization still has limited
The problem I had with this feminist novel is that all the male characters are essentially caricatures. The soldiers are basically grown children who perceive women as helpless objects needing protection whose main purpose is to provide their food and clothing and bear them sons. The servitors are the flip side of the coin: wise, calm, strong, but always in control of themselves—the “perfect men” in this women’s fantasy. Even when I got to the “twist,” I wasn’t convinced that this novel isn’t more preaching than storytelling. Nevertheless, Tepper is an engaging writer and this is a fast read, if a lopsided view of a potential world.
Show More
access to electricity, antibiotics, steel and some books, but has for the most part reverted to pre-industrial life. The women live inside walled cities and run the government, as well as do all the work and receive all the education. The boys are sent outside the walls at age 5 to live in garrisons, play sports, learn martial arts, and when they are old enough, go to war—although at age 15, they may choose to come back inside the walls as “servitors.”The problem I had with this feminist novel is that all the male characters are essentially caricatures. The soldiers are basically grown children who perceive women as helpless objects needing protection whose main purpose is to provide their food and clothing and bear them sons. The servitors are the flip side of the coin: wise, calm, strong, but always in control of themselves—the “perfect men” in this women’s fantasy. Even when I got to the “twist,” I wasn’t convinced that this novel isn’t more preaching than storytelling. Nevertheless, Tepper is an engaging writer and this is a fast read, if a lopsided view of a potential world.
Show Less
LibraryThing member doctressjulia
I love this story. It's an unnamed distance into a post-apocolyptic future, and men and women live in separate settlements. The womens' settlement is gated, and only a few select, non-violent men are allowed to live there. The men live in their own militaristic, phallus-worshipping village, where
Show More
they are trained to fight and defend the womens' settlements. Outside of those settlements, though, there are still women suffering and dying at the hands of violent males... this book is worth a read, not only for the story and characters, but for the undeniable truths that lie within it. These truths are about mens' violent, unfeeling natures, and what may be necessary someday to curb their unending violence and wars and domination, abuse and murder of women. Show Less
LibraryThing member FrancoisTremblay
This is the very first radfem novel I've ever read, and I really wanted to love this book. But I'm afraid that, as engrossing as it was, it's very goofy and joyless. I say goofy because it has things which are hard to see as anything but bizarre in such a setting (I will list them at the end of
I came out of this book feeling very depressed, and I have only experienced this reading Kafka, so it takes a lot to get me depressed. A Greek tragedy is used as the framing device, and this is very appropriate because the story itself seems a Greek tragedy, in its own way, although I don't know enough about Greek tragedies to have an informed opinion. The author clearly has a great deal of psychological insights on gender roles. It's really too bad that they're sandwiched between goofiness and crushing joylessness.
Here is the list of goofy things in this book:
[spoiler alert]
A Country-wide eugenics conspiracy involving thousands of people which somehow has never been uncovered, clairvoyants, clairvoyant ninjas, mutated fundamentalist Mormons, a phallic cult, blatant homophobia, and perhaps the most absurd one of all, thousands of men who don't have sex.
[end of spoiler alert]
Show More
this review, in case you don't want spoilers). I say joyless because I cannot imagine any of the main characters ever having fun or even smiling (except perhaps Septimus, albeit sarcastically), only doing "their duty" while gritting their teeth (and no, I am not talking about sex) or feeling crass self-satisfaction. I have to question what is the point of their attempts to preserve their way of life, if it's so utterly, crushingly joyless?I came out of this book feeling very depressed, and I have only experienced this reading Kafka, so it takes a lot to get me depressed. A Greek tragedy is used as the framing device, and this is very appropriate because the story itself seems a Greek tragedy, in its own way, although I don't know enough about Greek tragedies to have an informed opinion. The author clearly has a great deal of psychological insights on gender roles. It's really too bad that they're sandwiched between goofiness and crushing joylessness.
Here is the list of goofy things in this book:
[spoiler alert]
A Country-wide eugenics conspiracy involving thousands of people which somehow has never been uncovered, clairvoyants, clairvoyant ninjas, mutated fundamentalist Mormons, a phallic cult, blatant homophobia, and perhaps the most absurd one of all, thousands of men who don't have sex.
[end of spoiler alert]
Show Less
LibraryThing member sumariotter
I love Sherri Tepper but this one is quite heavy handed. It is inventive, and I did enjoy reading much of it. But the characters are so black-and-white, so all good (the women) or all bad (the warriors)that it made me laugh. Not a subtle futuristic tale but interesting nonetheless.
LibraryThing member erinclark
One of my favorite Tepper noels that I read many years ago. My other favorites of hers it The Frescoe and Singer from the Sea. Excellent and highly recommended.
LibraryThing member Waianuhea
Hard for me to read, maybe because I'm not that into Roman/Greek mythology. Very interesting society she's built here. Her characters are interesting and she makes some really interesting observations through them.
