In an alternate 1894, a flu outbreak has wiped out the majority of the U.S. population and leaves survivors praising baby Jesus who is certain to continue to spare them if they live righteously and procreate. Girls are raised to understand that their purpose is to marry and have as many children as possible. If for some reason a woman cannot get pregnant, she’s useless at best or a witch at worst. If she loses her pregnancy or has a baby with defects, it must certainly be the witchcraft of a barren woman at work.

Seventeen-year-old Ada has worked her whole life with her mother, the midwife in the town of Fairfield. She’s now happily married and ready to perform her duty of having children but is frustrated as months pass and she doesn’t become pregnant. Ada understands the reasons behind many issues surrounding pregnancy and childbirth but the mystery surrounding the inability to carry a child isn’t one of them. Worried she’ll be kicked out by her husband and his family, she tries everything to become pregnant to no avail. A town won’t let a woman unable to have a child become a midwife and they will eventually begin to blame her for any complications a pregnant woman has.
Her last hope is to leave Fairfield behind and live a quiet life in a convent.
Or… she could join up with the Hole in the Wall Gang: a rag tag group of outcasts choosing to live life on their own terms and known to do some thieving along the way.
Ada finds herself an outlaw in the gang led by the Kid, hatching a plan to make a future for them all …but may get them all killed in the process.

Outlawed is an amazing speculative Western full of heart and feminism, tackling gender roles/identity, race, religion, and fertility in a fascinating way. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy historical/speculative fiction and Westerns.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Outlawed is scheduled for release on January 5, 2021.

In an alternate 1894 after a large scale flu outbreak great importance is placed on fertility and women who cannot have children are cast from their homes and often hung for witchcraft. Even her training in midwifery at the side of her mother doesn't spare Ada from being thrown away by the husband she thought she loved when she fails to get pregnant her first year of marriage. Seventeen and suddenly without a home or hope she finds herself seeking refuge with a group of outlaws.

There was so much about this world that I was curious about that I hope more books are written in it especially focusing on women trapped to live as broodmares. I didn't think this book suffered from focusing on Ada's experience especially with her being such a wonderfully rich character. Those she encounters in the Hole in the Wall Gang all add nuances to the world building with their stories and desire to create sanctuary.

This may be speculative fiction but it is still very much a western a heart as well. As outlaws there are heists to plan and plans go awry. This book did not skimp on the action or on the consequences.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to expect and found it to be a gripping western adventure with substance to the story, not too deep or dark but also not frivolous.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm recommending Outlawed to all my colleagues and patrons! What a great combination of an alternate history/post-pandemic story, with reproductive freedom, gender, and race issues. The women in the story are so resourceful, and the description was so vivid that I felt like I really saw the Mothering Day celebration. This should be a movie.

In a new world with very old world values a woman's only purpose is to bear children. Ada assumes that she too will marry and someday take over her mother's role as midwife. She does marry but that is where the dream ends as she is barren. Her husband's family turns her out and she is blamed for being a witch. Running seems to be the only option - first to a convent and then later to the famous Hole in the Wall to become an outlaw. These women outlaws are planning something really big and dangerous and as Ada comes to know these women she finds herself being drawn to this life and changing the way the world views women. Being rejected from everything she has ever known may put her in a position to be strong and be herself - if she can live long enough. Violence and misadventures follow this group of society rejects in a wild Yee-haw western with a feminist bent.
Readers of UPRIGHT WOMEN WANTED, HOW MUCH THESE HILLS IS GOLD andPLAIN BAD HEROINES will find much to love. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for providing me with an excerpt in exchange of my honest review.

I'm torn between giving this book a 2.5 and 3 stars. The book itself I can't say much on. It starts off with Ada getting married and describing her life briefly over the year. In that year's time, she describes the births she's seen her mother help, describes how her marriage was and how she's a "barren woman" aka she's infertile.

The book deals a lot more than I was expecting with the concept of infertility and even mentions and talks about menstruations quite a bit. This is the only really specific and positive thing I can talk about as everything else in the book, it was mediocre. It's a "don't hate it, don't love it kind of book"

Although, the ending absolutely was not great at all, I didn't like the ending at all. It felt completely out of place in my personal opinion.

