Femlandia [Waterstones Exclusive]

by Christina Dalcher

Hardcover, 2021

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Genres

Collection

Fantasy & Science Fiction

Publication

HQ (2021), 400 pages

Description

"A chilling look into an alternate near future where a woman and her daughter seek refuge in a women-only colony, only to find that the safe haven they were hoping for is the most dangerous place they could be. Miranda Reynolds always thought she would rather die than live in Femlandia. But that was before the country sank into total economic collapse and her husband walked out in the harshest, most permanent way, leaving her and her sixteen-year-old daughter with nothing. The streets are full of looting, robbing, and killing, and Miranda and Emma no longer have much choice--either starve and risk getting murdered, or find safety. And so they set off to Femlandia, the women-only colony Miranda's mother, Win Somers, established decades ago. Although Win is no longer in the spotlight, her protégé Jen Jones has taken Femlandia to new heights: The off-grid colonies are safe, self-sufficient, and thriving--"Like Disney World for women and girls," Jen says, and Emma is instantly enchanted by the idea. But something is not right. There are no men allowed in the colony, but babies are being born--and they're all girls. Miranda discovers just how the all-women community is capable of enduring, and it leads her to question how far her mother went to create this perfect, thriving, horrifying society"--… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Verkruissen

Femlandia takes place in the near future. Society is in shambles due to the downfall of the financial infrastructure. Miranda and her daughter have been stripped of their home and belongings and with no place to go, Miranda decides to take her daughter to Femlandia. A supposed utopian "town" built

by and inhabited by women only. Femlandia is the brainchild of her feminist mother with whom she lost contact many years ago before she died.
After a treacherous journey on foot to the next state they reach Femlandia and Miranda discovers the dark secrets of this supposed utopian society.
I really enjoyed the book, the characters were well developed and the plot line was super intriguing. I found the ending interesting as well.
Definitely read this if you enjoyed the Handmaid's Tale.

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LibraryThing member mzonderm

Here's the thing: The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper is the absolute gold standard for books about all-female societies. Dalcher's latest has something to add to the genre, but frankly I'm not sure that a book will ever be written that measures up.

One issue that seems to always crop up

in books of this type is the somewhat obvious: "What do we do with the men?" and its corollary: "How do we procreate?" It is this question that frequently drives the narrative tension in the book, as the main character first uncovers the big secret and then wrestles with her own morality over what to do about it.

Femlandia follows in this mold, although Dalcher throws in a few twists of her own, making this a novel both about female-only societies and one about cults. Miranda Reynolds, like Dr. Jean McLelland of Dalcher's debut novel, Vox, is a woman who takes immediate (and possibly reckless) action as soon as she's decided which is the right path. This rush to action creates an unevenly paced narrative, as things move along at a nice dramtic pace for the first 3/4 of the book, and then the action in the last quarter plummets off a cliff. Although I give Dalcher a lot of credit for pulling up the reins for a well-done epilogue.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

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LibraryThing member Aquila

A very off-putting book.

LibraryThing member bhowell

I bought and paid for this book at my local bookstore because I thought her previous book Vox was a riveting read. This one may not be quite as great but it is a good escapist read in the dystopian genre.

And if you have not read Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman you might want to give it a try.

Femlandia is kind of a different approach to the feminist utopia portrayed in that book.

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LibraryThing member vwinsloe

I liked Dalcher's previous book Vox, even though it sort of devolved toward the end, because it had some really insightful, well written scenes. Femlandia is clearly reactionary (the author says as much in the afterward) but in my view, that wasn't what made it a weak story. There was one main

character, who drove a lot of the plot, about whom the book has no background or description. The character had no backstory and the reader knows absolutely nothing about her. Weird that this obvious flaw should survive the editorial process.

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Language

English

Original language

English

ISBN

0008440328 / 9780008440329

Local notes

Amidst the turmoil of economic collapse and personal loss, Miranda and her daughter seek refuge in a deceptively idyllic female community in this chilling dystopian thriller.

Waterstones exclusive with black sprayed page edges.