Cover Image: The Farm

The Farm

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I found this book really disturbing. Its easy to imagine this type of facility springing up in the not too distant future. Great characters and well written. Loved it.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the Handmaid’s Tale so I was really looking forward to reading this. However I think the comparison perhaps built my expectations for this book and skewed my idea of what the story progression would be.
Having said that I found it an engaging enough read but I did find myself not particularly drawn to the characters or overly invested in them.
Definitely worth a read but I didn’t love this book as much as I was expecting to.

Was this review helpful?

This is a story of exploitation of women, by women, for women. Set in an America which permits commercial surrogacy clinics the "Host" women are tightly controlled in every way during their pregnancies. The plot follows a Filipina host, from her recruitment by her cousin to her ongoing employment by the clinic boss. It doesn't compare with Margaret Atwood for imagination, the setting is too close to our own, only one or two ethical steps away. Its really a story of how easily poor immigrants are exploited and what lengths they will go to to try to get their children a better life.

Was this review helpful?

This is an absolutely gripping feminist near-future dystopian novel. There will be inevitable comparisons drawn with Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, but there is room for more than one book on the themes of commodifying women's bodies and fertility; especially when it is as well written as The Farm.

Was this review helpful?

This is like a modern day version of A Handmaid’s Tale. Very well written and raises a lot of questions about society. Highly recommend

Was this review helpful?

The Farm is a compelling dystopian novel about a facility in America where women (Hosts) are paid surrogates for wealthy Clients who can't or don't want to carry their own babies. The reader follows Mae Yu, the director of the facility, and also Jane, a young woman from the Philippines who is desperate to give her newborn daughter Amalia the best life she can.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I found this novel a pretty easy read, to be honest. I used to love dystopian fiction but have read a couple of rubbish ones recently so didn't know what I would make of this. I loved the commentary on class and race, and also the idea of choice that runs throughout the novel. It's always disturbing to think about how close we are are to this life being a reality, and tbh I think Joanne did a really good job with showing this.⠀

Was this review helpful?

Golden Oaks, or "The Farm" as it is known by some of its residents, is a luxury resort, where women are paid to be surrogates for the wealthy. This is set in a world where career-driven and successful women don't have time to take maternity leave, or risk their career, and where the wealthy Clients can buy their baby Hosts - perhaps not too far from where we are now.

A place that takes women out of circulation for a full nine months - for a life-changing payment - is, however, more of a necessity for the desperate, many of whom are immigrants, or women who feel out of place.

The Farm follows the story of two Hosts in particular - one a Filippino immigrant, the other a middle class white American. They both come from very different backgrounds, but the Farm forces them into shared experiences. Jane, the Filippino, has left a young daughter behind in order to pursue this life-changing money, and the lead-up to why she chooses to do this is particularly well-written and uncomfortable.

These experiences are interspersed with the voice of Ate Evelyn - left behind to care for Jane's daughter - and Mae, who is in charge of the facility. Mae (Ms Yu) is a particularly delicious character - she has simultaneously overcome her own barriers, and had a privileged upbringing. She has had to work hard for where she is, but is desperate for that success to continue.

There seem to have been some high expectations that this novel would be closer to the dystopia of a 1984 or Handmaid's Tale setting. In actual fact, it is much closer to the world we live in today. The ending/Epilogue was certainly dissatisfying, but perhaps that is more suitable to a modern-day dystopia, than something truly hopeful. My own dissatisfaction is with how one of the characters appears to have changed her outlook/motivation significantly by the end, although their empathy has been hinted at earlier on.

Was this review helpful?

One of the most brilliant books I have read this year; plausibly horrifying dystopian feminist science fiction with a diverse and engaging cast of characters. There's some excellent and non-obvious twists, including the ending, and the pace of the plot is perfect. A modern classic of dystopian fiction.

Was this review helpful?

Heartrending. Horrendously real. Beautifully sad. Jane’s story falls out of the pages into reality. Such a powerful narrative that drives your emotions into to many directions. Well worth a read!

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing, and the author Joanne Ramos.
The premise of the story is undeniably interesting, drawing parallels from many other dystopian novels like ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ which have been so popular in recent years.
However, the execution and style were found wanting, and the storyline and characters fell a little flat. The ending was also disappointing, and when combined with the epilogue felt rushed and undeveloped, like the author was trying to tie up too many loose strings in a hurry.
Only ‘ok’, not one to write home about. 2.5 stars (rounded up).

