Fiction

Women Talking

Women Talking

  • Downloads：2364
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-03-08 08:58:49
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Miriam Toews
  • ISBN：0571340334
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

**READ THE BOOK BEFORE YOU WATCH THE MAJOR FILM STARRING CLAIRE FOY， JESSIE BUCKLEY， ROONEY MARA AND BEN WHISHAW**

'Don't miss this。' MARGARET ATWOOD
'Beautiful。 。 。 a novel for the times。' LISA McINERNEY
'Tender， enraging and brimming with a bitter wit。' The Times
'An astonishment， a volcano of a novel。' LAUREN GROFF

In a remote Mennonite colony， over a hundred girls and women were knocked unconscious and violated-by what many thought were ghosts or demons-as punishment for their sins。 Their accounts were chalked up to 'wild female imagination。'

Women Talking is an imagined response to these real events。 When the women learn that they were in fact drugged and attacked by men in their community， they hold a secret meeting in a hayloft。 They have two days to make a plan before the rapists are bailed out and brought home: will they dare to escape？

'Profound， affecting stuff。' Sunday Telegraph
'Brave and thoughtful。' Observer

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Reviews

maisy ，

God， I hate it when authors think they’re above grammar。 I really wanted to enjoy this as it’s an area of interest for me but I just couldn’t get into it。 Slow moving and so rushed at the end。

Molly ，

A hauntingly beautiful book。

Tricia Hewines ，

Having grown up in a restrictive religious Protestant sect， this book is so accurate that it brought up a lot of long-repressed emotions for me。 The coldness of the women in the book that some reviewers can’t relate to， is exactly spot on。 The women are a stunted version of their full selves- they are taught not to trust their emotions or even how to express their true emotions。 They rely solely on what is done in the church， how their actions will appear before God and others and， since I did t Having grown up in a restrictive religious Protestant sect， this book is so accurate that it brought up a lot of long-repressed emotions for me。 The coldness of the women in the book that some reviewers can’t relate to， is exactly spot on。 The women are a stunted version of their full selves- they are taught not to trust their emotions or even how to express their true emotions。 They rely solely on what is done in the church， how their actions will appear before God and others and， since I did the same， the decision that these women make is revolutionary in a way that maybe can’t be fully understood if you didn’t grow up in this world。 The discussions in this book are the start of the seeds of feminism and freedom that I envision， in my own female imagination， they eventually arrive at。 。。。more

Timothy Kessler ，

Excellent read！ Very compelling story and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it。 Definitely spreading the word about this amazing book！

Allison Chanin ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I thought it was very interesting。 I was a bit saddened at the end that august was left behind。 But I thought it was very unique and I found the format engaging and the characters unique and compelling。

Ms。 Washburn ，

This was so good and so so depressing。 Men are the worst。

Sophie-Mae Bolger ，

I absolutely devoured this book。 I’m heartbroken people have rated it so low！ its literally called women talking people！！ I am often fascinated by cults and having grown up deep in the church and now out of it， i think its a beautiful depiction of people having a crisis of faith。 Its utterly heartbreaking and utterly empowering at the same time。 Each sentence could be another bombshell dropped so you’re never off your guard。 I absolutely loved it and I could find no fault。 I think it should be c I absolutely devoured this book。 I’m heartbroken people have rated it so low！ its literally called women talking people！！ I am often fascinated by cults and having grown up deep in the church and now out of it， i think its a beautiful depiction of people having a crisis of faith。 Its utterly heartbreaking and utterly empowering at the same time。 Each sentence could be another bombshell dropped so you’re never off your guard。 I absolutely loved it and I could find no fault。 I think it should be compulsive reading for all women， and i wish we had discussed this in school instead of the awful narrative of handmaids tale， which in theory is a good concept but doesn’t reflect the *actual* reality of people in these cults/colonies。 。。。more

