This one should be put on one of the absolute classics list. I'm really surprised that it isn't talked about even now, but here we are, almost to the 20 year anniversary from when this first came out and it DESERVES TO BE KNOWN.

Why?

It belongs in the same category of [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1546031886s/38447.jpg|1119185], [b:The Power|29751398|The Power|Naomi Alderman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462814013s/29751398.jpg|50108451], [b:The Book of the Unnamed Midwife|29806086|The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (The Road to Nowhere #1)|Meg Elison|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465976614s/29806086.jpg|41858562], and many others that tackle the big issue of what it means to be a woman.

But how does this stack up to the others?

Fantastically.

A group of young women become life-long friends, complaining about the tendency of women everywhere to make a stand and then eventually decline... and fall... the world dragging them down. They vow to hold strong and fast and support each other, meeting every year and being REAL with each other.

Sound good? Well, the writing is better than the premise and more fascinating. The characters are an absolutely gorgeous treat to read.

And if that doesn't convince you, then just wait till things get really messed up all across the world. :)

Do we have a problem with sexism in this world? Set your teeth in this Decline and Fall. One particular note, however. This is NOT a hopeless man-hating novel. It's also not so dire that it becomes a grimdark dystopia. It IS, however, a novel with many very bright facets and a deep exploration of so many different kinds of ideas and viewpoints.

Oh, and it's very bright on some key issues, too, but let's not spoil it, shall we? I happen to wholeheartedly approve of Tepper's stand on women. No one should ever have to live through a Hail Mary, become a breeding machine for misogynists, or be forced to give up the fruits of their labors.

The more horrible stuff is absolutely atrocious and needs no reinforcing.

That being said, I'd LOVE to see a bit more repairing on that medicine bag. :) :)

I'm going to count this novel as one of my absolute favorites of all time. I've always been a fan of Tepper, and while I was kind of put off at the beginning of this particular novel because it wasn't the high-fantasy stuff I'd grown to love, it DEFINITELY made up for it in sheer quality of characters and development and ideas. :) ( )

OMG what a great book! It was written in 1996 covering events to come in 2000, and while the extent of fundamentalism and planetary destruction were more extreme than this space-time continuum, it was certainly eye-opening.

The first several chapters paint such realistic pictures of women who could really, actually exist: doctor, lawyer, scientist, and fascist-in-training. Then one returns to the women's meeting in college and how they became such a strong group and why.

Then you move through to the present and find out how their lives have changed, shifted, and been influenced most notably by a mysterious friend in their midst. The descriptions of feminism are central to the book and are basically women have the right to an education, a marriage of their choosing, and a career if they so choose." There are still twists to this plot, though, and the hints of what the patriarchy wishes to do are bone chilling.

The ending is a bit contrived, but the first 450 (or so) pages set their own stage; the ending is almost non-essential to this book, if that can be true. It's the story itself that is the strong point to this book." ( )

A mysterious young woman draws together disparate fellow students to form a band of women that remains close for decades. But insidious forces of misogyny threaten each of them. Now older, less reckless, and without the guidance of their oddly wise friend, can they nevertheless draw together and create a more egalitarian future?

The villains and their plot are cartoonishly evil, but the heroes of the story are well-drawn and interesting. Whole plot threads are abruptly dropped. The dialog is naturalistic, but everything else is a little melodramatic. One's ability to enjoy this novel is probably predicated on one's ability to enjoy 2nd wave feminism crossed with magical lizard creatures. ( )

I love this book (and loved reading all the reviews before mine.) She is very anti-religion, pro-environment and very feminist... I have trouble with the latter. Every time I meet a male character who isn't a woman hater I feel like cheering. That's just her way though... So do your best to look past that and just enjoy some futuristic (well it was when it was written) social commentary. ( )

Make sure you like Tepper's brand of feminism before you pick this up, it's about as subtle in this novel as a ton of bricks.

For my part, I was curious. Having heard a lot of "man-hating crap" comments about her The Gate to Women's Country, I read that and thought that it portrayed women as negatively as men and found it a reasonable read.

So, I tried this and found it not really to my taste. She can write well, but her opinions are a bit over the top from my (admittedly male) perspective. As another review I read once said, "It's understandable that women object to being walking wombs. Why, then, should men be walking sperm banks?"

I think I'll try to stick to her "environment-messaging" books and leave the "feminist-messaging" ones in the future. ( )