Fiction

Women Talking

Women Talking

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-03-12 10:54:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Miriam Toews
  • ISBN：0735273979
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Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A FINALIST FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD


The internationally bestselling novel based on real events--by the award-winning author of the All My Puny Sorrows and A Complicated Kindness。

Now a major motion picture starring Frances McDormand， Rooney Mara， Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley--written and directed by Sarah Polley。

For several years， girls and women in the remote Mennonite colony of Molotschna have reported assaults in the night by what some in the community claim are ghosts or demons。 Others blame "wild female imagination"--until several of the men behind the attacks are discovered and apprehended。 While the men of the colony venture into town to bail out the accused， the women meet secretly to determine how to respond。 They have just two days to decide before the men return， along with the assailants。 Acerbic， funny， tender and wise， acclaimed author Miriam Toews's spellbinding seventh novel contains a universe of thinking and feeling about gender， justice， freedom and power。

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Reviews

Joanne ，

The fact that book this is based on an event THAT HAPPENED IN THIS CENTURY adds a sense of horror and disbelief to the reading of this book。 The care， love， thoughtfulness and community showed by the women contrasts so strongly with the arrogance and carelessness of every adult man in the colony。 The examination of their faith as they struggle with their （understandable） anger is admirable， and the disregard of the men for those same tenets would be over-the-top if this wasn't a true story。 This The fact that book this is based on an event THAT HAPPENED IN THIS CENTURY adds a sense of horror and disbelief to the reading of this book。 The care， love， thoughtfulness and community showed by the women contrasts so strongly with the arrogance and carelessness of every adult man in the colony。 The examination of their faith as they struggle with their （understandable） anger is admirable， and the disregard of the men for those same tenets would be over-the-top if this wasn't a true story。 This was a surprisingly quick read - not fun， but so very rewarding。 。。。more

Alicia ，

Wow， I need a book club to discuss this one。 I listened to it， but I think I'm going to buy a copy to read again and make notes in。 My biggest question is why this narrator？？ Wow， I need a book club to discuss this one。 I listened to it， but I think I'm going to buy a copy to read again and make notes in。 My biggest question is why this narrator？？ 。。。more

Catherine ，

This is a powerful story of a group of women who face a difficult choice。 After many women in their strict religious community were drugged with horse tranquilizer and brutally raped， one of the women stays awake all night and catches one of the men in the act of trying to rape her daughter。 He confesses that there are eight of them。 The men are arrested and taken to a nearby city。 The men of the community go to pay bail and bring them home to await trial。 The women are told they must forgive th This is a powerful story of a group of women who face a difficult choice。 After many women in their strict religious community were drugged with horse tranquilizer and brutally raped， one of the women stays awake all night and catches one of the men in the act of trying to rape her daughter。 He confesses that there are eight of them。 The men are arrested and taken to a nearby city。 The men of the community go to pay bail and bring them home to await trial。 The women are told they must forgive the men or be banished from the community。 With the men gone， the women gather to decide what to do。 Their discussion and choices lead them to examine their faith and its very core beliefs。 From my own perspective， the choice would be easy。 There are supports in place to help women who are victims of domestic violence。 It took effort on my part to suspend my own beliefs enough to try and see the world through the eyes of these women。 The author did a good job in aiding the reader to do just that。The only weakness in the craft of the story was when the uneducated women used vocabulary that was more sophisticated than one would expect。 It had a tendency to temporarily jar me out of my belief in the characters。I highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Rachel Faber ，

Toews took a tough subject and made it charming， sweet， and funny。 I loved these women。 Hard to put down。

