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The Shore Of Women (2004)

The Shore of Women (2004)

Book Info

Genre
Rating
3.81 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
1932100369 (ISBN13: 9781932100365)
Language
English
Publisher
benbella books

About book The Shore Of Women (2004)

This dystopian story deals with the reversal of roles between men and women, and who holds the power. The investigation of what might be different if women were in charge was a fascinating premise, heightened by the meticulous physical descriptions of people, places and survival tactics on both sides of the wall.I was very impressed with Pamela Sargent's storytelling in this book. Her use of an involved character to tell the story was especially interesting to me. I was unaware who, exactly, the narrator was until the very last chapter. This made the story much more engaging to me. The characters are easy to relate to, and don't seem all that different from the people I know today. This is a story that has a level of realism that, if considered without prejudice, is extremely plausable.I listened to the audiobook version, and was impressed with the use of two different voices, one male and one female, to show the distinct differences not only between characters, but between the divisions of society, as well. Having two narrators made the story much more engaging for me.

it's apparent that i can't read enough post-apocalyptic literature. this novel is set in a world much like the (later) The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper. womyn and men live separately, with womyn (seemingly) in control. The Shore of Women is possibly the most intriguing battle of the sexes i have ever read. the first half shows womyn firmly in power with the men savage little puppets. the second half shows how tenuous women's control could be and how savage. ultimately, it's unclear who the winner is, or perhaps only when working together can humanity be victorious. the second part of the novel had me questioning if it could even be considered feminist. although, the questions the novel raises are intriguing enough to provoke debate. kind of wish i had a feminist science fiction book club. not that i need anything else to do.

Do You like book The Shore Of Women (2004)?

Pretty good, I gave it 3 stars. I totally agree with other Goodreads reviews in that the 1st main character, Laissa, is a much more interesting character with a greater potential story arc than the other main protaganist, Birana. The middle part of the book, which focuses on Birana and Arvil's POV's get a little tiresome after a while, not much going on, but I can see what the author was doing in setting up the extreme difference between male dominated societies and female societies. I enjoy the juxtispostion between technological and pretech very much.
—Kathleen

I really enjoyed this book's exploration of daring feminist themes like "Wouldn't it be awful if the world was controlled by domineering man-hating lesbian separatists who forced all the men to live in primitive squalor? I bet they'd ostracize any woman who even wondered if men should be treated like more than sperm factories." and "Know what's way more natural and fulfilling than same-sex relationships? Heterosexual monogamy! Your lesbian commune will think it's gross, but follow your heart!"Truly a ground-breaking and radical commentary on our patriarchal society.
—Melissa

This novel left me very contemplative for some time after reading the final words. In a bold undertaking as a storyteller, Ms. Sargent tells of a distant future where war-weary women have exiled men to live as savages outside the walls of women-only futuristic cities, taking reproductive material only as needed to keep the species alive. The story follows an exiled woman, Birana, who forms what is considered an impossible and disgusting bond with a man named Arvil - one of love.The story is slow in places, but those moments reflect the monotony of life in the wild. *Spoiler* When sexual relations develop between Birana and Arvil, the author does not hold back. Her descriptions are graphic, although not gratuitous. In the end, though, the story gave me what I crave in every novel that I read: an abiding concern for the characters, and a truth to ponder that is larger than my limited world. Kudos to Pamela Sargent for such a bold story with such a profound message.
—David Nix

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