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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Red Clocks in Books

Mar 18, 2018 (Updated Mar 18, 2018)  
Red Clocks
Red Clocks
Leni Zumas | 2018 | Gender Studies, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
6.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
A marmite book!
This follows the lives of five women, in a world where abortion is illegal and seen as murder, IVF is also illegal as the embryo cannot give its opinion, and only married couples can foster and adopt. Back street abortions are back, and the people in a seaside town believe that a woman who lives on her own in the woods and sells cures, is a witch. Each chapter is for a separate female character: the Wife, the Biographer, the Mender, and the Daughter, and between those chapters are snippets from a book that the Biographer is trying to write about a female Arctic explorer. Each woman shows how a patriarchal society inhibits their life choices - they have no choice of their own.
I loved the flow of the language in this novel, I loved the personalities of the characters who were shown to be both loving and spiteful, selfish and generous and strong and weak. Finally, I loved how Zumas has chosen a topic that is all too current in her own country and many others around the world. This is a great book, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it won awards. It has been criticised for riding on the coat tails of The Handmaids Tale, but I really don't think that this is the case. It is a great piece of work in its own right. This is a topic, though, that is very much on people's minds. And rightly so.
I've seen some very mixed reviews about this novel: it seems to attract extremes of hatred/ love, and I'm not overly surprised. I think the best thing to do, is to probably go and read it!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this!
  
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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) Mar 18, 2018

On my TBR list! Looking forward to it.

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Sarah (7798 KP) Mar 18, 2018

Never heard of this one but I'll definitely have to add it to my list now!

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JT (287 KP) rated Arctic (2019) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Arctic (2019)
Arctic (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Drama
Survival films have the ability to give us a sense of false hope by dragging us through a gut wrenching narrative that will ultimately end in heartache. Even right up until the final moments we still cling to the hope that a recuse will come.

Arctic takes us to a desolate and frozen landscape where there is no signs of life – that is until we meet Overgård (Mads Mikkelsen) whose plane has crashed in an environment that offers no chance of escape. We don’t know how long he has been there, but can deduce it must be some time given his efficient method for catching and storing fish and that the crashed shell of his plane almost seems homely.

He understands more than enough to survive showcasing map reading and technical skills to battle the elements. Through driving snow he has the determination to manually crank a radio system in the hope of catching a signal. I’m a massive fan of Mikkelsen whose calm facial expressions still give me nightmares after watching the hit series Hannibal in which he was fantastic.

Here those expressions are more pained than sinister as Overgård has to make a decision as to whether to stay put, or make the perilous journey to find rescue. The introduction of a second character makes that decision for him and armed with whatever he can carry and pull on a sled, he sets out into the bleak and unforgiving wilderness. With limited dialogue this minimalist survival thriller will set pulses racing to the end.