Welcome to Litsy!

Finally able to get into a book again. I‘ve been listening to a lot of podcasts. The last few books I‘ve tried haven‘t been catching me and I honestly just haven‘t felt like reading.
So far this is good.

I have not read the book. In fact, when I went to see the movie, I did not know that 1. it was based on a true story and 2. The movie was adapted from tagged novel. The movie was incredible. My husband and I spend an hour on the ride home talking about it. Anybody read the book. Anybody see the movie? (Photo not mine.)

First of all, I had no idea going in that this was based on a true story, which is a game changer, for me. Amazingly horrific abuse suffered by the women of a Mennonite group by their own community. The victims gather to discuss their plans, and because they cannot read or write, a man takes the meeting minutes. Though this is dark, there‘s still moments of levity.

My images tonight are subpar —just trying to get through the backlog of reviews!

Absolutely haunting.

I found it was difficult to keep keep track of some of the characters in this book (with the exception of Salome - I loved her anger and Ona). That being said, I think this is an important book and Toews has put into words a wonderful discussion of the state of the lives of these women. Do the women raised there, without an education or ability to read, really make a free choice? I look forward to watching the movie. A powerful 4 stars.

Adding this to my holiday viewing !

https://lithub.com/the-13-best-literary-adaptations-of-2022/?utm_source=Sailthru...

1) I greatly appreciated the subject matter...abused women deciding to stand up for themselves. And I want to love it just based on that.
2) However, the way it's written...like minutes from a meeting, not an actual story...made it very difficult for me to get emotionally invested. I think I will enjoy the movie more as it should have that storytelling element I found missing here.

Starting this one. The movie preview for this looks AMAZING. I've had this on Kindle for awhile, but that preview really pushed me to start it next!

Second - probably a great book, but not for me in a row. This is based on a horrific real life case of a long period of sexual assault against the women of a small community. The fiction here is the conversations between them as they decide whether to stay in the community or leave vs coexist with their attackers. It‘s a powerful story with theology and more but I struggled to engage with it

A horrible tale. An important telling

A powerful, disturbing and tragic story inspired by real events. The conversation between these abused women is wonderfully used as a means of illustrating all major philosophical themes and a feminine universe where fragility and vulnerability coexist with strength, wisdom and love.

These poor women! This had me emotionally invested from the get go, although the format on this one really threw me off and along with the unfamiliar names made it harder to process. A heavy, heavy read that will definitely stay with me. 💔

🚨 Kindle deal alert🚨

This gets a Wow. I'll be thinking about these characters for a long time. And even the narrator, who I really disliked for most of the book.
This group of women and their children are victims of absolutely horrifying crimes, and with so much heart and love and rage and even humor, they discuss what they must do next.
Has this ever been adapted into a play? I think it would be amazing.

(So glad this was my #bookspin book! @TheAromaofBooks)

This book was very good. I will say though, I did find it very distracting that the narrator was a man. I will have to look into why the author made that choice. But it is one of the reasons why I think this would be an excellent book club pick. It's also based on true events (that I will also be looking more into).

Such an original and powerful story! I'm not sure how to review it though.Written as the minutes of a two-day meeting among women of a Mennonite colony trying to sort through their choices after the widespread rape of the women of the colony by a group of men in the colony who had snuck into their homes and drugged them over the course of 2 years. First, the town leader tried to convince them it was spirits punishing them. ⬇️

Not sure how I feel about a book called “Women Talking” being narrated by a man, but overall I still found this book to be pretty powerful and I‘m glad I read it.

This one packs a punch.

I didn't realize this was based on a true story until I Googled it after finishing the book.

What a tragic story.

The women in a Mennonite community wake up groggy and aching after being sedated with a spray used on animals and raped.

The men are sent away for a couple of days 😡 and the women meet in a hay loft to discuss what they should do next.

Unbelievable.

$1.99 on Kindle today; I grabbed it! Sounds really interesting. Has anyone read it?

I don't recommend this book for everyone. I didn't really like the structure but in the end there was something about the characters & story that moved me. Main reason I read it is that it's about Mennonites, which is uncommon to find in mainstream lit. I grew up in a Menno. family and church (not Menno. now & def do NOT endorse this religion), so it's interesting to read about a culture that I'm familiar with & most ppl don't know much about. ⬇️

Book 86 Women Talking is a historical fiction novel about women in a Mennonite community in Brazil that were drugged and raped at night by men in their community but were told they were being punished by demons for their sins. I was so drawn in! The title is apropos; the novel is the women trying to decide what to do. It's funny and philosophical but dry. The author is an ex-Mennonite, and I am very interested to read her memoir.

3.5 stars

This book is based on a true story. A group of Mennonite women finally speak up about their sexual assaults and how they are going to put a stop to them. I enjoyed this book and found the women to have some incredible courage. 🌟🌟🌟🌟!