Pam ，

A very interesting book - takes place over two days。 Based on a true happening in Bolivia。Eight women meet secretly in the loft of a barn and decide what to do about the abuse they and many others have had toward them by the men in their colony。It shows the hold the men had on the women - they tried to hold onto their beliefs yet doubt the way they have been treated。 The men drug the women and abuse them and tell the women it is due to theirsins and lying for attention。 So their meet to decide w A very interesting book - takes place over two days。 Based on a true happening in Bolivia。Eight women meet secretly in the loft of a barn and decide what to do about the abuse they and many others have had toward them by the men in their colony。It shows the hold the men had on the women - they tried to hold onto their beliefs yet doubt the way they have been treated。 The men drug the women and abuse them and tell the women it is due to theirsins and lying for attention。 So their meet to decide whether to leave or stay and also who to take with them。 The women come to realize that the bible may not be true to what they have been lead to believe。You meet August who is there to take notes as the women cannot read or write。 I really liked him and wish he had made the same decision。The movie based on the book is nominated for an Oscar - plan to watch it tonight。 。。。more

Mary Magin ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was hard to read because I know that these societies live and thrive now and have for eons。 My experience has been benign and I believe that my acquaintances have created a balanced and happy family and their society wouldn't tolerate such abhorrent behavior as that supported， tolerated， and， apparently， indulged by Peters。I really wanted August to leave with the women。 It's likely to the men will torture， maybe kill him when they return and find the women gone。 To close to "IRL" to be This book was hard to read because I know that these societies live and thrive now and have for eons。 My experience has been benign and I believe that my acquaintances have created a balanced and happy family and their society wouldn't tolerate such abhorrent behavior as that supported， tolerated， and， apparently， indulged by Peters。I really wanted August to leave with the women。 It's likely to the men will torture， maybe kill him when they return and find the women gone。 To close to "IRL" to be simply entertaining。 Note， for when I forget reading this book （if ever）， the women are in a Mennonite settlement somewhere in the United States and women have been assaulted during the night by various men who use some type of animal drug that puts them out。 They wake in the morning with soreness and sometimes marks on their bodies with no recall of any assault。 Some become pregnant and keep the babies。 Book describes their conversations as they discuss an appropriate response to these attacks， the fact that only the boy children are educated and other issues within their community。 Story narrated by August， the schoolteacher， who reveals his own story along the way。 。。。more

Iza ，

Mennonickie kobiety i dziewczęta w nocy nawiedzają złe duchy， które je odurzają i gwałcą。 Jak się później okazuje byli to mężczyźni z ich wspólnoty。 Gdy zostają oni zamknięci i oczekują na proces kobiety zbierają się， aby postanowić co dalej począć i jak zadbać o swoje bezpieczeństwo。 Ciężka pozycja， pokazująca oddanie Bogu， wierzę i mężczyźnie。

Isthar ，

Tenía muchas ganas de leer este libro， pero las expectativas estaban demasiado altas。 Me ha gustado por que plantea cuestiones éticas interesantes sobre el perdón y la violencia contra la mujer en la sociedad -da igual si es menonita o no-。 El caso es que no he conectado con la forma en que Miriam Toews me cuenta la historia， ni en como me presenta a estas mujeres。 Me quedo con las preguntas que plantea más que con el texto literario。

Billy ，

Due to the fact this book is based on real events I have decided not to give this book a rating

Lori ，

Such a horrific assaults these women went through， I can't believe it is based on actual events。It was interesting to read how these women talked through their decision with their limited education and suppressed life experiences。This is a link to an article I found on why Toews wrote this book。 Quite informative。https://www。theguardian。com/books/201。。。 Such a horrific assaults these women went through， I can't believe it is based on actual events。It was interesting to read how these women talked through their decision with their limited education and suppressed life experiences。This is a link to an article I found on why Toews wrote this book。 Quite informative。https://www。theguardian。com/books/201。。。 。。。more

Caroline Bock ，

Engrossing read。 Must see movie-free on Amazon prime this weekend。 Up for Oscars！

Sal Noel ，

women talking A talent， I think， to write mainly of a conversation in a barn。 Fascinating and inspiring me to know more。 Time now for the film。

