Upon reading the first portion of summary text for “The Farm,” the book seems poised to sit at the strategic intersection – the past few years have seen a wave of pop culture interest in surrogacy stories (both real and fictional, think Kim Kardashian and “Fuller House”) and feminist dystopias (“Handmaid’s Tale,” Naomi Alderman’s “The Power,” Christina Dalcher’s “Vox”).

As a staff member for a bioethics organization (the Center for Bioethics and Culture), I was particularly interested in the surrogacy aspect of “The Farm.” How realistically did it represent surrogacy and the industry’s potential future? What sort of conclusions might it lead readers to make about surrogacy overall?

Imagine my frustration when it became obvious that “The Farm” is barely about surrogacy at all.

More on that in a minute. This is probably a good place to mention that there are too many things in this book to unpack for me to try dancing around spoilers. If you want to be surprised by “The Farm,” this is where you should stop, though I can't say I recommend reading it. In addition to a variety of spoiler-filled issues, I found it to be a slow, plodding read that turned its main core of women into caricatures of the viewpoints they represented.

“The Farm” rotates between four narrators; the first two receive the majority of the chapters while the last two appear only occasionally:
• Jane: a Filipino immigrant and single mother who becomes a Host in the the hopes of giving her daughter Amalia (six months old at the start of the book) a better life.
• Reagan: a young white Host who struggles with her dual motivations of wanting to help a family, yet also yearning financial independence from her wealthy, controlling father.
• Mae: an highly ambitious Asian-American woman, the head of the Golden Oaks “gestational retreat.”
• Ate: An older Filipino immigrant woman who is a sought-after baby nurse among New York’s elite families. She is Jane’s cousin, and first tells her about Golden Oaks; it is later revealed that she is a paid Scout for the company.

Also of note is Lisa, a white Host unabashedly driven by money who is carrying her third child for the same couple. She is the most jaded of the Hosts, and is portrayed as an ungrateful, slightly-crazed alarmist, despite speaking some of the most truthful lines in the book: “You’ve got to understand what this place is. Okay? It’s a factory, and you’re the commodity.”

“The Farm” opens with an emphasis on the ultra-rich New York families that hire predominantly immigrants like Ate and Jane as baby nurses, nannies and housekeepers, i.e., the target clientele of Golden Oaks. After Jane is fired from a well-paying baby nurse job, Ate tells her about Golden Oaks. Unable to pass up an opportunity where “the work is easy and the money is big,” she applies and interviews with Mae. Along the same time frame, we see Mae heavily recruiting Reagan, intending to offer her as a “Premium Host” to Madame Deng, an extraordinarily wealthy Chinese woman who is nearing 50 years old and has frozen embryos.

Fast forward to Jane checking in at Golden Oaks, recently implanted with an embryo, while Reagan has been there for two weeks. Seriously, “The Farm” makes exactly that leap within exactly two sentences. In one line, Jane is finishing her interview with Mae; in the next, she’s checking in. There is no elaboration on the implantation process, uncomfortable hormone injections or fears of complications, not even a mention of a positive pregnancy test. This was my first major indication that “The Farm” was not really interested in discussing surrogacy or artificial reproductive technology at all.

The remainder of the book largely follows Jane and Reagan, who are assigned as roommates, through their time at Golden Oaks. The driving source of tension becomes Jane’s anxiety over not being able to see Amalia for months on end. She is promised visits several times, but they keep getting revoked for a variety of reasons. Her stress and sadness, combined with Reagan’s savior mentality, Lisa’s tendency to go rogue, plus a miscommunication that makes Jane falsely believe Amalia has been hospitalized, all lead to the climax of Jane escaping Golden Oaks to see her daughter again.

Throughout “The Farm,” its inclusion (or lack thereof) of the technologies, legalese and ethics surrounding surrogacy was at the front of my mind. I was left with a lot of mixed thoughts about nearly every single page, but in the interest of this not becoming a dissertation, I’ve boiled them down into key points where “The Farm” misses the mark, hits the target, and is almost there.

