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A Girl Called Fearless #1
A Girl Called Fearless
An Indie Next Pick! Avie Reveare has the normal life of a privileged teen growing up in L.A., at least as normal as any girl's life is these days. After a synthetic hormone in beef killed fifty million American women ten years ago, only young girls, old women, men, and boys are left to pick up the pieces. The death threat is past, but fathers still fear for their daughters' safety, and the Paternalist Movement, begun to "protect" young women, is taking over the choices they make. Like all her friends, Avie still mourns the loss of her mother, but she's also dreaming about college and love and what she'll make of her life. When her dad "contracts" her to marry a rich, older man to raise money to save his struggling company, her life suddenly narrows to two. Be trapped in a marriage with a controlling politician, or run. Her lifelong friend, student revolutionary Yates, urges her to run to freedom across the border to Canada. As their friendship turns to passion, the decision to leave becomes harder and harder. Running away is incredibly dangerous, and it's possible Avie will never see Yates again. But staying could mean death. From Catherine Linka comes this romantic, thought-provoking, and frighteningly real story, A Girl Called Fearless, about fighting for the most important things in life—freedom and love.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2014
26 people are currently reading
3271 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Linka
7 books128 followers A passionate traveler, Catherine loves to visit wild landscapes like Iceland, the Amazon, Patagonia, the Arctic circle and the Australian outback. Catherine has seen 6 types of whales in the wild, and lived her lifelong dream when she stood on deck in pajamas and a parka watching orca in Antarctica's Gerlach Straits. She loves writing complex characters facing impossible decisions. She doesn’t believe in fate, but she did fall in love with her husband on their first date when he laced up her boots, because she'd broken her hand.
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November 30, 2014
'It's over. Aveline is under contract to me. She belongs to me. Do you understand?' (page 155)
I was sitting in a food court once, reading, when I overheard a conversation at the table next to me. A (young) man was telling a (young) woman -- presumably his girlfriend -- not to listen to her family or friends, that she belonged to him. 'You belong to me.' And I hoped so fervently that she would find a way to leave him, because that doesn't even begin to approximate a healthy relationship model. I still hope she left him.
But back to the book. Aveline -- Avie -- lives in a version of the U.S. where most of the adult female population died off about ten years ago. A synthetic hormone in beef targeted anyone between puberty and menopause, basically, leaving the young, the old, the vegetarian (hurray, I'm safe), and those who had previously had their reproductive organs removed. (And also the anorexics, apparently? It's an offhand comment (page 144, because I'm obsessive like that), but it doesn't make any sense -- just because your body isn't producing hormones, if indeed it isn't, doesn't mean that it doesn't respond to hormones. Unless it's that the synthetic screws with estrogen, except that men have estrogen too...) Now women, and girls-not-yet-women, are at a premium -- literally. They're bought and sold like commodities, and Avie's desperate to escape her Contract.
Which is where Hawkins -- the source of that oh-so-lovely quotation up top -- comes in. Hawkins is rich. Powerful. Conservative -- he's a driving power behind the movement to strip women of as many of their rights as possible. And oh yes, just to prove that he's really, truly, irredeemably slimy, he wants his future wife to look just like his mother, because apparently he gets off on that. Not exactly a character to have depth. (By the by, I can't believe .)
At some point I decided that I was going to have to cut Avie some slack: yes, she does a lot of really idiotic things -- like lose her resolve to play her cards close to the chest every time Hawkins says something offensive -- but then, she's seventeen. She's been raised by a wealthy father with the means to provide her with a bodyguard(-slash-jailer) and a private school education; this would be a very different book if she'd grown up in a different neighbourhood (more on that in a moment). What frustrates me about her, though, it that she doesn't do a ton of growth in that respect. She grows, yes. She figures out how to take a stand and do the right thing. But she also gives away her position (and puts dozens or more others at risk), decides to 'stop lying', tells anyone who wants to know what her name is and that she's running from a Contract and that she's trying to get to Canada -- and then is genuinely surprised when people know who she is. (Her knowledge has some weird gaps, though -- first she doesn't even know who the Taliban are, which, given the time frame of this book, I doubt -- and later she seems perfectly familiar with the Taliban, Al Qaeda, etc.)
So Avie's status as one of the privileged...okay. Getting into the bigger problem I had with this book: worldbuilding. Namely, there isn't much of it. I suppose it's fair to expect that Avie would have been isolated from some of the effects of half the working population dying, since she's in an extremely privileged position. But despite all we hear of economic collapse and devastation and so on, we never see any of those effects. Other than a lot of the guys in the book being creepers and bodyguards being the latest fashion accessory, we see very few indications that Avie can't do anything she was able to do before the hormone.
Other than vague comments about some countries wanting to close borders to the U.S., we hear almost nothing about the international response. Believe me, if almost the entire female population of a country, especially one as powerful as the U.S., died, there would be consequences. Borders would have been closed long ago -- it took them years to figure out the problem! Other countries wouldn't want to risk it spreading. And since women have become open commodities -- literally auctioned off through (currently very respectable) houses like Sotheby's and Christie's -- wouldn't men in the U.S. also, oh, try to go somewhere else? Or, appallingly but fittingly for this book, try to bring in women from places like India? (For that matter, why didn't the women in the U.S. try to go somewhere else while they could?) For that matter, why didn't any other countries try to invade? Seriously, how is the U.S. still functioning enough in this book to maintain any credible international power?
It's just, it's been ten years. Ten years. Yes, a lot can happen in ten years. A huge amount. But enough to turn a huge proportion of men into giant slimeballs? Enough to allow for the legal commodification of women? I don't think so. The Paternalists are so uniformly slimy that it's just not creditable. Take the VP: 'I've committed to continuing our efforts to segregate the sexes and to deny federal contracts to companies that employ women. We don't have to put that into law. We can just let federal agencies know it's our unwritten policy. Of course, once the Twenty-eighth Amendment passes, we can do whatever we want.' (page 218)
I don't believe that kind of misogyny develops over ten years. There are a boatload of politicians whose policies I think are appalling, but I also understand (...to some degree...) that they're doing what they think is right for the country. Meanwhile, the Paternalists are just trying to put down women. There's no mention of religion for them (religion is only ever mentioned in a positive context), or of purpose beyond repression, or, well, of anything good whatsoever.