It‘s not you, it‘s me, Miriam. Y‘know I love you, right? Just not this book. #bookspin bail @TheAromaofBooks

I landed two Canadian authors for May‘s #bookspin. @TheAromaofBooks

This was a weird book and I wasn't a fan.

When you accidentally buy more books. #bookoutlet

I‘ve had this on my tbr stack for too long. Set in a Mennonite colony where it‘s men were drugging and raping its women and children, the book centers on the choices these women had when it‘s men would return. The tale is told by a male transcriber documenting the choices the women had, discussing it philosophically and practically. An interesting internal view of a closed off real life community in Bolivia. Toews is a remarkable writer!

PSA: If you are in the States and own a Kindle, Women Talking is on sale today for a super low price. I highly highly highly recommend it!!!!

👍

(Soundtrack: Chilly Gonzales - A Very Chilly Christmas)

#manitoba #readcanada @Book_Fiend_Melissa

4 3/4🌟

Goodreads challenge completed.

367pts #tbrbook #teamreadnosedreindeer #wintergames2020 @StayCurious

I read this in late June & was deeply moved by it. At the time I rated it 4 stars, but it has stuck with me since I read it. What Toews accomplished in a little over 200 pages is astonishing & Women Talking is easily one of my favorites of the year. I've revised my rating to 5 stars. I 💯 agree with the Lithub headline:
https://lithub.com/frances-mcdormand-and-sarah-polley-are-bringing-women-talking...

Of the 4 books I‘ve read so far in December, I guess this was my favorite, though none of them blew me away. I‘m looking forward to the rest of the month and hoping for some great reads!

I had been nervous to read this book because of the subject matter (a Mennonite community where women and children are being drugged and raped at night) but I'm glad I finally took the plunge. The book is about the women deciding what to do in light of what has happened. It's about justice and collective decision making and faith and autonomy and love. It's powerful and funny and sweet at times, heart-breaking at others.

Next up!

Mennonite women who have been drugged and raped repeatedly along with their children and friends are told they must forgive their abusers, who are being bailed out of jail, in order to gain entry to Heaven. They gather to discuss what they consider their only options do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. None of these choices are easy. Just women talking but a powerful conversation to hear and reflect on. #thinkpink #booked2020

#women #foreverNovember @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

Post 4 of 5.

Fiction card for #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

#3Books....That Made Me Mad......Tagged book made me SO MAD!!! Based on a true events that happened between 2005-2009
The other two books are NF and will make your blood boil.....#NewsAlert ✴️America is not the land of equality

That headline has got to be the best description of my favourite books!

https://crimereads.com/diverse-women-authored-novels-set-in-remote-and-forgotten...

Powerful Book, I inhaled it over the course of 24 hours. Philosophical and disturbing. Another author that I want to read more of. 4 🌟

Right between a pick and a so-so for me. I liked the insular community and short timeline for this book, and I liked the storyline as well, horrifying and upsetting as it was. But I didn‘t totally love it and can‘t put my finger on why. Enjoyed the writing, though, and will be looking at more of the authors work in the near future. 3.5 stars

I knew nothing about the real story this is based on, it‘s a short novel but powerful.

#HappyCanadaDay to all my Canadian Littens 🇨🇦and thanks to @KVanRead for this fun giveaway ❤️1. Tagged book was brilliant 2. Emily St. John Mandel and the lovely Margaret Atwood 3.Timbits 🍩, Eh? I‘ll tag the wonderful @TheKidUpstairs who introduced me to Tim Hortons wayyy back when I only knew Dunkin Doughnuts existed😜

1) A very recent favorite.
2) Margaret Atwood.
3) Poutine.
#HappyCanadaDay to all the Littens to the North 🇨🇦

There are quite a few aspects of Toews' novel I greatly appreciated: the women's sense of humor even in bleak situations, a portrait of a community through a handful of the members, flashes of rich characterization & rewarding introspection. Enter caveat, I can't help but feel like this would have worked better if it had been narrated from the pov of one of the women-Salome, Mejal or Ona. I didn't love this one, but I def found it worthwhile.

This book is based on real events at a Mennonite colony in Bolivia. Women were raped, for years, and told that God or Satan was punishing them or that they were simply making it up. Like....WTF!!! This fiction book is about what comes next. The book is told in minutes of meetings the women have where they will decide their response after the truth came out. Listening to them grapple with their faith and their trauma will stick with me.

Currently reading for my IRL book club (which was supposed to meet in early April).

We‘ll be meeting next week for a socially distanced, backyard discussion and I‘m quite excited. My first visit with friends in over 3 months! 😮

A thoughtful story you can sink deeply into. There is little action, literally just women talking about action, and doesn‘t that feel honest? Their conversations are transcribed and told and given meaning by a man and isn‘t that the way it usually is? Masterful. I‘ll be thinking about this one for a long time. #netgalley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️