Just as good as the first book. This is a well-crafted dystopian world, and Etta's journey is so full of twists and turns that you'll ride the pages breathless to the end, ready to pick up what I am assuming will be a third book in the series. Days after finishing my first reading, Etta and her struggles have stayed with me, echoing. An important book about how we treat each other during the worst times, how we become who we are, and who we sometimes gave to become to survive.

Review at goodreads

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is hands down the best book I have read this years, so there was a lot of pressure for this sequel. I am so happy to say that it did not disappoint, despite focusing on a new character (Etta), the story and the world remained just as compelling. The only think that it missed was the urgency of the first book, The Book of Etta had some of the trademark moments of pure madness, when I was literally on the edge of my seat, of the first book, but not as many. But it’s the writing and how the author used it convey ideas that really stick with you that got me hooked. All that is present in the sequel as well, I would probably even venture to say that the writing got better.

The Book of Etta, just as the previous novel, is still a feminist book at its core, continuing the theme of discrimination and how it would affect women in a world where they are not only a rarity, but also the most precious currency that there is. This time, a lot of focus is put on sexuality and gender, and the author has a lot to say about it and the setting of this novels is just perfect for that.
There’s also a main conflict, this time we have a big bad wolf, or should I call him a big bad Lion? Most of the men in this series are viewed as villains because of the way they treat women and even other men, but it’s the first time that we have a villain that has the resources and men power to really impact the world this women, and our main character live in. From the moment she met him, it was obvious for Etta that he must go, and from then forward the book focused on finding ways to stop him.

Along her journey Etta finds all kinds of communities, all unique and having their own traditions and all of them treating women differently. The strangest community was one that was governed by a Prophet that really seems to be having some sort of supernatural powers and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this, as so far the series had no sign of something mystical going on, everything that happened in the story could be explained scientifically. There is still one more book to come, so I’m going to wait for that to come out, with hopefully more answers, before I draw to conclusions too fast.

Overall, this had all I wanted from a sequel. I still think that The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is better, but there was no way a sequel could have matched the intensity of that.

When I first read the description I was immediately interested. When I noticed this was the second I also read the first one (also great!)

o the north in search for safety. During her journey her path is crossed with people who react differently to the tragedy around them and who will mark her life, no matter how much she struggles to avoid any contact. I loved the realism and the way the author imagined different way the society restructured after to face the new reality. In some parts women were sold as sexual slaves, in others women organized themselves in hives, keeping more lovers in the household.

After reading the first book I felt that it was perfect as a standalone and there was no need for a second novel. I still do not think Book of Etta was necessary or that it added much to the plot but that does not mean that I did not enjoy reading it.

The book of Etta is set 100 years after the events in first novel at a time few memories remain of the world before the disease. Etta is a young woman living in Nowhere, a matriarchal town where women could choose between two destinies: to become a midwife or a mother with all the risks involved (many of the mothers and newborns were developing the disease during birth). Etta did not want to be either and decided to become a raider, a person who explores the surrounding looking for valuable things remaining from the Old World for trading purposes. As women are scarce and valuable Etta disguises herself as a man while on the road and becomes Eddy. Etta/Eddy’s main purpose is to find and save enslaved women and bring them to safety to her town.

I do not want to go too much in detail on the plot. What it needs to be said is that this book is less about survival and has less action than the first book. The author uses the apocalyptic unfair new world as a backdrop to discuss sexuality and sexual/gender identity. There quite a few gender/sexual variations present and a lot of time is spend discussing the challenges that are faced in this oppressive new society, being it matriarchal or patriarchal. There were a lot of sexual issues discussed in the first book as well and I thought that there the balance was just right. Here I felt that they took too much from the novel.

