Really cold, unengaging and hard to read

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one, although the many reviewers seem to like it based on its concept alone. I prefer a book I can emotionally engage in, rather than a 10+ hour overview of a situation.

What was most disappointing about Naomi Alderman’s story?

Everything is described as if from a distance, like a traffic report. There is zero chance to emotionally engage or empathise with the characters. The whole book is based on one feminist premise, which is actually a good idea, but the writing is very poor, well, maybe not the writing so much as the perspective. It's like the stories kids write at school: 'and then this happened, then this happened, then this happened.'

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrators were ok and did what they could with the material. They had a slight edgy anxiety to their reading which I suppose was meant to match the pace of the story, but it just made me annoyed because the story was so boring.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Power?

I'd give the manuscript back to the writer and tell them to change it to first person and put emotions and thoughts of the characters in it, rather than just a great long description of a situation.

Any additional comments?

Pretentious, badly drawn up. Good premise. The reviews in the press and on here make me wonder how many journalists Naomi Alderman knows personally.

60 people found this helpful

Reeling from the power of this book.

I may become a bit evangelical in my wish to share this book... It is astonishingly good. This book makes me feel invincible. (Hope I remember soon that I don't, in fact, have The Power so I'm not!)
Can't say too much in case of spoilers, but it's so clever and thought-provoking and engaging, it's hard to 'put down'. It is blunt in places - the reversal of women using rape as an instrument of war, for example - but some bits so subtle it's almost painful to realise how immune we are to incipient sexism until we hear it reversed in this way. The conversation between the two authors at the opening and closing of the book is a superb illustration, and the final line just says it all.
Honourable mention should go to the narrator who is *phenomenal*. Great dramatic performance AND she's very good at the many different international and regional accents, which is often such an irritation.
Can't praise it highly (or articulately) enough.

49 people found this helpful

Oh, I really am not sure I can make it to the end....

So, I don’t like being negative about any literature generally... and even shy away from reviews unless the whole experience is one I would recommend.. but this is really grating on me now, I am about 2/3 of the way through and unlike pretty much every one of my audio previous books ( of which would number in the hundreds), I don’t think I can make it all the way through. The narrator is good most of the time and her “normal” voice is sufficiently husky (filthy) and likeable (sexy) to narrate well, however the Russian and Nigerian accents do start to struggle at times to the degree I find myself thinking about skipping forwards to avoid them (but stugglingly haven’t so far), regardless of missing any plot twists (although there don’t seem to be any evidence there will be an clever sub plots at play as it’s a very linear book) and I can’t recommend it as the plot is paper thin and based on so much drivel I am getting a refund as quickly as possible.

Spoiler alert!!!!! Don’t read on less you want to hear further book details.

Omg! It’s like all the wimmin in this book go feral, packs of them roaming the countryside gathering up harvesting blokes to use as sex slaves, raping and knuckle bumping each other, killing children! Just so unbelievable...drives me nuts listening to this tosh! It’s like being able to have “the power” makes you superhuman, but where are the military ? It’s almost as if the author forgot that guns would still exist, it’s just so far fetched story most of the time I am biting my knuckles not to shout into the air that they are “F****** idiots”.

Please look worse where for you entertainment..

45 people found this helpful

Not the messiah, a very naughty trope.

I am an hour from the end of this and I am thoroughly depressed. The idea is that women, if they had the opportunity, would subject men to the worst excesses of inhumane treatment that has been visited on women through history. Don't tell me that I don't get it, that it is really shining a light on how women are treated by reversing the roles, i got it and I still didn't like it. I found this "shoe on the other foot" not challenging but childish. It is not truthful or honest about actual gender roles. It assumes that all men, with one or two exceptions, are beasts and not actually human beings at all. It relies on an oversimplified view of the world and sexual politics. It is not the messiah, it is a kind of wish fulfilment revenge porn masquerading as a clever concept. Sorry, but the concept is threadbare and obvious.

Parts of it are well written and it is well executed for what it is. The gushing reviews about blown minds and suggesting it should be mandatory reading at school are worrisome.

Fortunately for reality many men are prepared to defend the lives and the rights of others. Thank goodness life for the majority is not a game of men against women. Men and women get on much better than this author and others would like to admit. I fundamentally reject the notion that you can define a person by their gender. Nelson Mandela said that racism is racism whether practised by a white person or a black person. I think you can also say that sexism, regardless of the gender or sexual orientation of the perpetrator, is sexism. No one has a right of revenge against a whole gender or race - to suggest so is sexist and racist.

35 people found this helpful

Brilliant!

This is a must read for anyone who cares about relationships, human rights and everything in between. What starts off as a fantastic twist of fate which finally sets women on the path to the potential for proper equality gently and systematically turns the tables and shows how the gaining of power can corrupt. A morality tale for the 21st century, highlighting where inequality is still riff in the world and pondering whether if women ruled the world it would be any better? It's also an incredibly brilliant read!

24 people found this helpful

Visceral, Stirring and Inspirational

Would you consider the audio edition of The Power to be better than the print version?

I only listened to the audio version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Power?

There were so many moments, but overall the finding of the 'power', as told by several different perspectives, was so intense and made you think so much. It made me reflect on so many issues in my daily life I never would have reflected on otherwise.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favourite?

I loved Ally. Her journey and how she changed over the course of the books, leading up to her final realisations of what she had become were incredibly moving and thought-provoking.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely!

Any additional comments?

The narration was the best I've ever heard on an audiobook. Wonderful.

23 people found this helpful

a clever and provocative narrative

This was an absolute find. Thought-provoking and compelling, I could have listened to this in one sitting.

16 people found this helpful

This book should be on the school curriculum

I adored this book and have no idea why it's not being hailed as a masterpiece. It basically holds up a mirror to the misogyny that's been endemic for thousands of years. Had I a daughter I'd make this essential for reading for her. I have already bought my son a copy. We need to breakdown gender stereotyping now. It's what limits all our children from reaching their full potential.

16 people found this helpful

Great narration and engaging story

Please get Adjoa Andoh to narrate all of the books on audible. Her narration is engaging beyond belief, and she inhabits each character uniquely. With regards to the story itself, I very much enjoyed the idea of turning the genre structure of our current society inside out with the help of a novel within a novel set 1000s of years in the future. Looking forward to more from Naomi Alderman.

15 people found this helpful

Wow! A shocking, visceral novel.Loved every minute

Any additional comments?

It is hard to do justice in a few lines to the amazing nature of this book. Naomi Alderman's vision of a world where women hold power over men through an astonishing physiological mechanism, is both terrifying and electrifying. The Power is about use and misuse of power, what sexual dominance actually means, how a shift in power can produce world-altering results and how power corrodes humanity and the psychology of relationships. The characters are wonderfully written and the attention to detail is fantastic. The plot is absorbing and full of twists and turns. Every female and male character adds to the story and brings it to a thought-provoking end. This is a novel that made me wince, laugh, cry and feel very uncomfortable at times. But it also held me spellbound, caught in a story I didn't want to end. Interestingly, as a female, I found many of the female characters unlikeable and deeply disturbing and I am still trying to work out why that was. This book will stay with me for a long time and I am desperate to discuss it with female friends.
The narration was fantastic.

13 people found this helpful