Mary ，

Boring

Irene ，

Needs a higher review for its sensitive treatment of two intriguing characters， August， the rare man integral to the story， and Ona， the Mary Magdalen of this community， who readers will love unconditionally。 The concept is intriguing and it's actually based on a real incident。 A group of Mennonite women gather to settle their future in a community that has experienced horrors。 But the one day this meeting takes place is endless and conversations drag off the subject， often involving petty argum Needs a higher review for its sensitive treatment of two intriguing characters， August， the rare man integral to the story， and Ona， the Mary Magdalen of this community， who readers will love unconditionally。 The concept is intriguing and it's actually based on a real incident。 A group of Mennonite women gather to settle their future in a community that has experienced horrors。 But the one day this meeting takes place is endless and conversations drag off the subject， often involving petty arguments， before the reader is screaming at the women， DO SOMETHING BEFORE THE MEN COME BACK！ I don't want to give end away but there's a frustrating tension running throughout this particular long day and the ending is a total surprise！ 。。。more

Amanda ，

The content was good but the writing style and I did not get along。 I read this as an ebook and it was overwhelming to see the book broken up into only a few parts， with the majority of the book being a 100+ page chunk。 Daunting。

Alex Rye ，

“We are wasting time， pleads Greta， by passing this burden， this sack of stones， from one to the next， by pushing our pain away。 We mustn’t do this。 We mustn’t play Hot Potato with our pain。 Let’s absorb it ourselves， each of us， she says。 Let’s inhale it， let’s digest it， let’s process it into fule。” — miriam toews the title of this book definitely didn’t lie: the women do indeed talk。 and that’s pretty much all that happens throughout the span of the novel。 i read this book for my book club an “We are wasting time， pleads Greta， by passing this burden， this sack of stones， from one to the next， by pushing our pain away。 We mustn’t do this。 We mustn’t play Hot Potato with our pain。 Let’s absorb it ourselves， each of us， she says。 Let’s inhale it， let’s digest it， let’s process it into fule。” — miriam toews the title of this book definitely didn’t lie: the women do indeed talk。 and that’s pretty much all that happens throughout the span of the novel。 i read this book for my book club and was horrified to learn the events of this novel were based off of a true story。 i went into this book expecting a feminist novelization of a true story， but instead we get this very philosophical round table discussion about religion， morality， and what it means to truly leave the colony。 there were parts of this book where i was simply just bored。 the conversations， while realistic， were very circular and i found myself repeatedly losing interest。 my biggest critique about the novel is that this so called feminist narrative is told through the POV of a man， august。 i know people argue that it’s because the story is framed in the structure of minutes and the women are illiterate， but it still didn’t make sense to me。 the “telling the story in minutes” really fell flat in my opinion when the women FINALLY left and it happened in basically a page。 i felt like we’ve painstakingly been building up to this moment the whole novel only for the actual leaving of the women to be a blip on the page。 a very odd choice to me。 。。。more

Karli Sherwinter ，

3。5 stars。 I know this book was based on true events， but the idea that the women met in a secret circle to discuss all of the logistics of staying versus leaving the colony is entirely fiction。 Had that been part of the true story， I think I would’ve connected more with this novel。 The actual true story is incredibly horrific， and it’s difficult to believe that such terrible crimes could have been committed on a regular basis to so many women and children。 This book makes the Mennonite religion 3。5 stars。 I know this book was based on true events， but the idea that the women met in a secret circle to discuss all of the logistics of staying versus leaving the colony is entirely fiction。 Had that been part of the true story， I think I would’ve connected more with this novel。 The actual true story is incredibly horrific， and it’s difficult to believe that such terrible crimes could have been committed on a regular basis to so many women and children。 This book makes the Mennonite religion seem like a cult。 I guess I don’t know enough about it to say one way or another。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This book had such an interesting plot but the content was so lack luster。 These women making the decision to leave the only home they have ever known to keep themselves and their children safe after being completely violated in every way possible。 The premise of this story is horrifying and outraging but the delivery of this story was awful。 Women talking and boy did they。 😭 there was too much philosophical pondering and a lot of words but nothing being said。 I wanted to know more about the wom This book had such an interesting plot but the content was so lack luster。 These women making the decision to leave the only home they have ever known to keep themselves and their children safe after being completely violated in every way possible。 The premise of this story is horrifying and outraging but the delivery of this story was awful。 Women talking and boy did they。 😭 there was too much philosophical pondering and a lot of words but nothing being said。 I wanted to know more about the women and what they thought and their journey。 Instead this book was narrated by a man who took “minutes” while also writing down his two cents of a two day meeting where nothing happened。 This didn’t give what it could’ve。 。。。more