The supernatural ending made me decrease my rating with one star because I could not see its place in the rough realism that characterized the prose until then. I hope the next book will not be about the supernatural Mormons who save the world.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Etta comes from Nowhere, a village of survivors of the great plague that wiped away the world that was. In the world that is, women are scarce and childbearing is dangerous…yet desperately necessary for humankind’s future. Mothers and midwives are sacred, but Etta has a different calling. As a scavenger. Loyal to the village but living on her own terms, Etta roams the desolate territory beyond: salvaging useful relics of the ruined past and braving the threat of brutal slave traders, who are seeking women and girls to sell and subjugate. When slavers seize those she loves, Etta vows to release and avenge them. But her mission will lead her to the stronghold of the Lion—a tyrant who dominates the innocent with terror and violence. There, with no allies and few weapons besides her wits and will, she will risk both body and spirit not only to save lives but also to liberate a new world’s destiny.

I absolutely adored the first book so I was super excited for this ARC. I was a little wary of the focus on a different character because I loved the first one so much. I shouldn't have worried though. Etta is still a very compelling character and Elison is so incredibly talented at building this post-apocalyptic world. This book picks up about a hundred years after the first one. Just a note that this is still not a standalone novel. You should definitely read the first one before tackling this one.

This book focused a lot on gender and gender identity and sexual identity. It's interesting to see the new society that has formed and the way some people in the town of Nowhere worship the Unnamed Midwife and her words. This new society is mostly run by women. It's a great flip from the usual man run societies. Because so many women died in the plague (and continue to die in childbirth), they kind of run the show in the town of Nowhere. Etta explores other towns and villages and of course there are differences. In Nowhere, women do look down on other women who are lesbians or transgender. Women are one of two things in this town: mothers or midwives. There is an understanding that lesbians still sleep with men for the purpose of breeding. The whole emphasis on breeding despite all the risks was disturbing, to say the least.

Ellison's writing is just as good as ever. The world she creates is bleak and cruel, but it also has its moments of hope. She does such an amazing job with all of the characters. The women are flawed, but relatable and I loved seeing how some of the men were adapting to the new society. Some of the men were cruel and took advantage of the women, while other men treated women with a huge amount of respect (because there were less of them). I will say that I loved the first one more than this one, but this was still a very well done sequel and I can't wait to see where Ellison goes with the next book in the series.

The Book of Etta by Meg Elison is the second book in the post-apocalyptic series that started with The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. You have to read the first book in the series before The Book of Etta. About a hundred years have passed since the time of the unnamed midwife when a plague wiped out nearly everyone, but especially women and children. Childbirth is still dangerous.

Etta/Eddy comes from Nowhere, the village of survivors (located in the present day Ozarks/Odarks) that reveres the unnamed midwife. Etta wants to be a scavenger, not a midwife or a mother, the only two recognized positions for women in her village. She goes out on forays disguised as Eddy where she looks for useful items and rescues any women/girls being sold by slavers she might meet on the road. After one foray into Estiel (St. Louis) where the powerful leader called the Lion is located, she now tries to avoid the city. His followers raid nearby communities, demand tributes, loyalty and especially women and girls to all be taken for the Lion.

There are small communities that are becoming established now and each of them deal with the gender inequality differently. Women in Nowhere have hives, where one woman has a group of men. The Lion keeps a harem of women and rules by fear and power, but there are also catamites (castrated boys) for his men's use. (Girls are being cut too, so genital mutilation is an occurrence now.) There are several other settlements introduced here that have their societies set up differently.

The big, overriding theme in The Book of Etta is the question/complication of gender identity, inequality, and the firm roles in place for various communities. Etta identifies as Eddy and is transgender but is not allowed to be Eddy in Nowhere, where women are either midwives or mothers with a hive, while other communities have different rules in place for their men and women. Each different community Eddy visits is like a different, weird societal cult where there are specific roles assigned based on gender. Eddy doesn't have a place.