I could go on in this vein for a really long time -- I took fairly extensive notes, and clearly I have opinions. But let's just look at the other two main males of the book: the love interest and the father.
The love interest: Look, I'm not a romantic. I'd be happier without any love interest at all. But because that's never going to happen in this kind of book (see also, for books this is very reminiscent of, Wither and XVI), I'll just say this: 1) you've barely spoken in years. You don't know each other well enough to be in love. 2) Romeo and Juliet is a really terrible relationship model, guys. Spoiler: they both die. Also, they are hormone-happy kids; also, Romeo is arguably bipolar or depressed.
Her father: Is either an idiot or is just a really terrible father. I have a really, really hard time believing that so many fathers have bought into the Paternalist model in such a short period of time (and girls have obviously been auctioned and Contracted off for at least the last few years, making the amount of time to misogyny that much shorter), but Avie's father? He doesn't even read her Contract, apparently. He's thrown a redemptive bone near the end, but not one that helps much.
At this point I've probably outgrown this kind of book anyway. Recommended for those who loved Wither and its ilk; recommended for those who like to shout at their books and turn down every other corner and take compulsive notes; not recommended for those who care about things like worldbuilding and plausibility.
Edited to fix a typo.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
I was sitting in a food court once, reading, when I overheard a conversation at the table next to me. A (young) man was telling a (young) woman -- presumably his girlfriend -- not to listen to her family or friends, that she belonged to him. 'You belong to me.' And I hoped so fervently that she would find a way to leave him, because that doesn't even begin to approximate a healthy relationship model. I still hope she left him.
But back to the book. Aveline -- Avie -- lives in a version of the U.S. where most of the adult female population died off about ten years ago. A synthetic hormone in beef targeted anyone between puberty and menopause, basically, leaving the young, the old, the vegetarian (hurray, I'm safe), and those who had previously had their reproductive organs removed. (And also the anorexics, apparently? It's an offhand comment (page 144, because I'm obsessive like that), but it doesn't make any sense -- just because your body isn't producing hormones, if indeed it isn't, doesn't mean that it doesn't respond to hormones. Unless it's that the synthetic screws with estrogen, except that men have estrogen too...) Now women, and girls-not-yet-women, are at a premium -- literally. They're bought and sold like commodities, and Avie's desperate to escape her Contract.
Which is where Hawkins -- the source of that oh-so-lovely quotation up top -- comes in. Hawkins is rich. Powerful. Conservative -- he's a driving power behind the movement to strip women of as many of their rights as possible. And oh yes, just to prove that he's really, truly, irredeemably slimy, he wants his future wife to look just like his mother, because apparently he gets off on that. Not exactly a character to have depth. (By the by, I can't believe .)
At some point I decided that I was going to have to cut Avie some slack: yes, she does a lot of really idiotic things -- like lose her resolve to play her cards close to the chest every time Hawkins says something offensive -- but then, she's seventeen. She's been raised by a wealthy father with the means to provide her with a bodyguard(-slash-jailer) and a private school education; this would be a very different book if she'd grown up in a different neighbourhood (more on that in a moment). What frustrates me about her, though, it that she doesn't do a ton of growth in that respect. She grows, yes. She figures out how to take a stand and do the right thing. But she also gives away her position (and puts dozens or more others at risk), decides to 'stop lying', tells anyone who wants to know what her name is and that she's running from a Contract and that she's trying to get to Canada -- and then is genuinely surprised when people know who she is. (Her knowledge has some weird gaps, though -- first she doesn't even know who the Taliban are, which, given the time frame of this book, I doubt -- and later she seems perfectly familiar with the Taliban, Al Qaeda, etc.)
So Avie's status as one of the privileged...okay. Getting into the bigger problem I had with this book: worldbuilding. Namely, there isn't much of it. I suppose it's fair to expect that Avie would have been isolated from some of the effects of half the working population dying, since she's in an extremely privileged position. But despite all we hear of economic collapse and devastation and so on, we never see any of those effects. Other than a lot of the guys in the book being creepers and bodyguards being the latest fashion accessory, we see very few indications that Avie can't do anything she was able to do before the hormone.
Other than vague comments about some countries wanting to close borders to the U.S., we hear almost nothing about the international response. Believe me, if almost the entire female population of a country, especially one as powerful as the U.S., died, there would be consequences. Borders would have been closed long ago -- it took them years to figure out the problem! Other countries wouldn't want to risk it spreading. And since women have become open commodities -- literally auctioned off through (currently very respectable) houses like Sotheby's and Christie's -- wouldn't men in the U.S. also, oh, try to go somewhere else? Or, appallingly but fittingly for this book, try to bring in women from places like India? (For that matter, why didn't the women in the U.S. try to go somewhere else while they could?) For that matter, why didn't any other countries try to invade? Seriously, how is the U.S. still functioning enough in this book to maintain any credible international power?
It's just, it's been ten years. Ten years. Yes, a lot can happen in ten years. A huge amount. But enough to turn a huge proportion of men into giant slimeballs? Enough to allow for the legal commodification of women? I don't think so. The Paternalists are so uniformly slimy that it's just not creditable. Take the VP: 'I've committed to continuing our efforts to segregate the sexes and to deny federal contracts to companies that employ women. We don't have to put that into law. We can just let federal agencies know it's our unwritten policy. Of course, once the Twenty-eighth Amendment passes, we can do whatever we want.' (page 218)
I don't believe that kind of misogyny develops over ten years. There are a boatload of politicians whose policies I think are appalling, but I also understand (...to some degree...) that they're doing what they think is right for the country. Meanwhile, the Paternalists are just trying to put down women. There's no mention of religion for them (religion is only ever mentioned in a positive context), or of purpose beyond repression, or, well, of anything good whatsoever.
I could go on in this vein for a really long time -- I took fairly extensive notes, and clearly I have opinions. But let's just look at the other two main males of the book: the love interest and the father.