Nastia ，

fuego y miel

Kristi Kasper ，

I have enjoyed following the recent celebration of this Canadian authored （Miriam Toews） book in light of the fact that it has been turned into a movie and is nominated for two Academy Awards。 What’s more， Canadian treasure Sarah Polley directed this movie！ Go Canada！ March 12 is the big day。I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie and it was nice reading it while there is so much hype about it。 It was a really unique and powerful book。 Inspired by real life events， the story takes pla I have enjoyed following the recent celebration of this Canadian authored （Miriam Toews） book in light of the fact that it has been turned into a movie and is nominated for two Academy Awards。 What’s more， Canadian treasure Sarah Polley directed this movie！ Go Canada！ March 12 is the big day。I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie and it was nice reading it while there is so much hype about it。 It was a really unique and powerful book。 Inspired by real life events， the story takes place at a Mennonite colony after many women had been drugged and raped by their fellow colony members。 The women secretly gather away from the men to discuss their future and to decide if they should flee or fight or simply do nothing。 Though these are devastating circumstances the issues that these women must face and talk about are complex and layered and an interesting examination of religion， motherhood and feminism。 I really enjoyed this powerful story and can’t wait to see the film。 。。。more

Sheri ，

This is not “entertaining” but it is very very good。 Thought provoking， nausea inducing， while being whimsy at times， then heart breaking a moment later。 I mostly like this because it’s so very different from what I usually read， my brain is very appreciative for the deep dive。

Emma ，

I had thought this book would be a lot different than it actually was。 Was still good and thought provoking but I didn’t realize what I would actually be reading。 I thought it would be more similar to handmaidens tale which it does have similarities for sure but I think I just wanted more of a plot like multiple times/people/storylines and felt kinda flat when it was just primarily about the meetings。

Nilu ，

4。5 StarsA brave and tremendous literary piece based on true events。 I’m in awe of the narrative style that describes the aftermath of a hideous crime against females ， perpetrated by men belonging to a strict religious community。The story is about how the victims （The Women） addresses the issue and take stock of their lives。This story reminds us yet again ， that Atwood’s ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ is not just a figment of imagination。

Tan Clare ，

I have rather conflicted feeling about this novella。 The real life tragedy that it is based on， makes for a very compelling premise， but the execution made for a very theoretical and detached reading experience， squandering its potential。 Or maybe it a matter of form or tone， as many before me have stated in their review。 Hopefully the film adaptation makes a more riveting experience。 I have rather conflicted feeling about this novella。 The real life tragedy that it is based on， makes for a very compelling premise， but the execution made for a very theoretical and detached reading experience， squandering its potential。 Or maybe it a matter of form or tone， as many before me have stated in their review。 Hopefully the film adaptation makes a more riveting experience。 。。。more

Nancy Lien ，

Mennonite women fleeing abuse。

Sophie ，

the title explains the plot of this book pretty well。 went in thinking i‘d read a feminist response to these incidents but got majorly disappointed。 also why was there a male narrator…？ did not fit this story at all

Ash ，

DNF at 10%。 Skipped into the book to see what I was missing and it wasn’t much。 Boring。 This book reminded me of my personal rule for books: if goodreads gives it less than 3。9 stars， don’t spend money on it。

Bonnie Pace ，

DNF。 I couldn’t get into the format of the book。 It was all just reading the minutes of meetings。

Risa Hunter ，

So much about religion， the patriarchal systems that keep women subjected to physical and emotional violence， and the human desire to achieve freedom。 I loved this book。

qrecomiendas Paola Fuchs ，

“La única certidumbre que conoceremos es la incertidumbre。”“Somos mujeres sin voz。 Somos mujeres fuera del tiempo y del espacio， sin ni siquiera el idioma del país donde vivimos。 Somos menonitas sin patria。”