I was eager and excited to read the second book in the planned trilogy because I loved The Book of the Unnamed Midwife so much. The writing is still very good. I wasn't as captivated by this second installment, however. It could be the second-book-in-a-series syndrome since it is obviously a bridge to the final installment. Although it is still brutal and gritty, the focus and anxiety over gender questions among several characters is almost overwrought, taking up more pages of anxiety than would seem necessary in this changed world. It will be interesting to see where Elison is taking this series.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of 47North.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1917554615
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/02/the-book-of-etta.html

After reading The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, I was very excited to read the sequel. My experience with The Book of the Unnamed Midwife was amazing; I loved how gritty and harsh the story was, and how it really didn't mince words. I liked the main character and the way the author portrayed every aspect of every situation, avoiding all bias or favoritism. In the end, it was a spellbinding book that is still at the top of my list in terms of dystopian novels. You can see why I was so excited to read this sequel, and read about how the author imagined the future of her dystopian society.
Let me begin by saying that it is imperative that you read the first book in this trilogy or else the concepts and impact of this story really won't make sense. That being said, this novel takes on the issue of gender in a completely different way than The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. While in the first book the focus was on struggling to be a woman, this novel is all about gender fluidity. As usual, the author conveys her story in that gritty, no-holds-bar style that I love and she really doesn't shy away from disturbing content. There are graphic depictions of rape and abuse, so consider this a warning for those wary of this kind of content. Unlike the first story which centered on the survival of a whole gender, this novel is much more of an identity quest where Etta/Eddy discovers who he/she really is amidst a society that doesn't really support lesbian/gay relations or even the concept of being transgendered. This novel pulled me in but I found myself more drawn to the internal struggles rather than the actual action parts of the story. While it felt like this novel moved slower than its predecessor, I didn't mind because it gave me the time to really think deeply on the ideas that the author is presenting. I still think the first book in this series was the better of the two, but this novel is by no means bad. Overall, another gripping story that tackles difficult issues in a dystopian setting. I can't wait to see what the author will publish next in this fascinating series!

This is the second book of the The Road to Nowhere series that started with The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. At first I thought the first one was so flabbergastingly hard to read (violent, not glossing anything over) that I felt more numb during this (the shock having worn off perhaps), that the impact is lessened because there is no tie to the old world (ours) anymore. But that changed mid-way through the book (right now I'm actually shaking from rage).

The story is that of Eddy/Etta (Eddy is the male name she adopts on the road to be safe, sort of). She grew up in Nowhere, the settlement where the Unnamed Midwife ended up in book 1. And boy, has that place changed! We had gotten hints in the first book but this time we got the full picture and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. It looks good on the surface (which is the point) but that look is deceiving (also a point made by the author in several situations throughout the story).
You see, being a mother is considered the epitome of what women can achieve, basically letting us revert back to the old times when women were nothing but breeding machines and housekeepers. Only this time this way of thinking comes from the women themselves. I get it to a certain degree, considering how many women are dead (almost all) and how few can actually give birth, to a living child and without dying no less. Nevertheless, considering how many keep talking about staying away from men, being independent and safe from men, changing from the old ways, this is almost hilariously tragic.

The conflict, then, is that Eddy doesn't want to be a mother. She wants to be exactly like her idol, the Unnamed. Sadly, she gets many things wrong because during the roughly 100 years since the Unnamed lived, much of her story has been ... changed (I guess that despite the journals it's much like the game "telephone"). Not to mention the differences that are natural due to the time that has passed and Etta having been brought up differently.
And that is exactly when Nowhere shows its real face with Etta's mother and others trying to emotionally pressure Etta into being a mother. They do this to others as well. Through Etta's eyes we see that relationships between women are frowned upon (being considered a waste) and that homosexuals in general are being treated badly (not invited to events, living secluded lives etc). And that is the "good" place here!

In general, I got the feeling that the people in this world were far more hard-nosed, with emotions either having been bred out of them or whatever. Of course it's OK to be tough because you need that to survive in such a world, but when you live in a relatively secure and "civilized" settlement but cannot even connect to the people you supposedly love? There is something wrong right there.