The love interest: Look, I'm not a romantic. I'd be happier without any love interest at all. But because that's never going to happen in this kind of book (see also, for books this is very reminiscent of, Wither and XVI), I'll just say this: 1) you've barely spoken in years. You don't know each other well enough to be in love. 2) Romeo and Juliet is a really terrible relationship model, guys. Spoiler: they both die. Also, they are hormone-happy kids; also, Romeo is arguably bipolar or depressed.
Her father: Is either an idiot or is just a really terrible father. I have a really, really hard time believing that so many fathers have bought into the Paternalist model in such a short period of time (and girls have obviously been auctioned and Contracted off for at least the last few years, making the amount of time to misogyny that much shorter), but Avie's father? He doesn't even read her Contract, apparently. He's thrown a redemptive bone near the end, but not one that helps much.
At this point I've probably outgrown this kind of book anyway. Recommended for those who loved Wither and its ilk; recommended for those who like to shout at their books and turn down every other corner and take compulsive notes; not recommended for those who care about things like worldbuilding and plausibility.
Edited to fix a typo.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
September 20, 2013
Linka's excellent debut is set in a near future that, while frighteningly possible, bears little resemblance to the world we know now. Thanks to a ovarian cancer-causing hormone injected into cattle, most women have died. The girls that are left are a highly-prized commodity: sheltered, protected, and with ever-diminishing rights. Avie has never known any different, but she's beginning to chafe against all the rules and regulations. The last straw comes when her father sells her to a man twice her age - it's his right as her father and guardian, and there's nothing she can do about it. Avie is running out of options: she can live a life of unhappy luxury, trapped in a gilded cage, or she can risk her life running for the Canadian border with the boy she loves, the one who nicknamed her "Fearless". Everything is not as it seems in this haunting new world, and Avie will have to figure out what's right and what's true.
Besides being compulsively readable, "A Girl Called Fearless" is relevant, especially now that women's rights are being called into question and, in some cases, under debate as to whether they are even rights. There is a chilling similarity to Avie's predicament, and the one women face today: what do we do when we are trapped by biology, at the mercy of the men who run things? Fortunately, things have not reached the point/future Linka envisions, but we should use her book as a topic of discussion. Now that more schools are embracing the concept of a "Common Core" curriculum, Linka's book could be read for a history class, or one that discusses current issues. Or it could just be read for enjoyment's sake, as it is well-written, fast-paced, and left me wanting more! Teens and adults both will be clamoring for the next book in the series!
Besides being compulsively readable, "A Girl Called Fearless" is relevant, especially now that women's rights are being called into question and, in some cases, under debate as to whether they are even rights. There is a chilling similarity to Avie's predicament, and the one women face today: what do we do when we are trapped by biology, at the mercy of the men who run things? Fortunately, things have not reached the point/future Linka envisions, but we should use her book as a topic of discussion. Now that more schools are embracing the concept of a "Common Core" curriculum, Linka's book could be read for a history class, or one that discusses current issues. Or it could just be read for enjoyment's sake, as it is well-written, fast-paced, and left me wanting more! Teens and adults both will be clamoring for the next book in the series!
April 12, 2014
Short chapters and nonstop action make this a good pick for reluctant readers. However, the quality of the writing and the story's engagement with ideas about power, control, and patriarchy will hold the interest of more seasoned teen readers, too.
Some reviewers here have expressed skepticism about the premise: that following a pandemic that wipes out all but very young girls and very old women, a splinter group of men begins the Paternalist movement to "protect" females. In truth, the movement's objective is to strip away the civil rights of women, and becomes in rather short order, the dominant force in American politics. These reviewers must have a more charitable opinion of powerful men than I do.
I enjoyed reading this book and resented the moments when I was not reading it. I also resent that I will have to wait for the sequel - the books ends on a cliffhanger, but there's some really promising, engaging setup for book 2. Look forward to seeing where the story goes next.
Some reviewers here have expressed skepticism about the premise: that following a pandemic that wipes out all but very young girls and very old women, a splinter group of men begins the Paternalist movement to "protect" females. In truth, the movement's objective is to strip away the civil rights of women, and becomes in rather short order, the dominant force in American politics. These reviewers must have a more charitable opinion of powerful men than I do.
I enjoyed reading this book and resented the moments when I was not reading it. I also resent that I will have to wait for the sequel - the books ends on a cliffhanger, but there's some really promising, engaging setup for book 2. Look forward to seeing where the story goes next.
Want to read
September 13, 2016Sounds exactly like this book...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Except for the hormone killing off women thing.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Except for the hormone killing off women thing.
June 11, 2015
Read Full Review At fANGIRLconfessions
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
See, the thing between Dystopian and I, is that we don't have the best friendship. We started off the best of friends actually, then Dysto (his real name, and yes he's a GUY) began acting a bit shady. He became distant, our once interesting conversations turned mediocre, boring, and predictable. Oh and let's not forget his " tape-recorder disorder " where everything he said or did, was so gosh darn repetitive. I was soooo sick of his half-assness, that I cut him off, and swore that I would never reach out to him again.
Well, I miss my good friend Dysto, and I wanted to see if we could actually work out, ya know? Give it one LAST shot to be the friends we were truly meant to be. So when I received an email offering to kick off our " amendment " with A Girl Called Fearless, I couldn't help but to accept.
Do you think we're friends now? Or did I flush his ass down the toilet?
To be honest, A Girl Called Fearless wasn't the best book to ignite the friendship flame between Dysto and I. It's not a horrible story, but it wasn't the greatest either, and if I were to give an example of my experience, the word " flat-line " would be the perfect representation. The problem is, this book suffered severely from the " dope concept -- poor execution " syndrome. Of course with EVERY dystopian, the concept, plot or however you want to phrase it, is always based on the same factor: A Controlling Government. What saved this novel, was the semi cool way the author (Linka) chose to deliver it.
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
See, the thing between Dystopian and I, is that we don't have the best friendship. We started off the best of friends actually, then Dysto (his real name, and yes he's a GUY) began acting a bit shady. He became distant, our once interesting conversations turned mediocre, boring, and predictable. Oh and let's not forget his " tape-recorder disorder " where everything he said or did, was so gosh darn repetitive. I was soooo sick of his half-assness, that I cut him off, and swore that I would never reach out to him again.