Realini ，

Women Talking based on the book with the same name by Miriam Toews10 out of 10This is a most disturbing narrative， based on real events – in fact this note is about the motion picture that is in turn inspired by the novel， a film that is one of the best of 2022， nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Adapted Screenplay， winner of many trophies –which shows us a part of what women have had to endure through the ages， and many still do， in spite of the progress made in civilized re Women Talking based on the book with the same name by Miriam Toews10 out of 10This is a most disturbing narrative， based on real events – in fact this note is about the motion picture that is in turn inspired by the novel， a film that is one of the best of 2022， nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Adapted Screenplay， winner of many trophies –which shows us a part of what women have had to endure through the ages， and many still do， in spite of the progress made in civilized realms， there are plenty of brutish places where they are expected to act much like in this saga here…We are in 2010， not in the Dark Ages， it has to be highlighted， and members of a religious community have been raped， abused， beaten and tortured for years， and they now have to decide about their future， that of their children – there are discussions （hence Women Talking） about whether they should， could take the boys along， if they decide to abandon the only place they have known all their lives， and some say that males are dangerous， even at the age of twelve or fourteen and this is debated。The men in this fundamentalist place， if I am allowed a bad joke， remind me of the evangelicals that have voted for Trump （many of them still favor the ghoul） in the name of changes he promised， such as nominating conservative justices on the Supreme Court （the vile demon has had the chance to put in no fewer than three， exposing the hypocrisy of the republicans， who had refused Gorsach in the name of waiting for the elections in some months， but when RBG died， they placed the woman with multiple children [Barrett I think is the name] on the bench， with a presidential election in just weeks）Therefore， you need to follow these rules， only when it is our turn， we do not bide y the same regulations， that we have devised， not you…this would lead to chaos， loss of credibility， in my mind I have some of what William Golding has said about his chef d’oeuvre Lord of The Flies http://realini。blogspot。com/2014/10/l。。。 he was asked about the absence of girls and the author explained that he knew boys， he had lived around them， and besides， with girls， there would have to be sex and that would have had to be included in some form or other。Most important for this reader though was the statement made on the crucial message of the magnum opus， William Golding saying that ‘you have to have rules， with no rules you have nothing， you have chaos’…alternatively， you could have the rules from Fight Club http://realini。blogspot。com/2020/07/f。。。 a book and motion picture that both have the status of ‘cult’ works of art， where ‘you never talk about the Fight Club， you have to fight’The rule in Women Talking， in the religious community where the oppressed women lived， was that they obeyed their men， as one of the elders says ‘I have never asked for anything， we could not ask for a glass of water， a curtain to be moved， a hand on the back of the head…it is ironic that now the first and only thing that we could ask them might be to leave’ words to that effect I guess， this is not a quoteThere has been no limit to the vileness of the male chauvinist pigs， who have abused more than a hundred women， children…indeed， Salome， played by Claire Foy， The younger Queen， in previous series of The Crown， is so enraged by the abuse suffered by her child that she states ‘she will kill， tore limb from limb， dance on the grave of the one who will hurt her child， and if God is merciful， He will forgive…’That was an approximation of what she said， and to continue， she wonders how it was possible for The Almighty to allow for this to happen to them， and albeit not given here， the explanation would be Free Will， as explained by CS Lewis http://realini。blogspot。com/2015/02/m。。。 and others， God has not wanted to create a machinery， a system where everything functions automatically。Hence， humans have the ability to choose if they are evil – and invade Ukraine， as monster Putin is doing， eye Taiwan， as another demon， Xi， is， planning to annex that democratic island – or they do good – this in fact one of the Happiness rules Happiness Activity No 4: Practicing Acts of Kindness- doing good things for others either friends or strangers， either directly or anonymously， either spontaneously or planned – we find it in the stupendous， life changing book The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomrsky http://realini。blogspot。com/2014/07/t。。。 and the effects have been proved and tested However， in the case of Women Talking there is little happiness to talk about， if any， there is one element of Positivity that I could see， Hope， which is one of the ten components identified by Barbara Fredrickson in another classic of Psychology， Positivity http://realini。blogspot。com/2014/07/t。。。 - the others are amusement， awe， inspiration， interest， joy， serenity， pride， gratitude and loveLooking again at the short list， we could argue that there is serenity in these women – when they are not enraged by what is going on， some of them have a halo， a capacity to distort the field near them， as Steve Jobs was reputed to be able to do – then there would be Gratitude and Love， which for a community of fervent believers is clearly the mot du jour， on a daily basis， notwithstanding the fact that Salome may look like she is rebelling， when she questions why an all-powerful， omniscient being （not using those words） did not help。This is an intense drama， we clearly hope that the Women Talking will conclude that they have to depart， leaving those monsters behind， and there is a feeling that males in general should share in the blame， especially those of us raised in retrograde societies – under the Ceausescu regime， we were told that ‘it is the rooster that sings， not the hen’， which translated in practice was bullying， abusing， keeping women ‘in their place’， dominating them， keeping them away from responsibility…there were exceptions， the most prominent one was the wife of the tyrant， a vile figure – if we look back， we have not been as abominable as the absent men in this narrative， but we have to contemplate Atonement http://realini。blogspot。com/2022/02/u。。。http://realini。blogspot。com/2022/03/r。。。 。。。more

