Product Description

In her stunning novel, Hall imagines a new dystopia set in the not-too-distant future. England is in a state of environmental crisis and economic collapse. There has been a census, and all citizens have been herded into urban centers. Reproduction has become a lottery, with contraceptive coils fitted to every female of childbearing age. A girl who will become known only as "Sister" escapes the confines of her repressive marriage to find an isolated group of women living as "un-officials" in Carhullan, a remote northern farm, where she must find out whether she has it in herself to become a rebel fighter. Provocative and timely, Daughters of the North poses questions about the lengths women will go to resist their oppressors, and under what circumstances might an ordinary person become a terrorist.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130198 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Released on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 209 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780061430367
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Chronicling a journey of violence, oppression and fleeting liberation, this brutal third novel from the author of The Electric Michelangelo is a timely feminist commentary on war, gender, politics and identity. Set in a dystopian near-future northern U.K. where global warming, a fuel crisis, drug epidemics and a cruel totalitarian regime known as the Authority have savaged the land and people, the story is told by Sister, a young woman living in cramped terrace quarters. Sterilized against her will (the result of the Authority's female sterilization policy) and forced to work in a New Fuel factory, Sister escapes to seek out Carhullan, a shadowy all-female commune run by the enigmatic Jackie Nixon. Carhullan is a hard-knocks utopia, in which women's strengths and passions grow from manual labor, paramilitary training and intense, sometimes sexual, friendships. As the threat of the Authority grows, Sister rises in the ranks of the Carhullan resistance force, oblivious to the increasing similarities between the Authority and Jackie's seductive, psychological control. Though the climax and denouement are sloppily handled, the overall effect is haunting, timely and well wrought. (Apr.)
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Review
"A ferocious dystopian novel…Hall’s dystopian story of resistance and struggle…must be read at the same time as a kind of optimism, striking in its final pages a defiant chord that reminds us power can sometimes be defeated, if not always, and if always at great cost." -- Independent Weekly (Durham, NC)

"If you liked Children of Men, give this sci-fi page-turner a read. Sister exists in a dystopian future where the UK is under a totalitarian regime." -- OK! Magazine (FIVE STARS)

"Jackie is not infallible, and her methods in pursuit of the greater good are not always kind. But that is what makes Daughters of the North a novel, not an allegory. Hall has created a complex, tight work about hope springing out of resistance." -- NPR's "BOOKS WE LIKE" (Jessa Crispin of BookSlut.com reviewing)

"The heroine of Sarah Hall’s novel is known only as Sister. She, like Hall’s prose, is raw, brave, and suprising, both to herself and to the reader...The book is remarkable for its lovingly accurate portrayal of women…the themes it raises are powerful in the present." -- Boston Phoenix, (WORD UP)

Review
"Jackie is not infallible, and her methods in pursuit of the greater good are not always kind. But that is what makes Daughters of the North a novel, not an allegory. Hall has created a complex, tight work about hope springing out of resistance." (NPR's "BOOKS WE LIKE" (Jessa Crispin of BookSlut.com reviewing) )

"The heroine of Sarah Hall's novel is known only as Sister. She, like Hall's prose, is raw, brave, and suprising, both to herself and to the reader...The book is remarkable for its lovingly accurate portrayal of women.the themes it raises are powerful in the present." (Boston Phoenix, (WORD UP) )

"If you liked Children of Men, give this sci-fi page-turner a read. Sister exists in a dystopian future where the UK is under a totalitarian regime." (OK! Magazine (FIVE STARS) )

"A ferocious dystopian novel.Hall's dystopian story of resistance and struggle.must be read at the same time as a kind of optimism, striking in its final pages a defiant chord that reminds us power can sometimes be defeated, if not always, and if always at great cost." (Independent Weekly (Durham, NC) )

Customer Reviews

Incredible story and psychological study, but not for everyone
This book has become one of my absolute favorites. The story telling is phenomenally direct yet composed. The plot runs a little thick and close to home, makes you want to loosen your collar a little bit and seriously consider all those jokes you've made about moving to another country. For any woman who has ever wanted to cry out in defiance, this book will soothe you. My only caution is this is not a light beach read; it's a little rough in subject matter in parts and I would not recommend it to young adult readers.

Intriguing ...
Reminiscent of (but inferior to) the Handmaid's Tale - an interesting take on a radically dystopian & totalitarian future society. Other Amazon reviewers have referenced global warming as the source of the unnamed environmental disaster, but the book itself does not specify this. Actually, the book is vague on most of the details about how Britain came to suffer this horrible fate.

Good story, interesting & strong female characters. A bit heavy-handed, and the ending feels cut short. There more to this story than the author chose to tell - the book skips over the time between our "heroines" planning their rebellion to the end of the battle, which I found quite unsatisfying.

Overall interesting, but I would borrow from the library instead of purchase.

A well-written, thought provoking read....
I thought this was excellent. Definitely not your light-hearted beach read, but still, I couldn't put it down and was up late 2 nights in a row trying to finish it. I am just guessing that the writer accomplished what she had hoped, with me at least. It made me think more deeply about our world--pollution, conflict, terrorism, war, food shortages, genocide and how we react to all these things. The importance of gender equality, standing up for your beliefs.....I could go on and on. I found the characters interesting and "Sister" likeable. I especially enjoyed her journey to a strong and healthy warrior, even though part of me found it sad. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I think it was because addt'l info wasn't necessary and perhaps would've distracted from the poignancy of the ending.