Well, I miss my good friend Dysto, and I wanted to see if we could actually work out, ya know? Give it one LAST shot to be the friends we were truly meant to be. So when I received an email offering to kick off our " amendment " with A Girl Called Fearless, I couldn't help but to accept.
Do you think we're friends now? Or did I flush his ass down the toilet?
To be honest, A Girl Called Fearless wasn't the best book to ignite the friendship flame between Dysto and I. It's not a horrible story, but it wasn't the greatest either, and if I were to give an example of my experience, the word " flat-line " would be the perfect representation. The problem is, this book suffered severely from the " dope concept -- poor execution " syndrome. Of course with EVERY dystopian, the concept, plot or however you want to phrase it, is always based on the same factor: A Controlling Government. What saved this novel, was the semi cool way the author (Linka) chose to deliver it.
September 28, 2015
Before I say anything, I just want to say that I read this book while on a vacation. I was in another country while reading this. It seemed like a really good read that would keep me occupied when I had some free time.
The idea was amazing. I don't know how the author came up with it, but it was so awesome! I loved loved loved the beginning. It was so interesting and exciting. I was reading this as often as I could because the beginning was that great.
However, it soon got a lot worse. I don't know why, but I really disliked the part from when she gets to Las Vegas and is staying with Maggie (or whatever her name was. That's how bad that part was.).
The energy of the book changed and I didn't like it. I was reading it less and I almost didn't finish because I didn't feel the need too. I didn't get why the book went that way and what the point was. There were way too many unnecessary characters added, there wasn't enough character development on Sparrow (which reminds me, what is with the names in this book? Yates? Sparrow?), all of a sudden that guy she was supposed to be contracted to just didn't care anymore and walked away?
I just don't really get the point of that small town in the middle of nowhere, or why it was in the book, or why those characters were there...I didn't get anything.
So I was pretty disappointed with the book. It started out great, and then the author took it in this where direction that left me really confused.
I don't really know what else to say besides I wish she had done something different, because I don't think the way she took it was right for the book.
The idea was amazing. I don't know how the author came up with it, but it was so awesome! I loved loved loved the beginning. It was so interesting and exciting. I was reading this as often as I could because the beginning was that great.
However, it soon got a lot worse. I don't know why, but I really disliked the part from when she gets to Las Vegas and is staying with Maggie (or whatever her name was. That's how bad that part was.).
The energy of the book changed and I didn't like it. I was reading it less and I almost didn't finish because I didn't feel the need too. I didn't get why the book went that way and what the point was. There were way too many unnecessary characters added, there wasn't enough character development on Sparrow (which reminds me, what is with the names in this book? Yates? Sparrow?), all of a sudden that guy she was supposed to be contracted to just didn't care anymore and walked away?
I just don't really get the point of that small town in the middle of nowhere, or why it was in the book, or why those characters were there...I didn't get anything.
So I was pretty disappointed with the book. It started out great, and then the author took it in this where direction that left me really confused.
I don't really know what else to say besides I wish she had done something different, because I don't think the way she took it was right for the book.
July 14, 2014
Oh my god, this has become my new favorite book. I can't even begin to describe how awesome it is. Avie is a typical American teenager after the death of most women in the US. Because of obvious problems, fathers are very protective of their daughters and will go to any lengths to keep them safe. This includes essentially selling them off to older men. Avie is contracted to a man who is looking for political power. To escape his controlling nature and threats, Avie runs away. However she learns that the possibility of escape to Canada, is not possible.
What I loved about this story was the original plot. Nowadays you have your basic catastrophe in science fiction: virus, global warming, terrorists, ect. This book was really unique in the fact that it had a synthetic beef hormone that turned estrogen to cancer. While I'm no sure that this is actually possible, it was a fun thought to entertain. Also, I loved Avie. She goes from being a dependent sissy to a fearless fighter. Talk about character development. Her love interest, Yates, was less of an interesting character, but I still thought that their romance was cute.
Plus, it was a really empowering feminist novel.
What I loved about this story was the original plot. Nowadays you have your basic catastrophe in science fiction: virus, global warming, terrorists, ect. This book was really unique in the fact that it had a synthetic beef hormone that turned estrogen to cancer. While I'm no sure that this is actually possible, it was a fun thought to entertain. Also, I loved Avie. She goes from being a dependent sissy to a fearless fighter. Talk about character development. Her love interest, Yates, was less of an interesting character, but I still thought that their romance was cute.
Plus, it was a really empowering feminist novel.
November 24, 2014
Aveline (Avie) lives in Southern California in a time when most girls are under 20 or over 60. A synthetic hormone in beef caused ovarian cancer, killing 50 million American women about ten years before the book is set. Girls and women of childbearing age have become a commodity and a group called the Paternalists is taking over control of government and society. Girls can be sold to husbands when they turn 16 and then begin having babies, to make sure that society is repopulated. Wealthy girls like Avie have bodyguards and are closely protected by their families, and usually forbidden from interacting with boys their age. Avie's life reaches a turning point and she has to decide who she is and what she stands for.
This is an engaging, well-written, unique book. A Girl Called Fearless is a total page-turner but also makes some very thought-provoking points. The descriptions are very vivid and there are parts that are scary or suspenseful enough that I had to stop reading it before bed. Aveline is a complex protagonist and I like that she has moments of basically saying that she doesn't care about the revolution and she just cares about love. This is more honest and makes it less of a purely political book. I highly recommend it to adults and teens alike, and will order it for my middle school (7th and 8th grade) library and book talk it to older/more mature readers. I'm very excited for the sequel, a Girl Undone, coming out June 25, 2015.
This is an engaging, well-written, unique book. A Girl Called Fearless is a total page-turner but also makes some very thought-provoking points. The descriptions are very vivid and there are parts that are scary or suspenseful enough that I had to stop reading it before bed. Aveline is a complex protagonist and I like that she has moments of basically saying that she doesn't care about the revolution and she just cares about love. This is more honest and makes it less of a purely political book. I highly recommend it to adults and teens alike, and will order it for my middle school (7th and 8th grade) library and book talk it to older/more mature readers. I'm very excited for the sequel, a Girl Undone, coming out June 25, 2015.
