The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (The Road to Nowhere 1)

Strong character development and world building. There wasn't much of a story plot arc, but the world author imagined is very convincing and realistic. The tone of the boom remind me a lot of The Giver for some reason.

Overall a good read. Some suspension of disbelief is required. It starts with the main character waking up 'a la Rick Grimes in the walking dead' and figuring out how to survive in a world where very few women have survived.

This is how apocalypse fiction SHOULD be done!!! Apocalypse/post apocalypse/dystopian fiction is my favorite genre, but I am SO tired of the EMP and zombie formats, they have just been done to death. This book was a breath of fresh air and so well written. I'm really looking forward to reading The Book of Etta.

I know of few examples of post-apocalyptic literature that place women's issues at the fore in this way. The Midwife asks us to consider menstruation, birth control, assault recovery, and assault prevention, all while keeping a powerful female character as the pivot. It presents brief glimpses of nascent matriarchal social formations that make me consider the roots of a society in which women are both scarce and powerful. More often, it reminds me that we are now neither.

I can't say that I liked it. It's darker than what I tend to prefer. Some of the formatting annoys me. Some of the characters annoy me more.

However, this book made me think. It made me imagine an all-too-real scenario, and urged me to confront my imagined self. How would I handle this situation? Certainly not with as much grit and doggedness as the unnamed woman/man at the heart of this story.

Add to this a rare glimpse into the survivalist culture of the LDS (Mormon) church, and the continuation of every plunder fantasy I've had since childhood, and it makes for a work that I have been unable to get out of my head.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is current, original, and obviously borne of the author's deeply-rooted commitment to gender equity and female empowerment. It's a must-read for anyone else in that (sometimes lonely) camp.

Atwood and Elison had a similar nightmare. Where Atwood’s Handmaids Tale reads to me almost like an alternate now, Elison’s leads much more Walking Dead-style apocalyptic. The protagonist is the “strong female character” others can’t seem to get right - resilient but human. Couldn’t put it down.

I lived the format - a journal, interspersed with the narrative. I wasn't crazy about about the journal printed in italics. The story of a post apocalyptic world was , of course, depressing at times - they all are, but this story held my interest throughout. Recommended.

Borrows heavily from some existing and major works, but a well-constructed world and well-written. Especially enjoyed the later parts of the book, which really grabbed the emotions of the characters. Very worth a read - waiting for the next book by this author! 3.5-4/5

Different spin on the world on the brink of extinction- Extremely violent men left - Women in constant fear, of rape- and dying in childbirth.
It is a very violent world. No children- none born a lvie because of a virus.

One future world after the plague. The author has simple thinking and needs down, including the difficulty of talking and expressing needs. In a world filled with violence, she sees different possibilities.