Pretty art, and I always welcome a graphic novel about back-to-the-landers in a dystopian setting, but I felt the story was weak.

The gender politics here were weird - Maggie's "regressive" domesticity is portrayed as a natural consequence of being constantly pregnant & breastfeeding. But her actual work "at home" includes heavy-duty tasks like animal husbandry. Meanwhile, the male work (agriculture) is outside the home - Maggie's husband and Eric literally drive to their field. There could be some worldbuilding reason that their arable land isn't right next to the house, but it seems like an artificial way to make the point that living off the land == gendered labor.

Meanwhile, because Syd is enjoying her work, we get the impression that women's labor is all fun and games (knitting! cheese-making!) while men's work is real labor. The storytelling reflects Syd and Eric's experiences of their new life, but as a consequence we never get to see Syd washing laundry all day or slaughtering all those chickens.

Tl;dr: this graphic novel raises some interesting questions but would benefit from an infusion of feminism. ( )

Caught my eye on display at the library. I read it standing there. A short graphic novel that brought to mind Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and other stories of a dystopic future based on environmental catastrophe and dwindling resources. It is rated for adult content (there's a very tame scene featuring cunnilingus) but reads very much like a story for younger people. It would probably spark good discussion for teens and pre-teens. ( )

Having enjoyed "House of Women," I decided to check out Goldstein's other work. It was good, but not like House of woman. The story was short and to the point: a man and woman who have been together for 3 years, they move in order to have a child, and then the man decides that's not what he wants once the woman is pregnant. I was slightly saddened by the ending, but I think it was empowering (as with House of Women). Though the protagonist was left alone in the end, she had what she wanted: freedom and a baby. ( )

Too slight and insubstantial for me. I'm torn between wishing it were longer and feeling relieved that I didn't waste much time on it. ( )

Graphic novella (I guess) about a young het couple in a future that strictly controls reproduction; they come to a place where the sun is so strong that it’s dangerous and there’s limited tech, but at least they can have kids together. But there are other temptations, and living rough isn’t as fun as it sounds at first. It’s a tale as old as time, but not Disneyfied; better tech doesn’t mean people make better choices. ( )