In the town of Fairchild, nothing is more sacred than the baby Jesus. Having children is the most noble thing you can do, and if a woman is unable to get pregnant, she's declared "barren", accused of witchcraft, and typically hanged. Unable to conceive after a year of marriage, Ada escapes a disastrous fate by joining a convent-- a common place for barren women to seek refuge. However, Ada isn't sure she's suited for this life, but no one will let a barren woman become a midwife as she'd been trained by her own mother. There's only one option left-- find the infamous Hole in the Wall gang, a ragtag group of (mostly) women known for their cunning and thievery. But what can she offer them in return to joining forces, and is the outlaw life worth the risks? OUTLAWED kept me up all night and into the next day; I was so immersed and enthralled in North's version of 1894 Midwest America! I feel like right now in pop culture there is a gay, feminist, cowpoke renaissance, and the timing for OUTLAWED couldn't be better suited! So get on your best boots, ready your saddles, and prepare yourself for a true showdown for freedom and adventure.

I am still trying to decide how I feel about this book. I am in between a three and a five star. I really, really enjoyed it. But I had trouble keeping the characters straight. I felt like there was a really good story there and a really good message in the story, but I wasn't pulled in as strongly as I would have liked to have been. I do want to say though, that Ada was a great character.

i really enjoyed getting to know Ada, I found her story really interesting, it was like a really good western movie, I could see this being a film.

"Outlawed" is quite an original. It's about a teenaged girl who is cast out of her marriage and community and ends up joining a gang of outlaws. Given how settlers equate infertility with witchcraft and worship baby Jesus exclusively, never mentioning adult Jesus or God, this feels more like feminist fantasy in an alternative history of the West than straight up historical fiction. The ending felt slightly abrupt, probably because I was disinclined to leave Ada and get out of her head. "Outlawed" is very well written, and the plot gallops right along.

Ada's first-person narration drew me right in from page one and I identified with her fitting into the band of outlaws in some ways but not in others. While her circumstances have pushed her into a risky life of violence and rebellion outside of society, that isn't who Ada really is. As a healer, Ada needs to be in a community, but free of control by others, to fully use her gifts.

I wanted the Hole in the Wall gang to succeed in their dastardly endeavors and remain free to do their own thing and write their own rules in the wild open spaces of early America: to carve out a sort of feminist paradise, to have a Desert Hideaway of Their Own. I also wanted Ada to be free to determine her own destiny in keeping with her gifts and talents.

Since I knew only that it was a western with a female lead character when the publisher sent me a digital advanced readers copy, the characterization of the novel held some wonderful surprises. Pigeonholing this novel as a book about gender may cause many readers and book clubs to give it a miss when they might be as delighted by it as I am. It's up there with "Lonesome Dove" and "The Sisters Brothers" as an epic Western that I'd recommend to thoughtful readers of all kinds.

This is not my usual genre, but I was intrigued by the premise enough to give it a shot. I've not read much historical fiction that reimagines the past, but I really liked how the author pulled it off in this book! The main character Ada is relatable, and the narrative was clear from the beginning. It made it easy to understand the underlying premises of the world, and how that impacted lives.

It was action packed, feminist, and easy to read without feeling simplistic or boring. If you're into feminist, historical, or dystopian fiction set in the American West you will really enjoy this book!

Is a sort of post-apocalyptic 1890s America, Ada is the daughter and apprentice of the midwife in a small town in the Dakotas. She is branded a witch and forced to flee from her hometown because she is barren. She makes her way to a convent filled with other barren women and vows to seek out the causes of barrenness in order to help herself and others. Then, hold on to your horse, she joins up with a group of lady outlaws who dress as men. Their leader, the charismatic Kid, who envisions creating a haven for women who have been misused and cast aside, concocts a dangerous plan that threatens to tear the gang apart. The story had me riveted from the beginning to the end. It's a western, a modern day commentary on women's rights and a page-turning adventure rolled into one.

This book was Ok. I enjoyed the unique look at history, taking actual outlaws from the Hole in the Wall Gang (News, Doc, Texas, Kid) and making them women. The idea that women who were barren would be judged to be witches and cast out of society was one I’d never heard before, but was believable for the times in which the novel was set. And it was perfectly believable that these women would find each other and form a unique ‘family’ of their own. In spite of their lawlessness, which was born out of necessity, all characters were likable and I couldn’t help rooting for them. At times, however, I had a hard time suspending disbelief. There were a few places where the story twists seemed contrived and too convenient. The author utilized what I call the ‘knight in shiny white armor tactic’ whereby a character conveniently shows up to save the day. Overall, however, this was an enjoyable read.

I really like feminist Westerns--think Melissa Lenhardt's Sawbones novels and TV shows like Strange Empire and Deadwood--so I was definitely the right audience for this book! It read as more of a genre mashup than I expected based on the description (even with The Handmaid's Tale reference), and like alternate history and literary fiction in various places, which didn't diminish my reading pleasure but might make it harder to categorize when recommending to potential readers. Still, I'd be up for the challenge! I was also totally into the retro-looking cover.