Misses the Mark

Reagan has never been pregnant. The faulty logic in this is obvious no matter what side of the surrogacy debate you’re on. Surrogacy agencies categorically seek out surrogates who have proven they can carry a pregnancy to term. A real Craigslist ad for The Surrogacy SOURCE listed the following requirements, among others:
• “Previous pregnancies without complication”
• “Raising at least 1 child in your home”
Why why WHY would Golden Oaks target millionaire and billionaire Clients, promising the best of everything except a womb with a proven track record? Mae goes so far as to consider making childlessness a requirement for Hosts, backed by the flimsy logic that when other children are in the picture, “their loyalties, inevitably, lie elsewhere.” This actually counteracts the Big Fertility party line that already having a family of their own allows surrogates to detach from the surrogate child; they’ve had their kids, now they’re just helping someone else do the same. But as you’ll see in the next point, this book has zero interest in examining the mother/child relationship of surrogacy.

The only mother/child relationship “The Farm” cares about is between Jane and Amalia. After that, the biggest focus is on the relationships between the Hosts, and particularly on how race affects their interactions. We get next to nothing about how the women feel about their pregnancies, other than generically viewing it is as a hurdle to clear in the quest for a better life. There’s a moment of joy when Reagan first hears the baby’s heartbeat during an ultrasound, but that’s about it. For all we (don’t) see, these women have about as many feelings, positive or negative, about their babies as you’d have for the contents of your purse. The surrogate children are the least important characters in “The Farm,” and yet they are the very foundation for the story.

The surrogate pregnancies were essentially presented as having the same experience (and risk level) as a natural pregnancy. There was no acknowledgement that “the risk of severe maternal and fetal morbidities (disease and symptoms of disease) are increased for women that utilize IVF, especially those resulting from donor eggs,” a category that all gestational surrogates fall under. We actually see no pregnancy-related complications at all, aside from spontaneous abortions and later miscarriages happening to characters that are barely mentioned once. And while it wouldn’t make sense for Jane’s desperate, less-educated character to be concerned about a surrogate’s increased risk for pre-eclampsia, maternal hypertension and gestational diabetes, it would’ve only been natural for Mae’s analytical mind to consider such things as she meticulously monitors the Hosts. Readers are given the impression that Golden Oaks has a high success rate, and the skilled staff and state-of-the-art facilities allow the author to skip over dealing with any of the actual risks that would drag a real fertility center’s successful birth rate down.

Hits the Target

Surrogacy is eugenic – one of the Hosts has a forced abortion when it’s discovered that her baby has mosaic Down syndrome. Reagan goes on a small rant when she hears about it, finishing with,
“‘It’s a complete violation–’
‘Not of the contract,’ Lisa answers without missing a beat.”
And Lisa is right - loss of medical autonomy, including mandated abortion or selective reduction in cases of multiples, is a standard part of surrogacy contracts. Every feel-good campaign about promoting loving acceptance and opportunities for people with Down syndrome means absolutely nothing to Big Fertility, who will likely encourage parents to leave those embryos unimplanted in a frozen limbo or destroyed. IVF in the U.S. particularly is the Wild West: I've read an interview with a fertility doctor believes the target genes will eventually be found for things like height, vocal ability and athletic ability, “and when that happens, he will offer to screen for them. ‘If you do what I do, you can’t have a strong ethical opinion.’”

The big secret that Madame Deng has implanted embryos in multiple Hosts is not a fictional concept. A real surrogacy broker shared that VIP Chinese clients often start with two or three surrogates, and once the pregnancies are confirmed, they decide which babies to keep and which to terminate. Madame Deng uses nine surrogates (two children are confirmed born in the book, with a possibility for a third), but that doesn’t even reach the level of a Japanese man who won sole custody of 13 children he had using surrogates. And that’s not old news – that was in 2018.

Almost There

“Baby factory” group living for surrogates is not unheard of internationally, though this typically happens where surrogacy is cheaper than in the U.S. rather than being a luxury experience, such as in Ukraine. The industry’s desire for control remains the same.

