DESCRIPTION FROM AMAZON:
“So, when most of the men were dead, women saw their chance to take over?” Kate searches her son’s eyes as he asks this. “Not take over,” she says. “Fix things.” It wasn’t hard to justify what the women had done since the end of the Last War. They rebuilt their bombed-out neighborhoods as best they could and worked to established peace and gender equality. But small groups of men roam the country, viciously indicating that the pendulum may have swung too far. When a bedraggled man shows up on Kate’s doorstep one night, will she risk everything to help him? Does he deserve her help?
Women’s Work is set in a dystopic world in the Pacific Northwest, where women struggle to survive through sustenance farming, clever engineering, and a deeply rooted sisterhood. In this suspenseful thriller, Kate and her family are asked to let go of their anger and fear on a journey to forgiveness and understanding. It is a compelling story that challenges all of us to question traditional gender roles and to confront the fragility of love.
MY REVIEW:
I was definitely drawn into the post war world created in this novel. I was left wondering how I would survive if it was me, because I certainly couldn't see myself killing fluffy little animals. It's a totally different scenario when your meat comes with a face and fur. The innovative ideas for tools and gardening were very interesting as well.
It was like time was reversed, and women were being repressed, their freedoms and privileges taken away, while men fought a world war. The women finally revolted against the men when there were too few left to be able to stop them. Women negotiated peace, and because they felt hostility and aggression were tendencies more ingrained in men, they took over the power and limited the men's freedoms. It was done all in the name of keeping peace and for survival, but, it was interesting to see the situation flip flopped and how men reacted, how women reasoned their decisions and the way they treated the men.
The paranoia, any man wandering alone was considered dangerous, and the women's fear of raiders, in relation to Michael's entrance in the story didn't get as intense as I expected it would. The end became suspenseful. I don't want to give too many details. I thought it would go one of two dramatic ways, hoped for one more than the other, but it kind of meandered in between those two paths.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
I was given a free copy of this book in order to write an honest review.
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