May 3, 2014
4.5 Read as digital arc.
A Girl Called Fearless hooked me right away; I was 100 pages in before I knew it. I love books like this--that are all political with whisperings about women's rights or another social issue. However, the book is completely terrifying in that the more you think Fearless through, the less of an exaggeration it appears to be--this could totally happen. Things found in A Girl called Fearless: new rules, traditions and so on--my favorite. Bodyguards--why are there not more bodyguards in ya? (Attack of Princess Diaries nostalgia!) And a crush on "the boy next door"--an oldie, but a goodie. Basically, Fearless did a lot of things right. At one point, I was like, where are all the gay characters, this book clearly needs one, and then one actually appeared. I don't know if Linka thought of everything, but she did think of enough to satisfy me--high five!
Reminded me of a lot of The Registry (but I liked Fearless better), and slightly of Wither and Bumped. If you want more like this.
A Girl Called Fearless hooked me right away; I was 100 pages in before I knew it. I love books like this--that are all political with whisperings about women's rights or another social issue. However, the book is completely terrifying in that the more you think Fearless through, the less of an exaggeration it appears to be--this could totally happen. Things found in A Girl called Fearless: new rules, traditions and so on--my favorite. Bodyguards--why are there not more bodyguards in ya? (Attack of Princess Diaries nostalgia!) And a crush on "the boy next door"--an oldie, but a goodie. Basically, Fearless did a lot of things right. At one point, I was like, where are all the gay characters, this book clearly needs one, and then one actually appeared. I don't know if Linka thought of everything, but she did think of enough to satisfy me--high five!
Reminded me of a lot of The Registry (but I liked Fearless better), and slightly of Wither and Bumped. If you want more like this.
December 28, 2015
I hate this world in the book.
Fathers are protecting their daughters virginity's to sell them to the highest bidder. It's disgusting. Parts like this in the book frustrates and infuriates me to the core. They are making women objects of property again. That aggravates me.
I hate this world in the books.
Fathers are protecting their daughters virginity's to sell them to the highest bidder. It's disgusting. Parts like this in the book frustrates and infuriates me to the core. They are making women objects of property again. That aggravates me.
Now I'm bothered by no explanation.
This book does not go into character analysis of how females would indeed react to being made dismissive. I believe the feminists of our world would fight back. Rape would happen to these young girls being sold if they did not give in to being impregnated. Either way, to me they're being raped on a level called, forced consent because now they have a duty and no one's going to save them because its spousal rape.
I can't enjoy the plot because all of this bothers me so much.
I've finished the book, and all I can think is how horrible men are in this book. I have more faith in men than this book seemed to let. This story was OK, but I didn't enjoy it at all. I think it was unrealistic that society would just bend over for this law to be allowed to pass.
Fathers are protecting their daughters virginity's to sell them to the highest bidder. It's disgusting. Parts like this in the book frustrates and infuriates me to the core. They are making women objects of property again. That aggravates me.
I hate this world in the books.
Fathers are protecting their daughters virginity's to sell them to the highest bidder. It's disgusting. Parts like this in the book frustrates and infuriates me to the core. They are making women objects of property again. That aggravates me.
Now I'm bothered by no explanation.
This book does not go into character analysis of how females would indeed react to being made dismissive. I believe the feminists of our world would fight back. Rape would happen to these young girls being sold if they did not give in to being impregnated. Either way, to me they're being raped on a level called, forced consent because now they have a duty and no one's going to save them because its spousal rape.
I can't enjoy the plot because all of this bothers me so much.
I've finished the book, and all I can think is how horrible men are in this book. I have more faith in men than this book seemed to let. This story was OK, but I didn't enjoy it at all. I think it was unrealistic that society would just bend over for this law to be allowed to pass.
June 22, 2014
Edit: I wrote at length about this book on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves: http://cleareyesfullshelves.com/blog/...
This was an interesting read. There's a lot of elements that feel very possible to me, including the political stuff and the food contamination disaster. I do wish the author hadn't been so heavy handed with the characterization of the bad guys and they'd been more nuanced and there are a number of world building issues related to the food contamination disaster. I also could've done without the animal death scene; I know it was meant to shock and illustrate the ruthlessness of the bad guys, but it I kind of already knew they were terrible.
But with that said, I read this book in a couple evenings and found it very hard to put down. I think there's going to be a sequel and I'll definitely be picking that up.
This was an interesting read. There's a lot of elements that feel very possible to me, including the political stuff and the food contamination disaster. I do wish the author hadn't been so heavy handed with the characterization of the bad guys and they'd been more nuanced and there are a number of world building issues related to the food contamination disaster. I also could've done without the animal death scene; I know it was meant to shock and illustrate the ruthlessness of the bad guys, but it I kind of already knew they were terrible.
But with that said, I read this book in a couple evenings and found it very hard to put down. I think there's going to be a sequel and I'll definitely be picking that up.
August 5, 2020
The title may be a girl called fearless but, in my opinion, she is not. The real fearlesses are Ms. A and Maggie Stanton who are actively working to dismantle the Paternalist Movement. I can't imagine living in a world where I would not be allowed my own money, control of my phone, and my wardrobe, and expected to produce a baby every year. Since many of the women died after eating beef injected with cancer-causing hormones, I may be giving up my Saturday hamburger.
May 19, 2014
This review and others are posted at Inspiring Insomnia.
A Girl Called Fearless is one of the more disturbing dystopian novels that I’ve read. As with any dystopia, while reading it, I ask myself, “Could this actually happen?” I had a hard time accepting the reality of the society in this story, and while it disturbed me, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have otherwise.
Ten years ago, a synthetic hormone in the U.S. food supply wiped out the vast majority of women of child-bearing age. As a result, the Paternalist Movement was born, with the goal of rebuilding the population. In this society, young girls are a valuable commodity, and getting them to an age where they can begin popping out babies is the highest priority. I can actually understand this, but I had a harder time understanding the means by which the Paternalist Movement would achieve this. Girls cannot go to college. They’re expected to stay home to cook and clean and tend to their husbands, leaving the best jobs available to men. High school math and science classes are replaced with lessons in baking cupcakes. Fathers fiercely protect their daughters’ virginity in order to sell them to the highest bidder.
