Daughters of the North (P.S.) [Paperback]

Sarah Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

In her stunning novel, Hall imagines a new dystopia set in the not-too-distant future. England is in a state of environmental crisis and economic collapse. There has been a census, and all citizens have been herded into urban centers. Reproduction has become a lottery, with contraceptive coils fitted to every female of childbearing age. A girl who will become known only as "Sister" escapes the confines of her repressive marriage to find an isolated group of women living as "un-officials" in Carhullan, a remote northern farm, where she must find out whether she has it in herself to become a rebel fighter. Provocative and timely, Daughters of the North poses questions about the lengths women will go to resist their oppressors, and under what circumstances might an ordinary person become a terrorist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chronicling a journey of violence, oppression and fleeting liberation, this brutal third novel from the author of The Electric Michelangelo is a timely feminist commentary on war, gender, politics and identity. Set in a dystopian near-future northern U.K. where global warming, a fuel crisis, drug epidemics and a cruel totalitarian regime known as the Authority have savaged the land and people, the story is told by Sister, a young woman living in cramped terrace quarters. Sterilized against her will (the result of the Authority's female sterilization policy) and forced to work in a New Fuel factory, Sister escapes to seek out Carhullan, a shadowy all-female commune run by the enigmatic Jackie Nixon. Carhullan is a hard-knocks utopia, in which women's strengths and passions grow from manual labor, paramilitary training and intense, sometimes sexual, friendships. As the threat of the Authority grows, Sister rises in the ranks of the Carhullan resistance force, oblivious to the increasing similarities between the Authority and Jackie's seductive, psychological control. Though the climax and denouement are sloppily handled, the overall effect is haunting, timely and well wrought. (Apr.)
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Review

“Jackie is not infallible, and her methods in pursuit of the greater good are not always kind. But that is what makes Daughters of the North a novel, not an allegory. Hall has created a complex, tight work about hope springing out of resistance.” (NPR's "BOOKS WE LIKE" (Jessa Crispin of BookSlut.com reviewing) )

“If you liked Children of Men, give this sci-fi page-turner a read. Sister exists in a dystopian future where the UK is under a totalitarian regime.” (OK! Magazine (FIVE STARS) )

“A ferocious dystopian novel…Hall’s dystopian story of resistance and struggle…must be read at the same time as a kind of optimism, striking in its final pages a defiant chord that reminds us power can sometimes be defeated, if not always, and if always at great cost.” (Independent Weekly (Durham, NC) )

“The heroine of Sarah Hall’s novel is known only as Sister. She, like Hall’s prose, is raw, brave, and suprising, both to herself and to the reader...The book is remarkable for its lovingly accurate portrayal of women…the themes it raises are powerful in the present.” (Boston Phoenix, (WORD UP) )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061430366
• ISBN-13: 978-0061430367
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing ..., May 28, 2008

By 

Kisabel "Kisabel" (Newtown PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughters of the North (P.S.) (Paperback)

Reminiscent of (but inferior to) the Handmaid's Tale - an interesting take on a radically dystopian & totalitarian future society. Other Amazon reviewers have referenced global warming as the source of the unnamed environmental disaster, but the book itself does not specify this. Actually, the book is vague on most of the details about how Britain came to suffer this horrible fate.

Good story, interesting & strong female characters. A bit heavy-handed, and the ending feels cut short. There more to this story than the author chose to tell - the book skips over the time between our "heroines" planning their rebellion to the end of the battle, which I found quite unsatisfying.

Overall interesting, but I would borrow from the library instead of purchase.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing topic, but overall a bit of a let down, May 28, 2008

By 

A. Malouin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daughters of the North (P.S.) (Paperback)

This novel was ok, but I felt a little let down - I was expecting much better from an author shortlisted for the Booker, although maybe my expectations were part of the problem.

It started off well, and the concept of the dystopian society she creates is intriguing and a bit frightening. Some of the events and ideas, like the contraceptive coils, make you think about where society may be heading. Overall, Hall writes well, but I found myself a little bored with her descriptions. There are scenes where she definitely suffers from telling-instead-of-showing-syndrome. I just couldn't really bring myself to care very much about the protagonist, Sister, or really any of the other characters.

The ending was pretty anti-climactic, and felt like a cop-out - you'll see what I mean when you get there. Overall it wasn't very powerful, which is something I would expect from a dystopian novel like this. When the end came, I was unimpressed. I anticipated something really thought-provoking that would have me lying awake the next three nights thinking about it, but this one just didn't do it. It starts off strong, but loses is punch along the way.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written, thought provoking read...., August 11, 2008

By 

Peaches (Yorba Linda, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughters of the North (P.S.) (Paperback)

I thought this was excellent. Definitely not your light-hearted beach read, but still, I couldn't put it down and was up late 2 nights in a row trying to finish it. I am just guessing that the writer accomplished what she had hoped, with me at least. It made me think more deeply about our world--pollution, conflict, terrorism, war, food shortages, genocide and how we react to all these things. The importance of gender equality, standing up for your beliefs.....I could go on and on. I found the characters interesting and "Sister" likeable. I especially enjoyed her journey to a strong and healthy warrior, even though part of me found it sad. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I think it was because addt'l info wasn't necessary and perhaps would've distracted from the poignancy of the ending.