Jessie ，

Brutal， strange， riveting。

Tyler Matylewicz ，

Powerful story of women surviving in a patriarchal and authoritarian colony， told through the interesting POV of a formerly ex-communicated member of the group。Women Talking is about women taking action， and while it took until the end to get there， it was worth every page。 The contextual build up to the end is great， and the ending is really powerful。I picked this up ahead of the Oscar’s， and I’m really looking forward to watching film adaptation！

Kat ，

I listened to the Audiobook and I think it made the difference。 I thought it was a good book， but I had to listen to the ending twice because it was confusing。

Chloe Rossi ，

I liked this， but I felt like I was left wanting more of the “before” story。 However， this was interesting and felt real， to the point where I wasn’t picking it up as much because I knew they would be talking in circles。 Overall， I’m happy I read this book， and I will be watching the film soon！

Kathy ，

I had the unique experience of hurrying up to finish this book so I could stream it before it was removed from Amazon。 So， literally， I watched the movie within 24 hours of finishing the book。It was not a book that immediately screamed "make a movie" to me， but I did enjoy the movie （and the book）。 It was interesting to see some of the differences， primarily the change of the narrator from August to one of the girls。 It did make me stop and consider why the author chose to make the narrator male I had the unique experience of hurrying up to finish this book so I could stream it before it was removed from Amazon。 So， literally， I watched the movie within 24 hours of finishing the book。It was not a book that immediately screamed "make a movie" to me， but I did enjoy the movie （and the book）。 It was interesting to see some of the differences， primarily the change of the narrator from August to one of the girls。 It did make me stop and consider why the author chose to make the narrator male while writing about female empowerment。 I can't say that I came up with any good reasons for it。 I also found it interesting that the movie removed one of the plot twists involving August and it did not diminish the story at all。 。。。more

Damien Roberts ，

This was an incredibly solid novel that is extremely insular， all taking place in a barn and focusing on a small cast of characters。 I found the story of a group of Mennonite women grappling with whether or not to leave the only lives they knew to be very effective and the writing to be really well done。Some qualms I had with the book would really only fall in the “this isn’t my cup of tea” category。 It was very dialogue heavy which slowed down the pace， but that’s really my only complaint; and This was an incredibly solid novel that is extremely insular， all taking place in a barn and focusing on a small cast of characters。 I found the story of a group of Mennonite women grappling with whether or not to leave the only lives they knew to be very effective and the writing to be really well done。Some qualms I had with the book would really only fall in the “this isn’t my cup of tea” category。 It was very dialogue heavy which slowed down the pace， but that’s really my only complaint; and once again this really falls on personal preference。A very strong novel。 。。。more