That’s where the story started to lose me. I suppose that stifling a girl’s desire for an education and a career MAY make her more likely to submit to this kind of treatment. But it’s probably equally as likely that a girl would rebel against these rules, and then what happens? Should she be imprisoned? Should her husband be allowed to rape her in order to impregnate her?
A Girl Called Fearless doesn’t really get into these details. Instead, we have to accept that the U.S. government and the general population is O.K. with treating girls and young women like baby-making factories. There are people who resist this idea, including Avie, the sixteen-year-old main character, but enough are on board to make this the law of the land. I had a hard time believing this, especially since this major societal transformation occurs only ten years after the epidemic.
Avie’s father is part of this transformation when he signs a contract to sell his daughter to the highest bidder for $50 million. And he’s not the only one, as this is standard practice for fathers. Would this actually happen? COULD this actually happen? Would a father who has spent more than a decade being a loving parent suddenly decide to sell his young daughter to a disgusting older man? Avie encounters people who are opposed to this movement and who offer to help her escape across the border to Canada. A teacher. A gynecologist. A priest. In fact, it seems the only people who are actually in favor of the movement are money-hungry fathers and lecherous old men.
There are some interesting ideas in A Girl Called Fearless, and a disease that wipes out young women would certainly be disastrous. I just wish that the resulting dystopian society was easier to believe.
Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A Girl Called Fearless is one of the more disturbing dystopian novels that I’ve read. As with any dystopia, while reading it, I ask myself, “Could this actually happen?” I had a hard time accepting the reality of the society in this story, and while it disturbed me, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have otherwise.
Ten years ago, a synthetic hormone in the U.S. food supply wiped out the vast majority of women of child-bearing age. As a result, the Paternalist Movement was born, with the goal of rebuilding the population. In this society, young girls are a valuable commodity, and getting them to an age where they can begin popping out babies is the highest priority. I can actually understand this, but I had a harder time understanding the means by which the Paternalist Movement would achieve this. Girls cannot go to college. They’re expected to stay home to cook and clean and tend to their husbands, leaving the best jobs available to men. High school math and science classes are replaced with lessons in baking cupcakes. Fathers fiercely protect their daughters’ virginity in order to sell them to the highest bidder.
That’s where the story started to lose me. I suppose that stifling a girl’s desire for an education and a career MAY make her more likely to submit to this kind of treatment. But it’s probably equally as likely that a girl would rebel against these rules, and then what happens? Should she be imprisoned? Should her husband be allowed to rape her in order to impregnate her?
A Girl Called Fearless doesn’t really get into these details. Instead, we have to accept that the U.S. government and the general population is O.K. with treating girls and young women like baby-making factories. There are people who resist this idea, including Avie, the sixteen-year-old main character, but enough are on board to make this the law of the land. I had a hard time believing this, especially since this major societal transformation occurs only ten years after the epidemic.
Avie’s father is part of this transformation when he signs a contract to sell his daughter to the highest bidder for $50 million. And he’s not the only one, as this is standard practice for fathers. Would this actually happen? COULD this actually happen? Would a father who has spent more than a decade being a loving parent suddenly decide to sell his young daughter to a disgusting older man? Avie encounters people who are opposed to this movement and who offer to help her escape across the border to Canada. A teacher. A gynecologist. A priest. In fact, it seems the only people who are actually in favor of the movement are money-hungry fathers and lecherous old men.
There are some interesting ideas in A Girl Called Fearless, and a disease that wipes out young women would certainly be disastrous. I just wish that the resulting dystopian society was easier to believe.
Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 9, 2016
Summary:
Avie remembers what life used to be like before a hormone in meat (should we all go vegetarian now?) caused women to have ovarian cancer an pretty much wipe out the gender. Now her life is much different. Her schooling is completely controlled. She is under lock and key at home and everything she does is controlled. She's been put under a contract to marry an older man that is a large part of the patriarchal movement to "save the women." Of course, they "save the women" by restricting them and stripping away all of their rights. After being sold under contract to marry this man, Avie needs to decide if she is going to run or go along with the obligations she is expected to keep. This develops Avie into Fearless.
My thoughts:
It's amazing what is done under the guise of protecting another person. These types of novels terrify me (think of The Compound as well). In this case, society changes so much under the guise of protecting the women that are left and not allowing any of them to live because of it. Schooling has gone back to learning how to be a good wife and mother instead of allowing a woman to have her own independence. The scariest part of this novel is that it feels so real. Avie has the same things that we have currently. It is very likely that this could be happening right now. There is nothing far away or fantastical about it. While I don't believe almost all women are going to die from ovarian cancer tomorrow, it is very likely that the hormones already put into food could cause such a tragedy. We don't know enough about the side effects of things that are used, and just because something is "organic" does not mean that it is without dangers as well. Honestly, this is an excellently written book that does end with less fear than it begins, but it really makes you think long after you set it down.
Avie remembers what life used to be like before a hormone in meat (should we all go vegetarian now?) caused women to have ovarian cancer an pretty much wipe out the gender. Now her life is much different. Her schooling is completely controlled. She is under lock and key at home and everything she does is controlled. She's been put under a contract to marry an older man that is a large part of the patriarchal movement to "save the women." Of course, they "save the women" by restricting them and stripping away all of their rights. After being sold under contract to marry this man, Avie needs to decide if she is going to run or go along with the obligations she is expected to keep. This develops Avie into Fearless.
My thoughts:
It's amazing what is done under the guise of protecting another person. These types of novels terrify me (think of The Compound as well). In this case, society changes so much under the guise of protecting the women that are left and not allowing any of them to live because of it. Schooling has gone back to learning how to be a good wife and mother instead of allowing a woman to have her own independence. The scariest part of this novel is that it feels so real. Avie has the same things that we have currently. It is very likely that this could be happening right now. There is nothing far away or fantastical about it. While I don't believe almost all women are going to die from ovarian cancer tomorrow, it is very likely that the hormones already put into food could cause such a tragedy. We don't know enough about the side effects of things that are used, and just because something is "organic" does not mean that it is without dangers as well. Honestly, this is an excellently written book that does end with less fear than it begins, but it really makes you think long after you set it down.
