Red Clocks

A Novel

By: Leni Zumas

Narrated by: 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

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.

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!

I desperately wanted to like this book

During extremely brief periods of this novela , I had reaffirming feelings of how I would die before a females choice to reproduce would be infringed upon. It is an opinion I had going into the book, that was strengthened. I also will ask my wife what would make her happy because apparently the female existence is excruciating at its best. Other than that, I feel really sorry for this author. I have no doubt in her original draft ,she felma and Louised a storyline she built up. Then when it was edited out, she paid that character no mind toward the end. She basically compares the female experience to living in a concentration camp from conception until the sweet release of death. Technically I made the female experience sound better than she did in my prior sentence. I have a feeling when she writes grocery lists , she assigns a feeling to each item. I hope that makes her existence as a survivor of this world better, otherwise it's an odd line of thought to opt into. at any point people can make a stand and sacrifice themselves for womankinds greater good. Or they can be selfish and destroy everything for nothing but themselves. Because they're bored and disenfranchised. ya.....That's worth thinking about and writing about. This book could be taking place in Ohio right now band is playing out in prisons all over the United States under the Trump Administration. this book should be labeled under current events.

An unexpected delight

Normally I never bother to write reviews, but I felt compelled to in this case. I probably would never even have bought this book except that it was offered as a Daily Deal, and sounded mildly interesting, so I figured what the hell. It turned out to be one of the most engaging and moving stories I’ve listened to in years - poetic, funny, heartbreaking, uplifting, poignant, and consistently authentic. I found myself identifying with every character in different ways, and rooting for each of them even when their needs and wants were in opposition.

I will definitely be recommending this book to many of the women in my life, and some of the men as well. If nothing else, I hope it serves to remind us all that we should be a little kinder to ourselves and to each other.

And if they turn this into a movie, I really hope Tina Fey plays Ro. If you happen to read this, Tina, think about it! 😉

superbly painful and hopeful, beautiful writing!

loved it, beautiful imaginative writing, impressive character portrayals, best book I have read in a long time, narrators were terrific

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.