Was this review helpful?

Before reading this, I had the impression that it would be slightly dystopian, Handmaid's Tale-esque. It isn't, but it is worth reading. It's very believable that there is a company out there looking to monetize surrogacy for the super-rich, in fact I'd be surprised if there isn't, and the de-humanisation and isolation of the "hosts" (pregnant women) by the company is the most sinister part of the story.

The characters themselves are mostly sympathetic, even Mae - who thought of and runs the facility - has clear motivations and isn't just a faceless evil. It's much more nuanced than the blurbs make it sound, and is really about capitalism and what that means for women's bodies more than it is about an evil corporation. Ate/Evelyn's story and motivations make for another angle of what drives some of the characters to need money (and if you're British and aren't thankful for the NHS when you've read it, then you really shoudl be!). Overall, worth reading and thinking about.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this. It was very believable (although perhaps it shouldn’t be) and well told, with the main characters excellently portrayed. It was a different type of story to the ones I normally read, and I would recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

Well written and readable, but I failed to see the comparison with Handmaid's Tale. The people in this may be misguided, but were not trying to rule the world through suppression - the women at The Farm had chosen to be there, had signed contracts and were well paid. Yes, there were a few moral issues but nothing to make this compelling.

Was this review helpful?

The Farm, by Joanne Ramos, is even more terrifying than The Handmaid’s Tale because it’s not future fiction. It’s entirely plausible that right now, somewhere in the U.S., there is a secret high-end surrogacy facility for the mega-wealthy operating at the same time you’re reading these words.

Reagan and Jane are roommates at The Golden Oaks. They are both first-time ‘Hosts’ (surrogates) but with entirely different motivations.

Ivy-league graduate, Reagan, wants to do something good for the infertile (and also earn a hefty birthing bonus to buy financial independence from her controlling father).

Filipino housekeeper, Jane, just wants to earn enough to feed herself and her baby daughter.

Class, capitalism and meritocracy

The Farm is as much a discussion about class, capitalism and the myth of meritocracy as it is about reproduction. In fact, discussions of the politics of gender are curiously sparse, though the worlds in which the characters move are predominantly female.

Golden Oaks engages in some fairly elaborate manipulations to help their Hosts feel better about themselves and the choices they’ve made. It raises the question – where’s the line?

Give someone a reward to entice someone to choose something that’s in their best interests anyway? That’s just how most sales offers work, really.

Help someone make a decision that you know is best for them, but also happens to improve your own life? That’s how Tupperware works.

What if, as a society, you deprive a whole class of people of money so they’re forced to go in search of it and do things they otherwise wouldn’t have done? Is that okay?

The motivation is always money. The director of The Golden Oaks, Mae, has the best interests of her clients and her hosts listed on her balance sheet. However, Mae’s calculated assessments which underpin her decision making always have a profit and loss column. She likes to pretend it’s not the most important one but it’s always the one that wins out.

Money and the illusion of freedom

Anyone who ever said that ‘money isn’t everything’ clearly had enough of it to get by. From a wealthy, privileged background, Reagan is drawn to be a host because of the purpose, but also because it will earn her money so she can pursue her own creative interests:

"It’s not about the money but the freedom, that’s the thing. The freedom to do something real and worthwhile."

Her words have a hollow ring next to Jane, who needs the money so she can get back to her baby daughter and afford to feed, clothe and house her.

Interestingly, it’s uneducated, poverty-stricken Jane who makes the most sense on a philosophical level:

"Jane does not believe people are as free as Reagan thinks they are. Sometimes a person has no choice but hard choices…"

This includes the very wealthy, and it’s true to an extent. You’re never really free to do whatever you want. No matter how senior you are, you still have someone to answer to. Even Trump has Congress and the Constitution. Is doing something meaningful fundamentally an illusion? Is it an upper class luxury?

The Farm is a gripping read that will leave you with more questions than it answers.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. This book really scared me! Because actually, this isn't that far away from becoming reality if the world continues as it is! This is the creepy thought that wouldn't leave my mind as I was consumed by this book.

Rich people want babies, but don't want the pain/disruption/risk of going through a pregnancy themselves. Oh no, it is much easier to use another body to do that for us. Yes, this happens now! This book takes it one stage further by creating a baby farm, where bodies live to serve the rich people in very controlled circumstances. Scary, creepy and a little too near to reality for my liking. A must read again for me.

