First off, when I requested this book from NetGalley, I didn’t realize it was originally published in 1913.
I found the (newly added?) introduction to the book to be terrible. That should have a been a clue! Regardless, I skimmed and skipped over the intro and started reading.
This novel has a great premise – a plague that seems to affect only/mostly men, and is always deadly. It seems as though it could be highly relevant today, and an interesting read.
No! The dialogue is horrible. Also, the characters are horrible too. I didn’t connect with any character, and quite honestly, didn’t care what happened to them.
I enjoyed a brief section where the well-off daughters go on a binge trying on fancy clothes they have no use for, but that was about it.
There are some interesting concepts buried in here, but none fully developed. What happens when there is only 1 man for every 100 women? What becomes of marriage? Monogamy? Industry? Touched on, but there is such potential in developing this story along any of those plot lines.
Now, since it was written in over 100 years ago, maybe this is to be expected, but this novel presents a very sexist view point. The women that are most like men, or have “masculine” inclinations are implied to be best suited to the new world.
Also, SPOILERS ahead:
Deus ex machina at the end, here’s some men that escaped the plague, hurray, now we’re saved.
I received this book in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions are my own.