I honestly couldn't get into this one. I am a big fan of tropes like the one in WOMEN TALKING, but the plot seemed to drag on and ultimately, I had to DNF it.

I wanted to love this one, I loved the idea of the synopsis and setting in the Mennonite community. But I found the story to really drag, this was my first from Toews and I don't think it was the right time for me to try her books. I'm a mood reader and really struggled with this one until I decided to DNF at 25%

Somewhere between 3-3.5

So much promise here - Toews presents a fictional retelling of the rape of over 100 Mennonite girls and women in a remote community in Bolivia - yet it doesn't quite live up to what it perhaps could have been. I think the choice to use a male narrator was an error, but I kind of get why it was chosen (as most if not all of the women in this community are unable to read or write). I will say that I've never read anything quite like this - the book is literally just a handful of the women from this community talking to each other and planning how to deal with the aftermath of discovering what has happened to them - and it was a unique and (mostly) engaging insight into a culture previous unknown to me, and worth reading for that alone.

This was a really fascinating book. I struggled to follow the plot at times, but conceptually, it made me interested in reading more about Menonite culture. It was an interesting, artistic look at how power is expressed in society.

A book that reads like a play - the format is perfect for a reader to bear witness to the atrocities faced by these women. I was frustrated by the use of narrator as the character's backstory felt like a flimsy plot device but (and this might be a spoiler so don't finish reading this sentence...) it does resolve in a thoughtful and reasonable way. The only part of the book that I didn't end up enjoying was the unrequited love story - it just didn't feel necessary and it's woven through in random spurts that almost feel like an afterthought. But the female characters are colorful and real and their frank discussions in all of their gut wrenching ignorance is brilliant. I look forward to reading more from Miriam Toews.

DNF — I’ve heard a lot of hype about this book but I could not get into it. Something about the narration took me away from the story, and bored me to tears. I was really invested in what happened, but the writing style was so dry and slow that I kept putting the book down. After starting this four times in as many months, I’m going to have to admit it is not for me.

I didn't know quite what to expect with this one but I was pleasantly surprised. The structure is abnormal and one that not everyone will enjoy but I loved it. I could see this book being taught in a writing class, just because of how it shouldn't work but it does. It's hard to say what type of person would enjoy this book. I've heard some found it frustrating. I think one would have to not have many preconceptions and be down for the ride.

Eight angry women who have three choices after they were brutally attacked and raped. They were made to believe they were crazy, or it was the devil’s work, but it was the men in their own Mennonite community that did this. Now, they must deliberate to decide their options. They cannot read or write, but a young man, Augustus, takes minutes for them. They have three options drawn on the way for they cannot read: stay, fight, leave.

The conversation becomes a microcosm of the world at large. Their daily oppressions and responsibilities will sound strikingly familiar. In the end, they only have one real choice.

This book is based on something that happened, a true thing. The author fictionalized the response, well a little more than that was fictionalize, such as the size of the settlement. Yet knowing the basis of this story was fact made the book a harrowing read.

What was odd for me was why have an outsider tell the story? And why was the outsider a man?

The framing of the book had a male teacher, who was once excommunicated from the colony with his parents, write down the minutes of the women's meeting. He writes more than that, he write about himself. Sometimes it is acknowledged and other times it feels like the author forgot the frame of the story. A few parts of the story could not have been written down, yet we still have this in the book.

The women were portrayed, as almost simple. I think the author struggled with this aspect, their intelligence there, they are not stupid women, yet there were not allowed to be taught about the outside world, not reading and writing, not even the local language. This dichotomy comes across oddly, and it's hard to discern if it's due to the situation or the author struggling to find the right balance.

It's a short book and a quick read. There isn't much action of any in the book, it is as the title says, women talking, trying to decide how to proceed now they know their men drugged them and raped them, even the girl children. Should they stay and fight despite being pacifists, or should they leave, venture out into the unknown. There is a third option, to stay and do nothing, but for the women who believed in that option did not go to the barn to discuss what's next.

Often I found myself in disbelief how women continue to be abused, again and again in the name of religion. I loved that one of their topics was to be free; to be free from the patriarchy, to think for themselves.

A powerful read based on horrific true events. This book is a literary tour de force. Recommended for adult book clubs, as well as young adults.

The meeting notes writing style of this book was a little hard to get into and the story was heavy. Despite my difficulties getting into this story and I am so glad I stuck with it. I can't stop thinking about it and I am recommending it to everyone I know so that I have people to discuss it with. Well worth the beginning struggle to read.

What I Liked

The main reason I wanted to read this book was because it was based upon real events. I enjoy reading non-ficiton and historical fiction and I felt like this book would be enjoyable. This book tackles dark events dealing with an established religious group and how the women must either come to terms with the status quo or make changes. As you can see from the description the status quo is not something I think many of us would want to endure.

I really enjoyed that the author did put this struggle into words and I feel like it could be applied to many other situations. While this story very dark and very extreme in its content, if you are triggered by rape or the discussion of it please do not read it boils down to women in a very bad situation determining if it is worth living with the devil you know, or chancing it with the devil you don't know in a world you don't understand. In other words,  you can either endure traumatic treatment and stay with what you know and fear, or go off and try to get away for your hope of a safe situation in a world you have no idea how to navigate. On top of that the fear of what might happen if you are not successful. Obviously, every situation is different and each needs to be thought of on its own merits, but I can appreciate that this author was willing to have a discussion about this.