Was this review helpful?

I can see why this book caused such disparity in the reviews. Based on the title and the description, I was expecting a dystopia, similar to the Handmaid's Tale. When I first started reading the book, I had to check multiple times to make sure I was actually reading the right book. It felt, at the beginning, very different from what I was expecting. But the novel ultimately exceeded my expectations. It's a far more nuanced look into a very real contemporary dystopia. Which is what I found far more terrifying. The book is about the exploitation of hired help, about classicism, racism, and the expectations brought unto mothers. I found Jane a very relatable character and felt awful for her at multiple stages.

I really like that the author chose to include multiple points of view. It helped to understand some of the motivations and thoughts behind the character's actions. I also loved Ms. Mae, who I think was probably the most complex character in this book. I think this is a dystopia very close to reality. I can absolutely imagine such "baby farms" becoming commonplace in the future. As people's careers and lives become more and more busy, the idea of surrogacy can seem very attractive. Especially for the ultra-rich. There's already talk about creating the "perfect" baby by selecting specific genes. There is a lot of expectation of babies and children nowadays, a lot of competition to be exceptional.

I would definitely recommend this book, but I can see how some people were surprised by the product they ended up reading.

Was this review helpful?

This book has had alot of advance hype and I was really looking forward to reading it, however, I found it to be really dull, which took ages to get going and I struggled to find any enthusiasm in picking it up.

The subject, when described, is a thoughtful one, but the story fails to be compelling in the way that something like The Handmaid's Tale or even the YA novel Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill. There are alot of novels out there aimed at women, but when you compare it to something like "Vox" which had real emotional impact it came well short.

It asks lots of questions about surrogacy, but I was not engaged enough to bother finding out what the answers were.

Was this review helpful?

I rather enjoyed reading this novel. It's fast paced, the characters are interesting enough, the story line is interesting (money can buy you everything! Even a baby...). A shame about the ending though, as I found it pretty unbelievable ...
Thanks Random House US and Netgalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Welcome to the latest “dystopian” novel. Gospel Oaks is not a conventional Farm but a new business – a place where surrogate mothers – “hosts” -go to live while their pregnancies progress. They can be well fed, exercised and monitored to ensure the best outcome, which is of course a healthy baby, or babies.
Some “hosts” will be there carrying for altruistic reasons, others (more) will be there for financial reasons; a successful outcome can bring large bonuses for the young, often unskilled, women. As the novel’s story unravels the scale of the checks and monitoring will become increasingly clear and somewhat creepy.
But this is a novel – a vibrant and well written one at that – so you will have plot, action and characters. Nearly all of the latter are women as they carry not just the babies but it seems financial responsibility for their families outside the farm. Around the hosts we will see the paid staff - medical, therapeutic, security, management. As a business there will be outside agents too. But we will very rarely see the parents to whom the babies will eventually be passed – and yes the babies are noticeable by their absence as well. All we will know is that the parents will be wealthy – seriously wealthy - to afford the services. But that privilege generally buys entitlement to a lot more including privacy. Secrets abound at the Farm
The story will touch on why women would choose to use surrogates to carry their babies now (and in the future?). But the nub of the novel is why women act as surrogates in the first place. Mostly it is a financial matter, many it seems are either immigrants or illegals and this is the way they can earn more money. So what is business and where does exploitation begin? What is the nature of relationships between the rich and their employees?
The essence of being poor, possibly immigrant, and getting by lies at the centre of this story. Jane a central “host” is from a Philippina background from a Philippina community with elder women who have worked in the US for decade to support families “back home” all are coping and trying to get by with little chance of return. What is the impact on themselves and their families? What would you do for survival in the face of poverty, financial instability and vulnerability?
Behind that is the sheer gulf between the rich and poor which in the real world we are told it is getting wider. There are hints her that the “baby” business is being expanded to include more services able to exploit this financial gulf. There will be more controls and rules set by the rich and their lawyers.
The chilling aspect of this novel is that it is only a small tweak away from what is already happening. The lack of respect and value for poorer people is already there. “The Farm” is just a window through which to look out on what is already and what and could be in the future.

Was this review helpful?

Welcome to Golden Oaks, the baby making farm in luxurious surroundings where poor and often homeless girls act as host mothers for wealthy couples.

Whilst reading this novel I wondered how soon it would be before fiction turns to fact?

A thought provoking debut

Was this review helpful?