So Etta hits the road often and during her trips she encounters other people, like the Lion of Estiel (yes, he has lions and tigers as pets, I wonder if the author liked a certain character of The Walking Dead *lol*), and other settlements/cities. We get to see that the world is basically as desolate as it was in book 1, what with slave traders selling females (even toddlers), women being cut (genital mutilation being another important topic), women being used as sex toys and breeding machines, general abuse and lots of killings, not to mention no plumbing, general dirt and no creature comforts as is typical for any apocalyptic setting.

However, what was new was that there were also catamites and boys sometimes even getting orchidectomies (castrations). This is an interesting development, especially since through it the author explores gender identities even more thoroughly as in book 1.
I won't say any more about the developments further along because that would spoil too much.

What really got to me was the hypocrisy of the people. I know it's realistic. It already is a big problem nowadays so after the end of the world it can only get worse. Nevertheless, it got to me. Especially having seen what had become of Nowhere was hard because, silly as I am, I saw it as a beacon of hope for "normalcy". *lol* Instead, it's a place where people cannot be who they are, are repressed and get subdued in multiple ways, where one thing is said but not adhered to (like them despising slave traders but wanting to trade with the Lion because it's safer). Same shit, everywhere.

And the stupidity everywhere! I can't get into too many details because of spoilers but they even ban words there, censoring talk about abortions and other topics on top of having taboo subjects such as homosexuality.
But that was neither the only place where people were stupid nor the only thing people were stupid about - illiteracy was also a big problem. I get that for drifters and loners, but not for settlements and cities. Books are a commodity, a valuable thing to trade (like pretty much anything from the old world), but they deliberately only teach a few or nobody at all how to read. In some cases it can be a tool in order to control people (not a new concept) but especially in places like Jeff City I don't understand it because it is simply counter-productive! Then again, I didn't get their sheep mentality either ...
And don't get me started on places like Manhattan/Womanhattan and their silly rules like silence being a gift of the women or sons having to leave mothers aged 6 at the latest because the women "have more important stuff to do" while girls get to stay with their mothers.
If it wasn't so infuriating, I'd laugh.

It all sounded like a string of cults, one worse and more stupid than the one before, actually creepy (especially the "reversed Mormons"), and I do admit that I actually liked how most of them got what they deserved for their lies and treachery. At least for a while.

Funny was that I was right all along and not all is gone from the old world. Funny how it was the Mormons this time who were most adapted and realistic about these things (to make up for their role in book 1?). *lol*

So this is a story about individuality, the repression of exactly that and the often complicated search/fight for who we are and being at peace with yourself in the end (sort of). There were a few other messages too and not all were to my liking (although I'm often unsure whether the author meant it literally or was being sarcastic).

The writing was again superb, the interactions between the characters fantastically and intelligently portrayed, and there were quite a few puzzles to solve. There are lots of conflicts as well, reality clashing with wishful thinking, narrowmindedness or even idealism (not to mention religion). Thus, despite my reservations (I often fear that a good book is ruined by its sequel - especially if I haven't known there will be a sequel as in this case) the book was extremely good. The way people were thinking (all of them) was too alien to me so I didn't care too much about individuals in the beginning but that changed simply because I couldn't stand the status quo after a certain point. And the author again managed to build a wonderful (realistic) world that I did care for, telling a deep if unsettling story, all of which sucked me into the book and kept me captivated.

Thus, I recommend this book to anyone who likes an intelligent story, with an exploration of deep and important topics, that is well-written and has realistic characters (and yes, I'll nominate it for a HUGO in 2018).
And now excuse me please, I'll have to go and shout my lungs out in frustration because of what happened in the end.

The Book of Etta by Meg Elison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

The first book in the Road to Nowhere series hit me out of nowhere with it's stark and uncompromising view of humanity and the inhumanity of men toward women when a plague decimated (literally) the population of women. There's only one woman out of ten men across the world. It reads much more delightfully than Frank Herbert's The White Plague and it has a much more grimdark feel than even The Children of Men.

