Customer Reviews

Daughters of the North (P.S.)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

In the near future in the United Kingdom global warming has made this once proud place into wetlands. The climate change accompanied by a critical fuel shortage has led to the establishment of an abusive totalitarian rule. The Authority uses the guise of security to kill anyone who opposes them; they use fuel shortages to control population with enforced sterilization; they encourage drug addiction to keep the masses ignorant of their plight. If innocents are hurt so be it as collateral damage occurs.

The Authority sterilized Sister against her will. They made her work in a "New Fuel" factory in conditions that makes Dickens' Victorian tales look like fairy tales. She is assigned cramped quarters. Sister wants out feeling that if she can make it to legendary Carhullan, an all-female commune she can survive. Run by Jackie Nixon with discipline to foster strengths, the paramilitary group is outlawed by the Authority who plans to destroy these Amazon rebels.

Although the ending is too obvious for such a complex thought provoking tale, readers will appreciate this powerful near future thriller that extrapolates from Katrina and the Christmas Tsunami. However, it is not the environmental disaster that holds the reader's attention; it is the heroine and how she sees the world. Sister believes the Authority is evil from her position in the ooze below their food chain; she thinks of Carhullan as freedom fighters from her rising up their chain towards the top. Ironically she is unable to accept how similar the two groups are in their ruthless use of expendables to achieve their respective goals. With obvious comparison to the Mideast, DAUGHTERS OF THE NORTH is a terrific futuristic thriller.

Harriet Klausner

This book has become one of my absolute favorites. The story telling is phenomenally direct yet composed. The plot runs a little thick and close to home, makes you want to loosen your collar a little bit and seriously consider all those jokes you've made about moving to another country. For any woman who has ever wanted to cry out in defiance, this book will soothe you. My only caution is this is not a light beach read; it's a little rough in subject matter in parts and I would not recommend it to young adult readers.

Daughters of the North was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I had a hard time putting it down, and even carried it into K-Mart with me and was reading it in between trying on shoes and practically ignored my family so I could finish it.
I loved the characters of Sister and Jackie. They didn't just sit around and let the Authority control their lives.

I loved this book!! I have been reading a lot about global warming this summer, but this book finally puts it all in place so that you can imagine what the world might be like after the disasters of global warming strike. It's set in England after massive flooding caused by global warming destroys their economy. The government takes drastic actions and eliminates personal liberties in the name of survival (can you say "Homeland Security") with disastrous results.

I tried to read it but I couldn't get into it. Might have been me. I did try to slog though but gave up. There are lots more fun reads out there.

I read this novel under the title "The Carhullan Army", which is the British release of the book. I bought the book because I loved The Electric Michelangelo so much.

Sarah Hall is a fantastic writer. As in her earlier novel, I had a vivid vision of the world she was describing and could commiserate with the characters. Some reviewers are describing this work as science fiction but I think that will drive some readers away unnecessarily. While this book is set in the future, there is no science here. This is a story of a woman and her personal journey through a tumultuous time. The place, the people, and the situation are vividly described.

If you haven't read Sarah Hall before, I would recommend The Electric Michelangelo first. In my opinion, that is her better work. But this is certainly a satisfying read as well. Just be ready for something different from Sarah Hall.

I liked this book. It is a good read and has made me think more about it after I read than I expected. The concept of enforced female sterilization in western Europe is frightening b/c in eastern Europe population growth is in significant decline. It also enables you to see inside a character that becomes a rebel/terrorist (depending on who's side you're on). Her life is reached a point that fighting to the death seemed a worthy option. It's also interesting how the leader brought Sister to this point. Most people don't go here on their own - or do we call them sociopaths?