Newlywed Ada’s wedded bliss, is coming to an end.

After months of not being able to conceive, Ada is labeled as barren and kicked out of her husband’s home. The whispering starts. The accusations follow. The witch hunt begins. Ada’s midwife/healer mother knows what’s coming next and sends Ada away to a convent, desperate for her daughter’s safety.

Hidden in the quiet convent life gives Ada plenty of time to realize that what she really wants to do, is learn how to help other barren women. In order for that to happen, Ada must study with a renowned researcher but needs to figure out a way to get there. That means leaving the safety of the convent walls and seeking out notorious outlaw, The Kid and gang. Having braved the perilous journey to Hole in the Wall, Ada is met with hostility and reluctance to let her stay. After Ada’s doctoring talents prove her worthy, she is soon installed as a member and discovers that she has more in common with the outcasts than she could have thought.

Anna North world-builds a traditional Western background and fuses it with dystopian literature in this unique and singular sensation.

Outlawed is simply brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Bloomsbury Publishing for the read of Anna North’s, Outlawed.

Opinions expressed are my own.

An interesting gender-flipped take on Billy the Kid. Well written and engrossing, I read it in one sitting.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel! As soon as I read about female outlaws I was sold! The novel is fast paces and focuses both on the relationships and bonds between the characters as well as the adventures they go on. I wish that it had been a little longer and that the relationships and characters (particularly Lark, the Kid and the other members of the gang) had been fleshed out a little bit more. I really wanted to know more details about their lives and personalities and felt that sometimes we didn't get enough of this. That being said, I thought the idea was cool and done well and definitely enjoyed the story!

Really probably a 3 star, but I hesitate to go so low. I really want to give this book a higher rating, but it just never quite clicked for me. It's not bad by any stretch. What's there is terrific, and well worth a read. The author created some great characters and gave them a great story. But at the same time, it didn't feel fleshed out enough. The book ultimately felt unfinished, or a draft of what it could have been. The potential was there, it just wasn't fulfilled. But what IS there is definitely worth rounding up to four stars for.

"We may be barren in body, dear Doctor, but we shall be fathers of many nations, fathers and mothers both...I knew that we would build a nation of the dispossessed, where we would not be barren women, but kings."

In the year 1894, Ada aims to live married life in the way all women in her town do--focused on bearing many children. But when Ada's attempts to get pregnant fail month over month, she's faced with the threat of hanging for being a barren "witch." With the goal of heading West to study alongside a knowledgable midwife and doctor, Ada joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang--a group of barren women trying to find community and build a better world for women like them--and is faced with tough decisions about morality, found family and her calling.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for providing the free e-galley!
I wasn't completely sure what to think while reading this book. The story starts off slow as Ada sets the scene in her western town and its strangely Handmaids Tale-esque way of thinking. But it doesn't truly pick up until Ada is fully immersed in the Hole in the Wall Gang several chapters later, and by then, I was largely trying to keep all of the members and their backstories and relationships straight.

I liked Ada, her determination and her passion for both following in her mother's footsteps and paving a new path for herself. However, I was left confused halfway through when Ada's mission to go to Pagosa Springs was not mentioned in dialogue nor in her thoughts at all. It almost seemed like that piece of her story was pushed aside to highlight more bandit shenanigans.

It was refreshing to see a feminist tale of cowboys and adventures in the West, and there was a lot of genderqueer and LGBTQIA+ story infused in to challenge the traditional notions in the larger setting. But one aspect bothered me: Lark and Ada's relationship felt too trope-y. It seemed heavily implied Lark was gay, and while he may have been bisexual, his interest in Ada (in her feminine persona) came out of left field for me. I appreciated what the relationship did for Ada's character, but I was left feeling like the relationship was forced.

In the end, I was rooting for Ada and her new calling, as well as for the Hole in the Wall Gang and their efforts to provide a haven for women who don't fit the confines of the strict world they were born in, but I was also left wanting something more.

This title will appeal to women's literature and historical fiction lovers. Rich characters with unique plot will keep the reader reading.

The tale takes place at the end of the 19th century where the wild west was still a dangerous place especially for women that didn't conform to the norms expected by society.
Anna North grasps the conditions of that period as our hero has to make her way through lessons in life while searching for sanctuary and security making for an original coming of age saga that all should enjoy.
Racism, intermarriage, gay and lesbian issues are touched on in a positive manner and a big shout out for that.
For historians I like the nod to Butch Cassidy and the hole in the wall gang and using some of the original gang
members names, Texan, Kid, News, Elzy
An independent review thanks to NetGalley / Bloomsbury