From the moment I first heard about Widowland, I was desperate to get my hands on it, and oh boy, I was not disappointed. I'm still reeling from that ending, and I'll definitely be buying a physical copy to share with anyone who will listen to me rave about it when it comes out in June. My background is a history degree with an emphasis on the Second World War, and I love an alternative history, so this book had an immediate appeal, and an absolutely gloriously cool cover that I fell in love with. Judge this book by its cover and you won't be disappointed! (Such a shame that it wasn't included in the digital arc, but Google it and enjoy its splendor!) Thank you Netgalley and Quercus for the arc.

Rose is the perfect heroine: an 'elite' woman and working within the heart of the protectorate, she's in a privileged position but is not without her own secrets. As tensions rise and things come to a head in advance of the Leader's arrival in England, Rose gets caught up in something bigger than she could possibly imagine and is forced to decide which side she's on.

I was totally fascinated by the way that in this alternative Britain, women have been divided into castes, based on their backgrounds, looks, intelligence, ability to bear children, and anything else the Germans think are suitable attributes in a woman. From Gelis (the elite) to Friedas (the lowest of the low), and from Klaras (mothers) to Lenis (the professional women), every woman has a label which dictates what she can wear, what she can eat, where she can go, who she can speak to. It reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale, and was so brilliantly crafted.

And then there was the way that literature was presented in the book, as something dangerous when left unchecked, or as propaganda for the German ideals. In order to control the past they edited history, and in order to shape the future they control literature. Personally I'm delighted that the invention of television hasn't eradicated the need for books, phew!!

I love alternative history and this was a fine example of the genre. Well written, absorbing and all too believable, with a gripping finale that kept me turning the pages

Wow. It's rare that a book absorbs me this much: I found it completely immersive. There's a lot of female dystopias about, particularly since the success of 'The Handmaid's Tale', and it's rare to see one that is distinctive as 'Widowland'. The idea of an alternative history in which there was no Second World War, and Germany simply took over Britain as part of its empire-building project is a chilling invention; and the separation of women into castes all too plausible. The spectre of the Holocaust (which the characters have no real notion of because information about it has been suppressed) looms over the characters and their possible fates, and the novel eschews a resolution in order to leave the (fictional) future hanging in the balance.

The fact that the narrative is viewed through the viewpoint of an upper-caste woman is an interesting choice, since it follows her gradual awakening to the real horrors of the Nazi regime, particularly as it pertains to women. The realisation that she is, in fact, as oppressed as all the women she has been encouraged to consider 'inferior' is a shattering one. Indeed, her interactions with the women of 'Widowland', who - being single and beyond childbearing years - are the lowest female caste, brings both her and the reader to the realisation that despite all their privations they may very well enjoy more freedom than she does. In this way, Carey encourages the reader to reflect on the fact that youth and desirability may grant only illusory privilege in a patriarchy.

But the book is not only a feminist consideration of women's role in an authoritarian and overwhelmingly patriarchal society - it's also about the power of literature to change thoughts and minds. Particularly women's literature - the words of the Brontes, Mary Wollestonecraft and Mary Shelley reverberate through this novel, motivating both individual enlightenment and communal resistance.

Overall, this is a beautifully written and extremely thought-provoking novel that I'll be recommending everyone to read. I loved it.

3.5 stars, rounded up because I raced through it.

What if there was no second world war and instead the UK submitted to Germany? Several speculative fiction books have asked this question and the answer is usually as dark and bleak as one would expect. So it is in Widowland. It's 1953 and the UK is planning a coronation for Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. A junior partner in the Anglo-Saxon Alliance, life in Britain is dull and grey. Food is scarce and regulated, clothing restricted, the country's wood, metals, materials and meat sent to Germany. along with most of the male population. The women are segregated into castes, everything from their hairstyles to their calorie consumption dictated by their status.

Rose is a Geli, the highest caste. She has a good civil service job, a room of her own, a high ranking (married) german boyfriend and relative freedom. But even well connected Gelis live in a constant state of fear and so when she is summoned to the Commissioner's office, she worries about what infraction she's been reported for. Anything from wearing lipstick to adultery can have severe repercussions and she's guilty of both. Instead she finds herself tasked with finding out who is responsible for acts of vandalism, ordered to infiltrate Widowland where the lowest of all, elderly, childless women, live to find the answers.

There was a lot I enjoyed about this book, but there were many things that jarred as well. If all men are shipped off to the continent then just who are the women supposed to marry when marriage and motherhood is their ultimate destiny and one they can be punished for not doing? Why is Rose busy amending classic works of literature when reading is discouraged and plenty of propaganda novels are published anyway, why not allow these books to slip into obscurity? Why select untrained Rose for this mission?

In addition there are some clunky turns of phrase, especially around Rose 'remembering' which she does a lot in order to supply the huge amounts of backstory needed to make sense of this alternate history. Rose herself is a pretty passive heroine, injected with a dose of instalust, and the pacing is a bit off with a huge amount crammed into the last third. I'd also have liked to have seen the Friedas, the inhabitants of Widowland, centred more, maybe with a narrative of their own; these middle aged and elderly ex suffragettes, teachers, explorers and independent women are easily the most interesting characters within the book. However, although Widlowland did seem flawed in many ways, it races along, I did enjoy it and would absolutely read a sequel.

I have seen other reviews compare the story to other works such as Fatherland and the Berlin Noir tales and I have to agree, there was almost a sense of deja vu when reading this book, I enjoyed it and i would probably read more by this author

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.