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#Utopia
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xicanti
A Modern Utopia | H G Wells
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Here I am, making my sloooooow way through A MODERN UTOPIA. It‘s more interesting than I expected, and Wells has made a solid attempt to balance different perspectives as he crafts his ideal society. That said, this is still very much an early-1900s-style Utopia, and I expect the next chapter, on the role of women, may leave me somewhat scowly.

ALSO, I‘ve realized I have H.G. Wells & George Orwell tangled up in my head. THEY‘RE DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

review
MaggieCarr
Herland: Easyread Comfort Edition | Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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Mehso-so

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1915 book Herland is a thought-provoking work of utopian fiction and a time capsule of early twentieth-century feminism. On the eve of the First World War, sociology student Vandyck Jennings goes on an expedition with two of his friends to search for a society rumored to consist only of women. On the way to what they will name "Herland," Van and his friends ponder the type of women they hope or expect to see when they...

MaggieCarr ...get there... but they find no fantasies when they arrive. Herland is an all-female, community-driven utopia. Van and his friends are skeptical of a society that doesn't even need men to procreate, but women and girls who live there have all been raised in a world entirely removed from the patriarchy of the wider world. To them, Herland is a paradise; there are no wars, no conflicts, and no oppressive concepts of gender. These young men... 2w
MaggieCarr ... however, are not easily brought into the fold. During their time in Herland, Van and his friends must decide whether they will remain entrenched in their own views of women and society, or if they will open their minds to a way of living, they could scarcely have ever imagined. 2w
21 likes2 comments
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MaggieCarr
Herland: Easyread Comfort Edition | Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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Herland keeps showing up on feminist book lists I'm trying to read through. Noticed it's book #2 in a trilogy. But book #1 is rarely mentioned. Do I need to read the first to understand what is happening in Herland?

ChaoticMissAdventures I keep seeing it too and never realized it was a series! 3w
MaggieCarr @ChaoticMissAdventures maybe someone can help us! 3w
Lauranahe I didn‘t realize that either! 3w
Bookwomble You can read it standalone. Its feminist credentials are era specific, so expect some 😬 moments along with the ❤️ 3w
MaggieCarr @Bookwomble yes, gritting my teeth! 2w
21 likes5 comments
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Moss_Croft
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. Le Guin
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review
KathyWheeler
Herland: Easyread Comfort Edition | Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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Mehso-so

While I overall liked this, it was a bit too pedantic, and the all female country was a little too perfect. The practice of eugenics that led to their utopia was, although only mentioned once as history, disturbing. The narrator also views attempted rape in a “boys will be boys” manner. I loved that their society included pockets — lots of them— in the women‘s clothing, showing not much has changed since Gilman wrote this.

33 likes1 stack add
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KathyWheeler
Herland: Easyread Comfort Edition | Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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Well, it started snowing here, so I‘m inside with Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the lovely cup of tea my husband just made me.

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GatheringBooks
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TheSpineView 🤩🤩🤩 3mo
29 likes1 comment
review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This was likely groundbreaking in the 70s when it was first published. I appreciate the look at psychiatric facilities at the time and what it's like to have no control over your own destiny. The utopia in the future was meh imo. The time travel thing has never been my jam. Still giving it a pick.

#SheSaid @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks (still cleaning up Dec. Yikes)

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3mo
28 likes1 comment
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Hello #SheSaid!

If you have finished the book, discuss below, if not, please join when you can!

vlwelser Overall I thought this was an interesting look at female institutionalization. And not having power over your own person. But the time travel/utopia stuff was just sort of meh to me. Though I bet it was scandalous in the 70s. 3mo
See All 8 Comments
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m still very early in the book… but it is making me want to read Kindred again 😂 3mo
MallenNC I finished! This book was not for me. The present day story was so bleak and unrelenting, and then I wasn‘t sure if the time travel parts were meant to be real or not. Like @vlwelser said, it probably hit readers differently when published. Speculative fiction is not my favorite anyway so others may enjoy it more. 3mo
vlwelser Maybe add Kindred to your voting list? I haven't read it. 3mo
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @vlwelser it‘s a good time travel, and packs quit a punch. I‘ll add it to the voting. 3mo
MallenNC @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Kindred is very good! 3mo
27 likes8 comments
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Ruthiella
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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I read a lot of good things in January 2024 but I think this is the one that will stay with me the longest. Only the third book I have read from LeGuin, but it‘s my kind of science fiction because it makes me think hard about the past, present and future and provides different ways of looking at the world.

#12Booksof24

Andrew65 Sounds a very thought provoking book. 3mo
tpixie I still need to read this author 3mo
Ruthiella @Andrew65 It was! This is what I look for in all the best literature, really. 3mo
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @tpixie I can recommend this one and 3mo
Andrew65 @Ruthiella I totally agree. 3mo
tpixie @Ruthiella thanks 😊 3mo
50 likes1 stack add6 comments