Who Would Like This Book:
This book is a tour de force for anyone interested in feminist literature, social justice, and thought-provoking speculative fiction. Marge Piercy weaves a gripping tale about Consuela Ramos, whose journey between a grim past (and present) and an imagined, gender-fluid, eco-conscious utopia offers sharp commentary on everything from mental health systems to environmentalism and gender roles. The imaginative worldbuilding - think communal living, new family structures, and creative uses of technology - will especially appeal to fans of classic dystopian/utopian novels and readers curious about the roots of feminist sci-fi. If you want a novel that challenges your worldview and makes you ponder what 'progress' really means, this is for you.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers bounce off the book’s heavy-handedness and ambitious scope. The utopian sections can feel a bit preachy or idealized, and the novel sometimes reads more like a vehicle for big ideas than a tightly plotted story. The narrative jumps between realities may come off as confusing or disjointed, and Connie - though always sympathetic - can seem more like a symbol than a flesh-and-blood protagonist. Those seeking action-driven, tech-focused science fiction may feel let down by the focus on social issues and philosophy over gadgets and plot twists. Also, the unflinching portrayal of mental health institutions and systemic abuse makes for a challenging, and at times grim, reading experience.
About:
'Woman on the Edge of Time' by Marge Piercy is a feminist science fiction novel that follows the story of Connie Ramos, a woman of color who is wrongly committed to a mental institution. Despite her struggles, Connie begins having visions of the future, where she communicates with a utopian society that contrasts sharply with her bleak reality. The book delves into themes of domestic violence, oppression, mental illness, and societal inequalities, offering a thought-provoking exploration of different worlds and timelines.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of mental illness, abuse, trauma, systemic oppression, violence, and discussions around child welfare.
From The Publisher:
Hailed as a classic of speculative fiction, Marge Piercy's landmark novel is a transformative vision of two futures-and what it takes to will one or the other into reality. Harrowing and prescient, Woman on the Edge of Time speaks to a new generation on whom these choices weigh more heavily than ever before.
Connie Ramos is a Mexican American woman living on the streets of New York. Once ambitious and proud, she has lost her child, her husband, her dignity-and now they want to take her sanity. After being unjustly committed to a mental institution, Connie is contacted by an envoy from the year 2137, who shows her a time of sexual and racial equality, environmental purity, and unprecedented self-actualization. But Connie also bears witness to another potential outcome: a society of grotesque exploitation in which the barrier between person and commodity has finally been eroded. One will become our world. And Connie herself may strike the decisive blow.
Praise for Woman on the Edge of Time
"This is one of those rare novels that leave us different people at the end than we were at the beginning. Whether you are reading Marge Piercy's great work again or for the first time, it will remind you that we are creating the future with every choice we make."-Gloria Steinem
"An ambitious, unusual novel about the possibilities for moral courage in contemporary society."-The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A stunning, even astonishing novel . . . marvelous and compelling."-Publishers Weekly
"Connie Ramos's world is cuttingly real."-Newsweek
"Absorbing and exciting."-The New York Times Book Review
Ratings (3)
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Reader Stats (31):
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Want To Read (19) | |
Not Interested (7) |
What can you read after
Woman on the Edge of Time?
About the Author:
MARGE PIERCY is the author of nineteen previous poetry collections, a memoir, seventeen novels, five nonfiction books, and a book of short stories. Her work has been translated into twenty-three languages, and she has received many honors, including the Golden…
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