Herland
-
-
3.5 • 196 Ratings
-
Publisher Description
An Apple Books Classic edition.
What would happen if men weren’t necessary for humanity’s survival? How would society adjust? Written in 1915 by well-known social reformer and author Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland addresses these questions and more. First published in Gilman’s magazine, The Forerunner, the novel not-so-subtly puts forth the notion that a matriarchal world would be a huge improvement over our current situation.
When students Van, Terry, and Jeff set out to find the mythical land of women they’ve heard stories about, they are shocked to find out that it really does exist and that it’s a well-run, advanced utopia. In fact, the only things missing in Herland are violence, poverty, competition…and men. But can this feminist utopia survive its first violent crime in over two thousand years? And will the arrival of men forever change Herland, or will Herland forever change men? Full of suspense, romance, adventure, and betrayal, Gilman’s novel prompts us to question our beliefs and assumptions about society—and imagine how it could be different.
Customer Reviews
Thanks, it has pockets.
Interesting and fast read, but I still have questions about what happens to Ellador after the story ends.
Meh
Didn’t care for the narration, some of it was hard to understand. The plot was okay, I liked that it was unique but it felt like a lot of chapters with not much happening
2.25 Stars - It Wasn’t Bad
But it sure wasn’t great. I was immediately reminded of Bookfox’s 9 Male Character Mistakes That Scream “A Woman Wrote This” video.
Immediately after finishing Herland, I wrote: “That was… meh. Felt like I was waiting for something that never came. I’m fine with stories that focus more on the characters than the plot, but it’s hard for an author to do that well. This is an example of that. It not only felt like nothing happened, but there was very little character development.”
By the way, everyone says this book is woke, but only the tenth chapter is woke. Unless, of course, you think the author is trying to say that without men, there would be no war, famine, or pestilence and all would be perfection. I believe the author wasn’t saying this would be the case without men, but that it was the case in this fictional instance. Whether you choose to read between the lines or not is up to you.