Joanne Ramos

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Recommended: sure
For a [b:1984|40961427|1984|George Orwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532714506l/40961427._SX50_.jpg|153313]-ish, [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)|Margaret Atwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546031886l/38447._SY75_.jpg|1119185]-ish kind of story, for a read that will make you bounce back and forth between whether something is right or wrong until you're tangled up in knots, for complex evaluations on ways of living and which is better (indignant pride and striving for what you deserve, or gratitude for everything that you have no matter how meager it may seem to others)

Thoughts
The surface story within this didn't compel me as much as the struggle to figure out who was correct in their view of Golden Oaks and their services. I don't think I ever came up with a clear answer, but it made me consider some important questions and challenge some of my own beliefs, so that in itself made me keep reading.

What kept me reading this book, despite my revulsion at phrases like a baby "stewing in her sour broth," was how the rationale of each character made me question everything. I very much appreciated the look contrasting Ms Yu, Reagan, and Jane's perspectives of the end result though, as it highlighted the best and worst about each, and made it really difficult to point to one and say, "Clearly that is the correct way to see it." It felt very much like reality in that way.… (meer)

Nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley is a luxury retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, personal fitness trainers, daily massages-and all of it for free. In fact, you’re paid big money to stay here-more than you’ve ever dreamed of. The catch? For nine months, you cannot leave the grounds, your movements are monitored, and you are cut off from your former life while you dedicate yourself to the task of producing the perfect baby for someone else.
Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is in desperate search of a better future when she commits to be a “Hoist” at Golden Oaks-or the Farm, as residents call it. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her family, Jane is determined to reconnect with her life outside.
Author does a good job of building up events but the book lacks the punch in the end.… (meer)