“The Farm” is set in New York, which I found...curious. In all likelihood, this book was nearing the end of its final edits well before the state’s current fight over legalizing commercial surrogacy erupted. As of now, NY only allows altruistic surrogacy; the Golden Oaks bigwigs dream about a second resort in California, which truthfully would’ve been a more realistic setting to begin with. Also, when Jane escapes Golden Oaks in her grand act of defiance, Mae uses the threat of kidnapping charges to bring her to heel. Can you “kidnap” an implanted fetus that isn’t biologically yours? According to NY law, the birth mother cannot relinquish her rights until after the child is born, and pre-birth parentage orders are not granted. So either Mae is guessing Jane won’t know it’s a empty threat, or whatever fictional contract the author has imagined is not based in legal reality.

The ending is disappointingly quick, convenient and, if anything, too easy on Jane. We jump from Mae getting Jane to agree to come back to Golden Oaks (she’s still pregnant at this point) to...two and a half years later. Another fast forward past incredibly crucial moments. Jane and Reagan both gave birth to babies for Madame Deng, but Jane lost her big final bonus due to her escape, putting her basically back at square one. Mae “asked Jane to be her surrogate. She told her that there was an apartment on their property where Jane and Amalia could live rent free during the pregnancy and, if things worked out, maybe even afterward.” Jane is now baby nursing/nannying Mae’s son. If you were hoping for a dramatic “underdog outwits evil corporation” conclusion, too bad, because in real life Jane could’ve had it far worse. She could’ve been saddled with paying the remainder of her pregnancy’s exorbitant medical bills, or told to repay money since she breached what is likely an iron-clad contract. Challenging any of this would mean a flood of legal fees that surrogates are rarely in a position to pay, and a fight against a company that has money to burn.

How did this book happen?

I honestly spent a lot of this book confused by its narrative choices. The blatant inaccuracies with realistic surrogacy arrangements that could’ve so easily been avoided, the emphasis on interracial friendships and attitudes between the Hosts, the comparative lack of any concrete discussion or inclusion of artificial reproductive technology...and then I read the author’s note. Joanne Ramos as a person is obviously more than the sum of a few paragraphs, but it’s extremely telling that she:
• Was born in the Phillippines
• Had her worldview opened to disparities of wealth, class, experience and opportunity while attending Princeton University
• She “realized one day that the only Filipinos I knew in Manhattan [New York], where I lived with my family, were the ones who worked for my friends--baby nurses, nannies, housekeepers, cleaning ladies...I listened to their stories...I saw the daily sacrifices these women made in the hope of something better.”

The author’s personal perspective encapsulates it all. It explains why “The Farm” essentially felt like “The Nanny Diaries,” except instead of carrying for the children of elite families, they’re literally carrying them. This focus on the uber-wealthy unfortunately ultimately leaves the story’s door open to make an argument in favor of altruistic surrogacy via a flood of “if onlys:”
• If only Golden Oaks hadn’t been so greedy and demanding...
• If only surrogacy was reserved for people who really need it instead of for vanity (Lisa's wealthy intended mother lied about suffering from endometriosis when she actually wanted to continue modeling)…
• If only we could all just get along and let happy surrogates carry happy babies for happy new families!

The besmirching of the uber-rich in “The Farm” is ironic, considering pop culture lauds celebrity surrogacy: Jimmy Fallon, Elton John, Kim Kardashian, Gabrielle Union, Tom Daley, Andy Cohen, take your pick. On the more normal end of the socioeconomic scale, surrogacy also leaves us wrestling with modern cases like the Nebraska woman who carried her gay son’s child. Simultaneous mother and grandmother, what on earth are we doing???

Unsurprisingly, there is no mention of ethics/bioethics, surrogacy, or modern “family-building” in any capacity in either the author’s note or acknowledgements. It’s entirely possible she conducted research that was not reflected in these components, but if that’s the case, I disagree with how she chose to warp truth for her fiction.