The second picks up and drives home the same point with a brand new twist: gender issues figure very strongly, but it's much more than just women being subjugated by men. This book takes gender identity and explores many very cool twists and shows it off starkly in this dystopian world.

No spoilers, but we get a lot of different gender identities and they're all showcased in ways that even surprised me.

Is this a survival novel? Absolutely. Is it as difficult as only cruel-literature can be? Absolutely. These stories aren't for the weak of heart and some people might get overwhelmed by just how evil men can be, but we're meant to see this all in a stark spotlight.

This might not be a big surprise, but the main character Eddy/Etta pretends to be a man on the road while being a heroic raider who kills slavers to free women, while being what her culture requires her to be when she returns to her home, Nowhere. It's very much like a Shakespearian play where the only way to get ahead is to pretend. But this is only where the novel starts. It ends up having traveled all across the map by the end and I was very impressed. :)

AGAIN, this is not for the faint of heart. It's dystopian in almost every way, but there is a fine balance of hope. :)

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an un-biased review.

First things first, The Book of Etta is the second book in a series. Sometimes you can squeak by without reading the first volume in a series, but this is not that kind of book. If you read this review and want to look into it then please visit my review for the first book, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. Things that happen in Midwife are essential to understanding the world of The Book of Etta. Now back to business.

The first book in this series took me by surprise. It was altogether astonishing. A dystopian look at a future in which the vast majority of women have died. There are no babies being born, and the future looks terribly bleak. I was surprised by the brutality of the survivors in the Unnamed Midwife, but the book stuck with me. I found myself thinking about it long after I’d finished reading and posted my review. When I found out that there was a second book, I rushed over to Netgalley and prayed for an approval from the publisher. A world without women. What does that even mean? The first book in the series goes into the immediate ramifications of the circumstances. This second book revisits that world, two generations and 100 years later. How have things changed? How has society adapted?

The answers to those questions are fascinating. Our main character, Etta, is a raider. She wanders the South (of a decimated America) looking for women and girls to save from the lives of sadism and slavery they endure at the hands of men (and sadly other women). In a journey reminiscent of the Odyssey, she encounters villages after village. Each defined by their relationships with the women among them. Etta herself is undefined. On the road she is Eddy, at home Etta, and at all times conflicted. The world has never been able to reconcile itself completely to the concept of LGBTQ people, and this terrible new world is no different.

I am beyond happy with Etta as a character. She is little but she is fierce. She’s not perfect by any means, but is a definite hero/ine. Everything is against her from the start. She is a woman, she is black, she has a sharp independent mind, she is unmistakably different in a world where women are set into very strict roles. Etta is having nothing of it. Her journey is not a pretty one, the world has become a savage place but her story is always riveting. I am very much looking forward to another book in the series.

Song for this book: Hurt by Johnny Cash

In this sequel to the wonderful "Book of the Unnamed Midwife", a century has passed since a virus killed most women. Those who survived and later got pregnant usually died. The Unnamed Midwife did what she could to spread birth control, disguising herself as a man most of the time to avoid captivity and rape, the typical fate of unprotected women. In Nowhere, a fort in the Midwest where the Midwife finally settled, women are now divided into Mothers and Midwives. Those who choose and survive pregnancy are revered, but all women are highly valued. Most residents of Nowhere live in hives: collections of men who form a family with one woman. Women and men all take part in decision-making and work, and the town council always has a majority of women.

