Ammonite

I was really looking forward to this, and I have to say I was disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were just too high? I had heard that this was a great piece of feminist science fiction, but I'm afraid that for me it fell flat on many levels. As a science fiction novel it was just OK. The plot was involving enough, but the narrative style was too often disjointed and sometimes got downright tedious.

When it comes to its consideration of gender I have even more criticisms. First I have to ask, what exactly does gender mean if there is no opposite gender? This brings us to the inevitable question of essentialism. Is gender a quality that is inherent - or are we simply socialized into our roles? Griffith seems to be implying that there is a tiny bit of essentialism - her exclusive society of women seems to have voluntarily reverted back to a medieval lifestyle in many ways. So she seems to be implying that the natural state of being female involves a rejection of technology? Not exactly a conclusion I wish to support. On another level though Griffith seems to be implying there are no inherent differences among genders. She shows us a world successfully being run by women, farming, governing, sailing, (and making war) all without any need of men. It's as if she felt the need to stand up and shout, "Look, we can do everything just as well as you can!" This simply feels dated to me. Does anyone out there seriously believe there are vocations and endeavors women are incapable of fulfilling? The final way this novel's consideration of gender disappointed me is in the one role that truly distinguishes women from men - the ability to bear, give birth to, and nourish our children at the breast. A serious consideration of how an exclusive world of women might function simply needs more attention paid to this topic!