July 22, 2014
This tells the story of Avelina “Avie” Reveare, a teenage girl in contemporary Los Angeles, but not Los Angeles as we know it. Ten years ago, 50 million women of childbearing age were killed by eating beef treated with a deadly synthetic hormone. Avie’s mother was one of the casualties. Now that paranoia governs the land, young girls are zealously guarded and “protected” and then married off to the highest bidder to propagate the species. Avie is an endearing mix of qualities: an emerging rebel living inside a “typical” teenager with a crush on a guy she’s known since childhood, and her heart runs her life more than her head does. But when her father contracts her to marry a wealthy industrialist with implied sadistic tendencies, Avie decides to make a run for the border—literally. Apparently Canada does not abide by the same restrictions as America, so she has a shot at a “normal” life if she can make it. All sorts of plot complications ensue as she encounters “rescuers” who may or may not be what they seem, and Avie also discovers a sinister plot involving the government. With federal agents on her tail, her chances of survival remain in doubt as we watch her mature into the Fearless young woman of the title. The writing is top-notch, with vivid descriptions sufficient to set the scene with sensory details but not so overbearing as to slow down the story. The characters are sympathetic and believable, often at war with themselves for understandable reasons. Avie is easy to root for, and so are many of the others. Great dialogue and masterful suspense.
May 14, 2014
Avie is a 16 year-old girl living in Los Angeles but Avie's Los Angeles is a world largely without women. Women have largely died out as a result of a cancer caused by meat from cows that had been given a hormone. All females between puberty and menopause who have eaten beef have died and all the girls that were too young to get the cancer are now overly protected and treated as a commodity. Avie's father had promised not to sell her to a man until after college but when his business is in trouble, he sells her to a despicable man more than twice her age for $50 million.
Luckily, Avie has friends. Her friend Yates, her teacher, and several complete strangers do what they can to get Avie away from her horrible situation.
This book was so good that I read it all in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. There is so much inequality and misogyny in the world but in this book it is so much worse. These girls have absolutely no control over any aspect of their lives. They can't even have full access to the internet. They can't spend time with boys their own age, they can't go to college, they have to have bodyguards to ensure they aren't kidnapped and sold. I'm going to make my sons read it.
Luckily, Avie has friends. Her friend Yates, her teacher, and several complete strangers do what they can to get Avie away from her horrible situation.
This book was so good that I read it all in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. There is so much inequality and misogyny in the world but in this book it is so much worse. These girls have absolutely no control over any aspect of their lives. They can't even have full access to the internet. They can't spend time with boys their own age, they can't go to college, they have to have bodyguards to ensure they aren't kidnapped and sold. I'm going to make my sons read it.
August 6, 2016
What happens when the population of females able to bear children is dramatically reduced in a country? How does society react? Linka's take on this situation is truly frightening. Under the guise of protection, females are losing their rights.
A Girl Called Fearless follows Avie, a teenager who is contracted to a controlling older man in order to save her father's company. She has to work out her options, and quickly. Avie is a great character - smart but sheltered, a little selfish, and 100% sure she can't marry this frightening man. In her journey Avie discovers she is stronger than she thinks, and becomes embroiled in something much bigger than a simple escape into a forced marriage.
With an interesting premise, and a believable lead character, A Girl Called Fearless is a book most young women would do well to pick up.
A Girl Called Fearless follows Avie, a teenager who is contracted to a controlling older man in order to save her father's company. She has to work out her options, and quickly. Avie is a great character - smart but sheltered, a little selfish, and 100% sure she can't marry this frightening man. In her journey Avie discovers she is stronger than she thinks, and becomes embroiled in something much bigger than a simple escape into a forced marriage.
With an interesting premise, and a believable lead character, A Girl Called Fearless is a book most young women would do well to pick up.
July 26, 2015
A Girl Called Fearless is a book that is set in the near future where 50 million American women have died from eating a synthetic hormone found in beef. Avie is a teenager who dreams about real love and college, when her father "signs" her to a millionaire who is running to be California's governor. With the help of a paster, high school teacher, and her best friend/boyfriend, Avie manages to run away.
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself routing for Avie and Yates long before it actually came out that he had feelings for her. I can't wait to see what happens next as Avie and Yates try to expose the horrors that their government officials are doing while running to the safety of Canada.
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself routing for Avie and Yates long before it actually came out that he had feelings for her. I can't wait to see what happens next as Avie and Yates try to expose the horrors that their government officials are doing while running to the safety of Canada.
June 19, 2014
That is one of the most beautiful stories I've read. I didn't expect to like it, reading the summary, but I like dystopian fiction and the idea sounded kinda cool so I went for it. It was a good decision. I don't like a lot of books as much as I liked this. I'll admit it, Avie's a bit of a flat character, but the plot and the other characters, especially Yates (swoon) make up for it. It's really well written and the plot is very engaging. The last book I kept reading and finished in a day like I did with this was Divergent. I think there's a sequel too.
July 3, 2014
Another excellent YA book that is particularly relevant since the Supreme Court decision this week regarding Hooby Lobby's incredible claim of religious rights for a corporation. This novel describes a world where most women of child bearing age died in the U.S. due to a cancer causing hormone in the beef supply. Ten years later, the young girls that are of child bearing age are sold to the highest bidders due to the extreme shortage of women. Truly a creepy scenario, this book should be a winner!!!
July 6, 2014
Wow. This book is a MUST read! Seriously.
The plot was amazing as well as the characters though I wish it didn't ended that way, but anyway it was still perfect! :)
The way the Catherine Linka conveys a message about the importance of us women fighting for our rights and having the same opportunities in society and to maintain gender equality.
I love it. And I'd really like to see this one as a movie someday. :)
The plot was amazing as well as the characters though I wish it didn't ended that way, but anyway it was still perfect! :)
The way the Catherine Linka conveys a message about the importance of us women fighting for our rights and having the same opportunities in society and to maintain gender equality.
I love it. And I'd really like to see this one as a movie someday. :)
December 22, 2017
I would describe this book as a YA Version of the Handmaids Tale. I love how you can see how the main character Avie grows in self- consciousness, bravery, and maturity. It is a great example to what the worst case scenario for women would be in a world where they are seen as commodities than human beings by the government and its citizens. But, the concepts in this book still rings true in most developing countries.