Apparently a classic of feminist fiction, so if you have any feminist leanings you
Apparently a classic of feminist fiction, so if you have any feminist leanings you
Show More
should pick this one up! Show Less
LibraryThing member RBeffa
Now here is an amazing book. This has been called a classic of feminist science fiction. I've read mixed reviews of this - mostly very positive, but a few quite negative. This is the first Tepper novel I have read. I'm a man - I'll be honest, I didn't think there would be much appeal to me in a
I like post-apocalyptic fiction. I admire the amount of worldbuilding that Tepper put into this novel. The setting came to life within my mind. There are a number of very strong characters in here, virtually all flawed or damaged in ways minor or major. The story is told with a lot of jumping around in time initially, primarily as a series of flashbacks, but when in those flashbacks one forgets many times that we have indeed flashed back.
The story is told in a rather unique way, and we get a bit of moral teaching I suppose by the nature of the telling, as well as certain premises which underlie the entire novel. Interwoven within the book are a series of scenes from a play being rehearsed by a number of major characters in the primary story, and when not within the play itself, we tend to see it from the view and feeling primarily of Stavia, the heroine and main character of the novel. The play, "Iphigenia at Ilium", is a greek tragedy about the Trojan women after the fall of Troy, and it is full of echoes within this novel to themes of the main story.
We see Stavia initially in the novel being renounced by her 15 year old son who will not return to Women's Country, but who will pursue the warrior's life, as most young men do, and live in the garrison just outside the city walls of Marthatown. Through flashbacks we eventually learn how we arrived at this point in time and we see Stavia grow within a strongly maternalistic society from a ten year old to a late thirtysomething woman.
There are secrets in Women's Country. I highly recommend this book.
Show More
book described as feminist science fiction. I was wrong with this one. I like post-apocalyptic fiction. I admire the amount of worldbuilding that Tepper put into this novel. The setting came to life within my mind. There are a number of very strong characters in here, virtually all flawed or damaged in ways minor or major. The story is told with a lot of jumping around in time initially, primarily as a series of flashbacks, but when in those flashbacks one forgets many times that we have indeed flashed back.
The story is told in a rather unique way, and we get a bit of moral teaching I suppose by the nature of the telling, as well as certain premises which underlie the entire novel. Interwoven within the book are a series of scenes from a play being rehearsed by a number of major characters in the primary story, and when not within the play itself, we tend to see it from the view and feeling primarily of Stavia, the heroine and main character of the novel. The play, "Iphigenia at Ilium", is a greek tragedy about the Trojan women after the fall of Troy, and it is full of echoes within this novel to themes of the main story.
We see Stavia initially in the novel being renounced by her 15 year old son who will not return to Women's Country, but who will pursue the warrior's life, as most young men do, and live in the garrison just outside the city walls of Marthatown. Through flashbacks we eventually learn how we arrived at this point in time and we see Stavia grow within a strongly maternalistic society from a ten year old to a late thirtysomething woman.
There are secrets in Women's Country. I highly recommend this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
Whether or not this is a great book, it is certainly a memorable one. The ideas presented shook me 30 years ago, and as others have said, affected the way I think as a woman and a member of society. I was glad to introduce my daughters to it; and yes, they treasure it as well for some of the same
Although strictly speaking, the premise is implausible and the men are mostly two dimensional, I think most women love this book for it's "ought-to-be-ness." I love what other women have said below in other reviews. This is a book that unites females to a vision of a better society.
Show More
reasons. Although strictly speaking, the premise is implausible and the men are mostly two dimensional, I think most women love this book for it's "ought-to-be-ness." I love what other women have said below in other reviews. This is a book that unites females to a vision of a better society.
Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
Top notch feminist science fiction, in which the characters are interesting individuals, not puppets with principals. In the world of this novel, women and men live apart, with two very different ways of life. Tepper creates believable societies, and the story keeps the reader hooked.
LibraryThing member comixminx
I really enjoyed reading this - even as a re-read where I had an inkling of the rabbit-solution that Tepper was going to pull out of the hat. This was not helped by the fact that when I searched for the in-story play "Iphigenia at Ilium" to check whether it was in fact a real historical play,
I could have saved myself the spoilerage, of course; reading further on in the book, as the play develops it is clear that it's a fairly savage feminist version of the Iphigenia story, such that no ancient Greek playwright would be likely to write. Specifically, both the play and the novel tear into warlike, macho notions of honour and highlight the way that sort of culture pushes women into abusive situations where they are treated as owned objects. I like a good feminist sf work meself, though I did wonder at points whether it might perhaps be larded on a bit thickly (the later section set in Holyland, an extremely repressive and abusive patriarchal society, is presumably there to make Women's Country look clearly much better than the alternative, even if there are troublesome aspects of Women's Country).
Anyway, I could hardly stop reading it, and have straightaway borrowed another Tepper book out of the library, as my own collection of her works is not huge.