As to her intended purpose, she does write, “The book is meant to explore–for myself, and hopefully for its readers, too–questions of who we are, what we cherish, and how we see those who are different from ourselves.” I suppose “The Farm” does do those things, but that could’ve taken place within many frameworks. To use surrogacy as a mere vehicle, a husk scooped out to make way for her real emphasis, is a disservice to the women whose lives have been ruined by it and the children who have been and continue to be sold through it. The truth is so much more harrowing than this fiction.

(All quotations have been checked against the final, published copy.)

What if pregnancy, in this case surrogacy, became a moneymaking venture? How much would the world's millionaires and billionaires be willing to pay for a healthy surrogate? Who benefits and who loses from such a situation.

The Farm by Joanne Ramos attempts to answer these questions and the premise is intriguing, however, the novel falls flat. There are a plethora of recent novels that center around pregnancy, power dynamics, individual autonomy, etc. (The Red Clocks, Future Home of the Living God, and more), perhaps so many so that this novel did not feel unique or all that interesting. There is nothing particularly bad about it, so perhaps it deserves a three-star rating, but if you have read similar books The Farm will strike you as nothing special. I think it could make a good book club book because there are a lot of issues for discussion that are raised in the novel.

I received this book free from NetGalley/Random House in exchange for an honest review

The premise is good. It has so much more potential that could have been explored.

The story itself has some lose ends and questionable decisions. However, I did mostly enjoy it. I liked the characters though I think they are one dimensional (Jane - poor immigrant, in search if anything to support herself and her young daughter; Reagan - white wealthy girl concerned with world changing questions but unable to commit to anything).

At first, I didn’t like the ending, but more I though about it, more it seemed appropriate for the story and characters it portrayed.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this e-ARC in return of my honest review.

This was my most anticipated read of 2019, but it left me hugely disappointed. I was so fascinated by the premise of this book, but I found it extremely slow, and the ending was extremely disappointing- not only was it anti-climacu, but it frustrated me that Jane still seemed hold herself to no higher standard than a life of indentured servitude. Unfortunately, this one left me feeling underwhelmed.

This was phenomenal. The character development was consistent and rich, I truly felt like I knew these women. There is nothing I love more than a story where no one is the good guy or the bad guy, but that humanity is just flawed and wonderful all at once. The only issue I have is that at times it seemed like it tried to veer a little into suspense / imply something more would happen with the mystery of which Host had the baby, but it never fully developed or took off which left me feeling vaguely dissatisfied.

What an interesting story. It took a little while to get into, but once the characters were established, I couldnt get enough. This was a fun read being a mother, it gives a diffetent perspective of child rearing. A mist read for those who are fascinated by parenting and woman friendships.

This book doesn’t start how I thought it would, at the farm. For the first few chapters I thought I was reading a different book.
Amazing idea but the execution is a bit lacking. I’m not sure I like or connect to any of the characters. Something is missing but I can’t put my finger on what.
This story could have been awesome but it just didn’t get there. The ending kind of soured me. The middle is great though.
3.5 stars.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Farm is a unique premise, and a book written by a very talented author. This story of a place where surrogate mothers for wealthy clients is a terrific, engaging story that I could not stop reading!

There was so much about this story that I enjoyed. The characters were developed so well that I felt as if I really knew them. While some characters may have had some unlikable actions, I truly felt for their reasoning. I think that can be really difficult to convey and the author did so marvelously.

The beginning of story was slow and almost made me lose interest but I understand the need to build the background of Jane and the situation that she is in that forces her to make the decisions she makes. Some of the chapters were also incredibly long and I felt as if there were some things that could have been shortened or eliminated to keep the story fluent and continually engaging.

While I enjoyed the ending, I was hoping for more of a gripping and thrilling type of ending. There was quite a bit of a build up and then things sort of fizzled out. However, I am content with the ending but I would have enjoyed it much better if there was more oomph. It just left me thinking to myself, "Okay..." while shrugging my shoulders.