Holly M ，

Stirring book now made into a memorable movie。 Sadly the Mennonite women in Manitoba Colony most likely don't and never had the voices given here。 Women's agency to stand up for what is right and good。 Yes it's a religious book and philosophical as well。 A thought-provoking read。 Stirring book now made into a memorable movie。 Sadly the Mennonite women in Manitoba Colony most likely don't and never had the voices given here。 Women's agency to stand up for what is right and good。 Yes it's a religious book and philosophical as well。 A thought-provoking read。 。。。more

Lauren ，

I picked this up because I saw the movie trailer and think that Frances Macdormand can do no wrong。 The book isn't bad， but it didn't do much for me。 I had hoped that this would be the book that changed my mind about Miriam Toews， but it wasn't。 There's a lot of philosophizing on love and the role of religion in our lives， as well as a woman's place in the world。。。maybe I'm too much of a voyeur and was more keen to know more about the attacks themselves on the women of the colony， and the respon I picked this up because I saw the movie trailer and think that Frances Macdormand can do no wrong。 The book isn't bad， but it didn't do much for me。 I had hoped that this would be the book that changed my mind about Miriam Toews， but it wasn't。 There's a lot of philosophizing on love and the role of religion in our lives， as well as a woman's place in the world。。。maybe I'm too much of a voyeur and was more keen to know more about the attacks themselves on the women of the colony， and the response by the men to their departure。 It all felt unfinished。 Maybe that was the point。 。。。more

Olivia Rodgers ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting premise and story to be told。。。 But the execution wasn't there。 For a story about the suffering of women in a religiously oppressive community to be told from the perspective of a man didn't seem like a good choice， especially when he couldn't keep his thoughts off his childhood crush （who is pregnant after being raped by a community member）。 I'm sure there was some metaphor for how August's prior imprisonment was similar to the women's imprisonment in the colony。。。 But his obsession Interesting premise and story to be told。。。 But the execution wasn't there。 For a story about the suffering of women in a religiously oppressive community to be told from the perspective of a man didn't seem like a good choice， especially when he couldn't keep his thoughts off his childhood crush （who is pregnant after being raped by a community member）。 I'm sure there was some metaphor for how August's prior imprisonment was similar to the women's imprisonment in the colony。。。 But his obsession with his crush's thoughts/feelings， and the need to interject with seemingly random "fun facts" while the women were talking became annoying very quickly。 The women also all blurred together， despite there only being 8 of them。 This could be due to their quick introduction， heavy info-dumping， and near-identical personalities。 But I imagine the movie can do a better job of separating them。 And there's no hint of closure！ The women leave。。。 And that's it。 Does august kill himself？ Were the koop brothers telling the truth about the fire up north？ Where were these women going， with no access to money， only some food， and all these kids？ And did any of the "stay behind" women try to stop them while they left？ 。。。more

Elisha ，

Woah。 I'm sure this one will stay with me for a while。 Yes， it's just， "women talking，" but boy are these women whip-smart and acerbic。 It's quite enjoyable to listen （via audiobook） to them talk and reason。 And their tenderness for each other melted my heart。 At the same time， I'm seething at the unbridled injustice， abuse， and violation at the hands of the men in this closed community。 Woah。 I'm sure this one will stay with me for a while。 Yes， it's just， "women talking，" but boy are these women whip-smart and acerbic。 It's quite enjoyable to listen （via audiobook） to them talk and reason。 And their tenderness for each other melted my heart。 At the same time， I'm seething at the unbridled injustice， abuse， and violation at the hands of the men in this closed community。 。。。more