Show More
varius of the webpages talking about it should have had spoiler warnings. I tried not to look and didn't remind myself of the outcome too much - to save you, dear reader, doing the same I can reveal that no, said play is made up entirely by Tepper and is not a classical source adapted.I could have saved myself the spoilerage, of course; reading further on in the book, as the play develops it is clear that it's a fairly savage feminist version of the Iphigenia story, such that no ancient Greek playwright would be likely to write. Specifically, both the play and the novel tear into warlike, macho notions of honour and highlight the way that sort of culture pushes women into abusive situations where they are treated as owned objects. I like a good feminist sf work meself, though I did wonder at points whether it might perhaps be larded on a bit thickly (the later section set in Holyland, an extremely repressive and abusive patriarchal society, is presumably there to make Women's Country look clearly much better than the alternative, even if there are troublesome aspects of Women's Country).
Anyway, I could hardly stop reading it, and have straightaway borrowed another Tepper book out of the library, as my own collection of her works is not huge.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
I had heard a lot of "man-hating crap" comments about this book and got curious. Well, there was certainly some of that. However, I found the portrayal of the women just as unflattering—foolish and compliant or manipulative and deceitful.
Her writing is good, the plot was interesting and, though
Her writing is good, the plot was interesting and, though
Show More
there wasn't much to like in any of the social structures, it passed an afternoon. Show Less
LibraryThing member Gateaupain
I remember being vastly impressed by this after the disappointment of "The Handmaid's Story".
Unfortunately I passed it on to an old friend who has since lost touch. Maybe one day I'll buy it again
Unfortunately I passed it on to an old friend who has since lost touch. Maybe one day I'll buy it again
LibraryThing member sussabmax
This book is in the running for my favorite book ever (if I could possibly pick just one).
Unlike some of Tepper's other works, this book demonstrates her worldview through action and story-telling rather than preaching. There is a lot going on in this book, and she manages to get it all in with
I particularly like the way Tepper demonstrates that a pacifist society is not a weak society. The society that she creates is complex and very well-thought out. The characters strive to do what is best for everyone, but they understand that tough choices need to be made in the short run to create a more just society in the long run.
I have a hard time reviewing this because I love it so much I just want to gush about how wonderful it is, but it really deserves more than that. I love it because it is so thought-provoking and richly layered. I don't usually re-read books until I have pretty much forgotten what they were about, because I get bored easily, but there is so much going on in this book, I could have happily re-read it immediately after I finished it. If it weren't for the mountain of books waiting to be read, I might have.
Unlike some of Tepper's other works, this book demonstrates her worldview through action and story-telling rather than preaching. There is a lot going on in this book, and she manages to get it all in with
Show More
some very tight writing. When I picked this book up recently after a long time since my first reading, I was surprised by how short it was--I was convinced that it had to be much longer to get in everything that I remembered. I particularly like the way Tepper demonstrates that a pacifist society is not a weak society. The society that she creates is complex and very well-thought out. The characters strive to do what is best for everyone, but they understand that tough choices need to be made in the short run to create a more just society in the long run.
I have a hard time reviewing this because I love it so much I just want to gush about how wonderful it is, but it really deserves more than that. I love it because it is so thought-provoking and richly layered. I don't usually re-read books until I have pretty much forgotten what they were about, because I get bored easily, but there is so much going on in this book, I could have happily re-read it immediately after I finished it. If it weren't for the mountain of books waiting to be read, I might have.
Show Less
LibraryThing member suzemo
This book is a dystopian, post apocalyptic future with some interesting gender politics. It lacks the punch, I think I was expecting, but it was an interesting novel.
In this future world, the main society featured is one where there are walled women's towns, ruled by a matriarchal council, and each
Another kind of life that was briefly shown was a patriarchal polygynous system. The only part about the polygnous part of the book was that Tepper actually touched on the stresses within the system, where there are too many men and not enough women, due to the heads having too many wives and the practice of selective infanticide.
Overall, it was a very interesting book and I really enjoyed it.
In this future world, the main society featured is one where there are walled women's towns, ruled by a matriarchal council, and each
Show More
town has a garrison of men that live outside the walls. The two only mix twice a year, for a festival that seems to be centered around procreation for the next generation. The novel showcases the power struggles of the stereotypically aggressive male garrison and the council that rules the town. I thought the morally ambiguous practices by the women were interesting, as well as how they dealt with the stresses with living in a low-tech world that was left devastated and short on available resources.Another kind of life that was briefly shown was a patriarchal polygynous system. The only part about the polygnous part of the book was that Tepper actually touched on the stresses within the system, where there are too many men and not enough women, due to the heads having too many wives and the practice of selective infanticide.
Overall, it was a very interesting book and I really enjoyed it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mmparker
A natural choice for this LeGuin fan. Interesting, unsettling, and full of the everyday details of living in a different world.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Excellent fantasy! Thought-provoking and well-written
LibraryThing member amaraduende
Wow. Maybe I'll have more to say later once this has digested.
LibraryThing member knownever
I was kind of bored while reading it, but lately, i've been thinking about it more and more. it has some ideas that are really stick with you, which I find myself coming back to more and more as time goes on. It's worth the dull pacing and clunky, almost classical characterization, and the always
Show More
tedious story within a story interludes. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1988
Physical description
6.9 inches
ISBN
0553280643 / 9780553280647