I loved most of Ms. Tepper's books. They are unique and have an interesting perspective. Her books are not for people who just want straightforward simple books for relaxation. She presents her viewpoint with socio-political in a round about manner. It takes a while to get into the story and understand what is going on in this book. Once I understand what is going on, I found the story to be provocative and thought provoking.
Without giving away spoilers, this is essentially a post apocalyptic world. Within the Women's Country, this matriarchically society holds a dark secret. It is interesting because they hide the secret by being open about it. Yet what they have done is created two classes of people. People who are critical thinkers and those who are basically fluff. These ones who can't think, they are manipulated like puppets to think that they are in control when essentially, they are like idiot children ... just given enough rope to hang themselves.
There are a lot of what if scenarios played out here. What happens if some survivors go with a patriarchal society ... what would it look like? What happens when women run it? I want to say this is a book that plays to what Ms. Tepper believed. From my perspective, she thinks that women would be better at running the world. The only issue I have with this thought is that unfortunately, the women I have seen that seek power and glory are the worst for being put in a position of power. Many women I have seen in positions of authority and power are terrible bullies and just as bad as their male counterparts. I think the bit of hint in this story where it is an equal partnership between males and females is really the ultimate goal. Wanting the best for others and to help them realize their potential is a better way to go. Whilst having aggression and warlike tendencies tend to be relegated as male traits, I would say that females are not exempt from them.
I would also state that this book did a good job of showing how things could turn out with several different scenarios. Yet there were drawbacks to each one of them. I guess if people were perfect, we would live in an utopian world. That does not exist on Earth. I really enjoyed the things I had to think about after reading this book. I wish I could discuss it with others. However I have found very few people can handle or comprehend Ms. Tepper's books. It is unfortunate because she is a writer ahead of her time. This dystopian novel is recommended to readers who want to be challenged.