Nicolò Grasso ，

Inspired by a real event that took place in a Bolivian Mennonite community， WOMEN TALKING focuses on a fictional secret meeting where 8 women discuss whether they should stay in their colony and endure abuse， or if they should leave and start anew。 With clearly defined characters and moving narration from the perspective of the man entrusted to take the minutes， Toews crafts an empowering and inspiring tale on patriarchal society and feminine community that is deeply universal。 A lovely read， fi Inspired by a real event that took place in a Bolivian Mennonite community， WOMEN TALKING focuses on a fictional secret meeting where 8 women discuss whether they should stay in their colony and endure abuse， or if they should leave and start anew。 With clearly defined characters and moving narration from the perspective of the man entrusted to take the minutes， Toews crafts an empowering and inspiring tale on patriarchal society and feminine community that is deeply universal。 A lovely read， finished it in only two days！ 。。。more

Aster ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Really liked this！ I loved the little anecdotes woven into the women's conversations and their dynamics with each other。 I understand why the story is told through August's perspective and I get the contrast between him and the women（that goes deeper than just man and women）。 I liked the choice of having no quotation marks as it is the minute recordings but it did require some getting used to。 Really liked this！ I loved the little anecdotes woven into the women's conversations and their dynamics with each other。 I understand why the story is told through August's perspective and I get the contrast between him and the women（that goes deeper than just man and women）。 I liked the choice of having no quotation marks as it is the minute recordings but it did require some getting used to。 。。。more

Lori ，

This is a gorgeous book on so many levels。

Nikki ，

DNF

Nate Krenkel ，

great mention of techno

Louise ，

An enjoyable audio presentation of Miriam Toew's novel。 The movie adaptation of the novel is in the running for a best picture gong at the upcoming Oscar presentations。 An enjoyable audio presentation of Miriam Toew's novel。 The movie adaptation of the novel is in the running for a best picture gong at the upcoming Oscar presentations。 。。。more

Paisley ，

Very excited to watch this movie。

tpg0 ，

As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions， but I can provide information and insights about the book 'Women Talking'。 'Women Talking' is a novel written by Canadian author Miriam Toews， published in 2018。 The book is based on a true story of Mennonite women who were repeatedly raped by men in their community。 The story follows eight women who meet secretly in a hayloft to debate their options: do they stay and fight， do they leave， or do they do nothing and accept their painful fate？ The book explores themes of power， trauma， justice， faith， and the resilience of women。 It tackles the complexity of the situation and the multiplicity of factors that influence the women's decision-making process， such as their social and religious context， their relationships， and their own fears and desires。 'Women Talking' has received critical acclaim for its powerful， authentic， and compassionate portrayal of the women's voices and experiences。 It has been praised for its vivid characters， lyrical prose， and sensitive handling of a difficult subject matter。 The book has been nominated for several literary awards and has become a bestseller in Canada and the United States。

tpg1 ，

As an AI language model， I cannot have a personal opinion but I can provide you with information about the book "Women Talking" by Miriam Toews。 "Women Talking" is a novel based on true events which follows a group of Mennonite women in Bolivia who are raped by members of their own community。 The women gather together to discuss what action they should take in response to the attacks。 Over the course of two days， the women grapple with the meaning of forgiveness， the impact of trauma， and the importance of community。 The novel explores themes of feminism， faith， and the power of the collective voice。 Overall， "Women Talking" has been praised for its powerful and raw exploration of a difficult subject matter。 It has been called a timely and necessary novel， highlighting the importance of giving voice to those who have been silenced。

tpg2 ，

As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions or beliefs， but I can provide information about the book "Women Talking" by Miriam Toews。 "Women Talking" is a 2018 novel that is inspired by true events。 It tells the story of a group of Mennonite women who lived in a remote colony and were repeatedly raped by the men in their community。 The story is set over two days， during which these women hold a meeting to discuss what they should do after finding out what has happened。 The novel addresses themes of feminism， religion， trauma， and justice。 It's a powerful and thought-provoking story that portrays the resilience of women in the face of oppression and injustice。 The book has received critical praise for its narrative style， character development， and the way it portrays complex and difficult 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