Melissa ，

There is a lot going on in this book。 The context of the story is horrific and deeply disturbing。 The novel itself is just as the title suggests - women talking。 But I wasn’t always sure exactly what they were talking about。 It was occasionally interesting， frequently upsetting， and mostly not very clear to me what I was supposed to glean from their rambling conversation。

Nancy Lauer ，

3。5 stars

Heather ，

Too much talking

Lori ，

This book speaks of the subjugation and repression of women that has occurred throughout human history。 It speaks of the brutality and injustice of the patriarchal system， the perversion of faith to justify male dominance and all actions of men against women。 It speaks to societies who value livestock more than women。 It speaks to generational cycles that teach both men and women to accept abuse as normalcy in life。 It speaks to men teaching this to boys， and women teaching this to girls。 It spe This book speaks of the subjugation and repression of women that has occurred throughout human history。 It speaks of the brutality and injustice of the patriarchal system， the perversion of faith to justify male dominance and all actions of men against women。 It speaks to societies who value livestock more than women。 It speaks to generational cycles that teach both men and women to accept abuse as normalcy in life。 It speaks to men teaching this to boys， and women teaching this to girls。 It speaks to the importance of education for girls and women， and the impulse of some societies to estrange women from the world around them and hold them prisoner with illiteracy， brute force， generational cycles， and a weaponized faith。But above all， it speaks of women’s strength， perseverance， and determination， particularly when their children are threatened or harmed。 This book is the epitome of the saying， “There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise。” 。。。more

Esquejes Lunares ，

En esta novela Miriam Toews nos enseña que siempre hay luz en la oscuridad y que， por muy naif que pueda sonar， el odio se combate con y desde el amor。 Un libro tan duro de leer como necesario。

tpg0 ，

As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions， emotions， or beliefs， but I can give you an overview of the book 'Women Talking。' 'Women Talking' is a novel authored by Miriam Toews and published in 2018。 It tells the story of a group of Mennonite women who've survived a violent attack by the men in their community。 The women are gathered in a hayloft to decide their future courses of action - whether to stay and fight or leave the community altogether。 The book explores themes such as gender inequality， patriarchy， religion， and trauma。 The main characters are August Epp， a man who's been trusted to record the women's deliberations， and the women themselves - Agatha， Mejal， Ona， Neitje， Greta， Salome， Mariche， and Taisia。 The narrative style is in the form of minutes taken during these meetings， and the book's ending is both unexpected and satisfying。 Overall， the story is powerful， moving， and thought-provoking， and it's a must-read for those who are interested in social justice， feminism， and human rights issues。

tpg1 ，

As an AI language model， I don't have a personal preference for a book。 However， I can provide some information about the book 'Women Talking。' 'Women Talking' is a novel by Canadian writer Miriam Toews。 The book was published on August 21， 2018。 The novel is based on a true story about a group of women from a Mennonite colony in Bolivia who were drugged and raped by men in their community over a period of two years。 The women were left unconscious and woke up next day with little memory of the events that happened the night before。 The book is a fictionalized account of the women's conversations as they try to decide what to do in the aftermath of the rapes。 The story portrays the women's resilience， resourcefulness， and spirit as they struggle to come to terms with what has happened to them。 Many readers have praised the book for its powerful portrayal of women's experiences of trauma， the strength of women’s bonds， social injustice， and identity formation。

tpg2 ，

As an AI language model， I don't have personal emotions or opinions， but I can provide you with some general information about the book "Women Talking。" "Women Talking" is a novel by Canadian author Miriam Toews。 The story is based on true incidents that occurred in a Mennonite colony in Bolivia， where a group of men had been drugging and raping the women in their community。 The novel explores the aftermath of these events， as a group of women gather to decide how they will respond to the trauma。 The book received critical acclaim for Toews' thought-provoking and engaging writing style， as well as its exploration of complex themes such as trauma， faith， and justice。 It is considered a powerful and moving read that sheds light on issues of gender inequality and violence against women。 Overall， "Women Talking" is a sobering but ultimately uplifting portrait of resilience and the power of community， making it a worthwhile and important read for anyone interested in fiction that grapples with urgent social issues。

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Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Women Talking

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Women Talking&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Women Talking&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0