What I Didn’t Like

I didn't like how slow paced this book was. I kind of had to push myself through it. I am not sure if this is because I was expecting a lot to happen based upon the description, but I felt that for the size of the book it was a slow mover. At times I felt it was rambling and I would grow bored.

Overall Thoughts

I feel like this was a good topic to discuss and should continue to be discussed. The topic was interesting for sure. I just don't know if the topic was enough for me to fully enjoy this book. For me personally I do not enjoy slow moving books that are more talk than action. So, I feel like if you enjoy that type of writing style, you would easily like this book more than I did.

Good books have a feeling, a mood that's set each time you sit down to read them. That's what this book did for me. It's told simply, without a lot of frills, but manages to be engaging from beginning to end.

I so desperately wanted to love this book. The premise sounded fascinating and unique, and about an important issue, especially in the me too era. However, it just wasn't for me. The male narrator felt off for a story about marginalized women. I also found it to be not well paced, particularly considering it's a short book. But just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it might not be for you.

Important, Painful, Needed.

I felt so many emotions while reading this: anger, fear, sadness. But it also made me realize how strong women are. When faced with an almost impossible situation, women will somehow find the strength to power through and go on. When faced with a horrific, abusive situation, these women met secretly to decide what to do. They supported each other and they did not falter. Bravery. Intelligence. Compassion.
I loved the plot of this book. I love women. #MeToo

Maybe 4.5 stars? Regardless: what a book.

Based on a true story, the entire novel is summed up by the title: women, who suffered horribly at the hands of men, discuss their future. At times this book felt urgent and real, like a gaping wound; small insights into the brutality of the attack, the day-to-day torment these women were forced to endure ratcheted up the tension in an already serious situation. At other points, the women's discussion would slide into the religious and philosophical, which makes sense considering the characters are deeply religious and isolated as part of their faith.
I think these conversations about faith and forgiveness -- which were entirely necessary and beautifully written -- are what's keeping from giving this a full 5 star review. Something about the speechifying felt a bit toothless, especially when compared with other sections of the book.

I have a feeling this book will join "The Handmaid's Tale" in discussions about the world's treatment of women.

I tried very hard to finish this book and unfortunately could not. I'm not sure if it was the mix of subject matter, writing style, and the decision for a male narrator, but I simply couldn't keep going. The writing style felt chaotic and rather than coming off intentional, it was messy and confusing. I know so many other readers have found this to be a wonderful read, but I am not one of them. I hesitated to mark it as 'dnf' on Goodreads because I tend to be stubborn about finishing books, but each time I went to pick it back up it felt too much like a chore. Thank you for the galley though!

It seems odd to call a book about such a deep, disturbing topic as “good,” but this book is definitely well-written and much-needed in today’s cultural climate, where we’re still dealing with things like believing survivors of sexual assault and getting them justice.

I first heard about the “ghost rapes of Bolivia” from a VICE News documentary of the same name. Available here: https://video.vice.com/da/video/ghost-rapes-of-bolivia-part-1/55a00d0ea2c7a4667d828cad - I was stunned. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and wondered how the decisions of the townspeople can about and how the women were emotionally dealing with things in the aftermath, to only of their ordeal, but in the wake of the announcement by prominent church elders that they have chosen to forgive the rapists and would free them if possible. This book, written by Miriam Toews, a former Mennonite, attempts to answer those questions in an authentic and caring voice.

The book is set-up as minutes from a meeting of the women of a fictional Mennonite colony, similar to the real-life Manitoba Colony, as they come together to decide whether to forgive the men of the colony who have assaulted more than 100 women and girls over a period of two years. The men have gone to free them from the local town, and they have until they return to decide whether to stay and forgive their tormentors, fight back or leave and start a new life elsewhere. The book is not action-based - it is the decision-making process of the women, as they grapple with their faith, their feelings and their fears.

I was really blown away by how authentic the book felt and how the author didn’t just show the initial “Screw the bastards!” Feeling that I know i had when you hear the story of what’s been going on. Toews really delves into the complicated feelings and emotions surrounding an event that shakes the core of a community like this.

I’m glad that we’re still talking about these women and that they haven’t been just forgotten and abandoned in the collective memory. This book shows the complicated emotions and situations that appear in a situation like this and really makes the women three dimensional people, rather than just statistics in a horrific series of crimes.

Do yourself a favor and read this book and about the real-life events it is based on. I hope the real-life women find peace and that this begins an important dialogue about sexual assault and how to help survivors.

Women Talking is a philosophical, beautifully-written exploration of faith, responsibility, and the choices women must make when their community relies on their labor to sustain itself. It goes beyond just sustenance, as the women are forced to endure horrible conditions, with the alternative being that the men in their lives, men who they love and make up their family and authority figures, would be forced to take responsibility for themselves. It's an interesting look at how far people are willing to go, what they will endure, to ensure that their lifestyle and faith, indeed the foundations of their lives, remain undisturbed.

While this novel is classified as fiction, it is based on a true story and reads like something in between; it’s challenging material, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, but I definitely appreciate its value.

This is, literally, a documentation of two long meetings between a group of Mennonite women; they are struggling to reframe their faith in light of the fact that many of them have recently been sexually abused by the men to whom they have always assumed they should show respect and submission in order to be faithful servants.

Flaws aside, if you are looking for reading that asks and answers questions deep at the core of a woman’s intrinsic worth, that peels away the mantle covering subjugation within the patriarchy of traditional religion, then Women Talking is the kind of book that will stay with you long after you finish reading. I’m still thinking about it.