This novel focus on surrogacy, specifically on a company who hires and tends to poor and often immigrant surrogates carrying babies for extremely wealthy clients who physically can't (or prefer not to) carry to term. Many issues explored about race and class in society and as the title implies the "farming" of humans much like the breeding of other animals (albeit a nicer environment). Interesting exploration, does not end the way you might expect (and I wish it had ended a bit differently!) and overall an enjoyable read. This is not a 'Handmaids Tale" dystopian novel, and in some ways leaves you feeling that this setup is a little too possible (as in questioning if a company such as Golden Oaks may already be up and running!) but does elicit ponderings on what is ethical in today's society. I enjoyed it!

The Farm was okay for me but it fell flat and could've been better. It is centered around a place where women go and act as surrogates for the wealthy and essentially have every move monitored during their time there. A lot of important themes are touched on throughout the story such as inequality and race. A lot of people will enjoy this one but it just wasn't one that I connected with and was eager to finish.

I am really conflicted about this book. The premise was intriguing and had a lot of promise. The characters are well written, and the book starts out well. However, I didn't think that switching characters as narrators did this one any favors. I think the book would have been better suited from one person's perspective, and perhaps later books could have someone else's perspective. Anyway. The description is good. However, the plot really drags. And the end is the absolute worst.. not spoiling anything.. it was as if the author had no idea how to end it so it just petered out. So much wasted potential here.

The Farm has such an intriguing premise; I wasn’t sure what to expect - maybe a touch of dystopia, some rich people drama - and I went into it with an open mind. There were several elements of this novel that I really enjoyed: learning more about Filipino culture, exploring the lengths to which some may go (and this all seemed way too realistic, by the way!) to make childbearing and childcare much more convenient. I think the execution of the story could have been a little more succinct, and I have some issues with the ending, but I’m really glad I read this one!

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book - I thought it was really original! This just wasn't believable for me. I expected it to read more like a dystopian novel than it really did.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is dystopic, but also not far from an imaginable situation - a "farm" where disadvantaged women are surrogate mothers for wealthy families. The hosts' behavior is tightly controlled and surveilled, and they are manipulated by the system. The Farm is a very readable novel, and I was caught up in the stories of the main characters almost right away. There's a strong critique here of inequality, the nannying industry, and the ways in which immigrant labor (both physical and emotional) is exploited.

My main dissatisfaction with this book comes with the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but I felt like there was a lost opportunity in terms of the social critique.

In straightforward prose, Joanne Ramos tells a truly frightening story about a farm where surrogates give birth to babies for rich entitled clients. The author tells the story though several diverse characters with varying points of view. The characters are a bit stereotypical, but it's an enjoyable read. It explores many current issues: immigration, privilege, a woman's right to her own body. The most frightening aspect of the novel is how close to reality it comes. All in all, it's an easy read for a serious subject. It has somewhat of a "fairy tale" ending, but worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book.

Joanne Ramos's novel The Farm tells the intertwining stories of four women and their relationship to a fictional surrogacy "Farm" where women are consensually employed to host the babies of rich clients in a controlled spa-like environment. Jane, a Filipino single mother, is encouraged by her cousin, Ate, to sign a contract to host a baby at Golden Oaks to give her own biological baby a leg up in life through the generous delivery bonus. Jane soon learns that the majority of the Hosts are other immigrants of color desperate for work. Other perspectives come from Mae, the facility's ambitious director, and Reagan, a sensitive millennial host from a privileged white background looking for meaning in life.

While the premise is fascinating and the book has been compared to Atwood's much scarier The Handmaid's Tale, this book never quite crosses into thriller territory. The story moved at a slow pace, only picking up toward the very last bit of the book. The themes seem especially timely with current events pertaining to women's rights over their own bodies and fertility, as well as the role of capitalism, race, and privilege. However, I never quite felt that Ramos took a stance on any of these topics.

Despite these shortcomings, I think this book would be perfect for book clubs and is an easy summer pool-side read.

(Note: Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced readers copy)

I stopped reading 20% in. I couldn’t get past the boring nanny and baby talk in the beginning. I thought this book would be something different.

I loved reading the farm. Part Handmaids Tale (without the dystopian future), part commentary on socioeconomic division, fully engrossing novel. I’ve been recommending this one to my friends!