Etta, the "living daughter" of one of the elder women, has chosen to be a raider, someone who travels from the town in search for old-world items which can be used for trade. Etta also has a secondary goal: the rescue of abused girls and women and the death of their captors. Etta seems to be in her early 20s. On the road she disguises herself Eddy, having shaved her head and learned male body-language. But it's obvious Etta has experienced a profound trauma in her raiding, and it's not too hard to figure out what that entailed. Her Eddy identity is slowly edging out Etta's, and her fury over what's happened to her alienates her from her mother and the other women with whom she's close. Eventually she determines to leave Nowhere and try to find San Francisco, the Midwife's original hometown. Her journey brings her into contact with a variety of towns which have solved the woman shortage in quite diverse ways, some reverential, some cruel and hopeless.

Etta is a complex and difficult character. She's not particularly likable, but it's a very difficult world in which she works. It's hard to tell if she's truly having a sexual identity crisis or is so damaged by what's happened to her that she's almost a split personality. Either way, the author's portrait of the future continues in this entry to be profound, sometimes appalling, and always surprising. I sincerely hope there will be another sequel.

Perfectly decent and absolutely unnecessary sequel in what is a planned trilogy set in the world first introduced to us in The Book of Unknown Midwife, a world where women became scarce and childbirth an almost always fatal proposition. Now some time has passed, there are somewhat more women, childbirth has become more plausible, survivors have established themselves in communities. In one of the surviving colonies Unknown Wife's words are taken seriously, especially by a young raider Eddy, also Etta. Yes, it's that sort of gender potpourri complete with Crying Game style revelations. It's almost as if the author decided to take this unevenly balanced new world and use it as a backdrop to explore gender identity and sexuality. It's actually quite fascinating, especially when considering that it is now the matriarchs that can be oppressive, repressive and controlling, the roles men have historically take up with such enthusiasm. To behold a woman led society where, for example, lesbianism or transgederism is frowned upon, because women should make themselves available to breed (despite all the dangers that go along with breeding) is disturbing. Of course, there are different colonies and one of the main strengths of this book is the variety of moralities and social structures that reassert themselves after the global collapse. Yet this is a much different book from its predecessor thematically, much more of an identity quest. With many more rash, impulsive decisions by characters one has to remind themselves are essentially very young. Eddy/Etta is charismatic enough of a heroine, strong, very inflexibly moralistic, though her inner life is occasionally overwritten. Ironically so, because as a diarist Eddy/Etta doesn't put down much in her book at all. There is plenty of action and violence, but this is essentially a very gynocentric novel with all the concordant concentrations, although not a chicklit at all. It's quite dark, rapey and brutal. But not hopeless. And it does leave one somewhat interested to see how it all plays out. Elison is a talented writer, the book reads fast and entertains plenty. Thanks Netgalley.

The sequel begins several generations after the founding of Normal by the Unnamed Midwife. I loved the original book and had high hopes. The writing itself did not disappoint. The often bleak but sometimes hopeful writing fits the world Elison has created post-plague. But I didn't enjoy the book as much as the first. Etta/Eddy is the main character and the novel focuses on gender, gender identity, and sexuality in this world where women are vastly outnumbered and often enslaved. The themes are well written, but it focuses on the individual more and took away from the more communal parts of the story that I enjoyed. Overall, still a good read. I do suggest reading Unnamed Midwife first

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is one of the best postapocalyptic books I’ve ever read and now, finally, is the long-awaited sequel. After the Great Plague tore through the world, billions were dead. Almost all the women in the world perished, taking their children with them. At first, women were taken as slaves and abused by groups of men, but as time has passed, some small semblance of civilization has returned in isolated areas. In the village of Nowhere, women and midwives are sacred and revered and this is where Etta makes her home; but she is no midwife – she’s a scavenger, venturing out into a lawless world looking for remnants of a lost world to sustain herself and her village. When she finds that slavers have taken those she loves, Etta vows to bring them home and bring their tormentors to justice. Her quest leads her to Lion, a man who rules with an iron fist, using terror to subdue and subjugate those around him. In a world with little to hope for and less to believe in, Etta will risk everything to save herself and humanity. Breathtaking, heart-breaking, heart racing reading. Simply incomparable