August 9, 2017
Wow! My emotions are still boiling after reading this book. As soon as I started it, I couldn't set it down. The tension keeps you turning page after page. Avie and her emotions felt real and well thought out. She didn't come across as a sudden super hero and the situations felt like a plausible dystopian world. The ending is very much left open, so I'll have to read the second book to finish the story.
April 28, 2014
4.25 stars
Did you ever read a book that's not based on reality, but seems so real that it makes you angry and keeps you up at night thinking about it? I've come across a few books like this in my life and bravo to Catherine Linka because A Girl Called Fearless is another one that I can add to the list. Also, this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2014 and I'm happy to say it lived up to expectations!
Many people know that food issues are near and dear to my heart, I'm going to school to be a registered dietician and, even before I started that journey, I was a big advocate for natural, whole foods. Looking at the typical American diet this isn't something that matters to many people, but even though something like Scarpanol, the hormone that's the impetus for the story in A Girl Called Fearless, isn't real, it very easily could be. The story takes place in the present day, but in the early 2000s women in the United States began dying in massive numbers from cancer. The cancer itself was aggressive, but the bigger problem was that there wasn't enough chemotherapy and other medical treatments to care for the sheer volume of women who were sick. The epidemic was eventually traced back to Scarpanol, a hormone that the United States approved for use in cattle without testing it properly.
Avie, the story's main character is a victim of Scarpanol, not in the sense that she got sick or died, but because she's a survivor and is now left to deal with the aftermath. Avie's mother, and pretty much all the women in her generation are gone (long time vegans and vegetarians survived) and women are now so rare they're treated as precious commodities. Avie, an only child, comes from a wealthy family so she has a full-time bodyguard and is never allowed outside on her own. Less well off women aren't so lucky with many being kidnapped and essentially sold into sexual slavery. Avie looks forward to the day she can go to college and have more freedom, but then women are barred from higher education with colleges claiming they can't adequately keep women safe. Avie's only other choice at that point is to get married and, with her father's business in trouble, she's contracted (pretty much sold) to a wealthy older politician for $50 million.
Once Avie has been contracted she needs to make a decision about what to do and there are pretty much only two decisions available to her: go through with the marriage or run away to Canada, where they are willing to harbor women trying to escape contractual marriage. Avie doesn't want to go through with the marriage, especially when she meets her betrothed Jessop Hawkins who is a leader in the "Paternalist" movement, but running is dangerous and she doesn't know if she can do it. Yates, a childhood friend, urges her to go. His sister's marriage ended badly and Yates has dedicated his life to working for the underground movement trying to help women escape. Even though Yates and Avie haven't been able to interact much in recent years they still care about each other deeply and maybe even love each other.
A Girl Called Fearless is pretty much fraught with tension. I forced myself to put it down around 12:30am one night, but I could have easily stayed up until 3 or 4am reading. I kept trying to tell myself that it was highly unlikely that the story would end up with Avie married to Hawkins, but I still was almost in a near panic while reading. (Sidenote: I kept picturing this as a New Adult book where Avie marries the creepy, older Hawkins, he indoctrinates her into married life (i.e. sex) which she becomes a fiend for, and then she slowly changes his mind over time and he helps her free women and they live happily ever after.)
Major props to Catherine Linka for not being after to go to some dark and creepy places. The whole idea of the Paternalist movement is terrifying, girls' cell phones are restricted, girls aren't allowed to interact with boys their own age or really any men outside of their family, and the Paternalists want to take away women's right to vote, but there was so much more on top of that. A common clause in the marriage contracts are that girls need to be virgins and Avie goes through a virginity check which also includes the doctor telling her that no matter how many times a day her husband wants sex she has to go along with it (the whole idea is to repopulate society). Linka also isn't afraid to kill and hurt characters and force Avie to make tough decisions. And then there's the whole second half of the book which I could have never imagined, and at first I was skeptical, but I came to really like the way it played out.
The writing here is strong, the story is unique, and the characters are complex and brought out a whole range of emotions in me, but what really got to me about this story was how real it could be. As I said above the American diet is killing us, maybe not directly by a poisonous hormone, but indirectly by things heart-disease or diabetes. And there's no reason something more direct couldn't happen. The rest of the story is terrifyingly real as well. In the book there are politicians plotting to take away people's rights and fear-mongering at pretty much every turn. Women might seem like we're ok in the United States now, but what about reproductive health rights or equal pay? And what about the rights of African-Americans, Latinos, and gays? I was raised to question everything and not be complacent and this book is a great reminder of that.
That said, as much as I liked the idea for this story, the world Catherine Linka created, and the interpersonal relationships, I couldn't fully get behind the times when Avie seemed to have some effect on society as whole. It's not that I didn't think she personally could, it's more that in the world Linka created one teenage girl's ability to have a real impact seemed like such a slim possibility. I did very much enjoy this book as whole, but it was strongest when it focused on Avie, the world in which she lived, and her interactions with the people around her.
Bottom Line: Avie's story and the world Catherina Linka created made for one of my favorite reads of 2014 so far. The idea of a hormone used on cattle killing women and the Paternalistic movement were both frighteningly real and made for a quick-paced, nail-biting story. Plus, Avie is a great heroine who I challenge you not to root for. A Girl Called Fearless is the best of both worlds: an interesting, compelling story that also makes you think about the world we live in.
(Edited to add: Catherine Linka left a comment saying that there will be a sequel to A Girl Called Fearless involving Avie. She left a little teaser , but I won't put that here in case anyone doesn't want to see it)
I received an electronic review cope of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
Did you ever read a book that's not based on reality, but seems so real that it makes you angry and keeps you up at night thinking about it? I've come across a few books like this in my life and bravo to Catherine Linka because A Girl Called Fearless is another one that I can add to the list. Also, this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2014 and I'm happy to say it lived up to expectations!
Many people know that food issues are near and dear to my heart, I'm going to school to be a registered dietician and, even before I started that journey, I was a big advocate for natural, whole foods. Looking at the typical American diet this isn't something that matters to many people, but even though something like Scarpanol, the hormone that's the impetus for the story in A Girl Called Fearless, isn't real, it very easily could be. The story takes place in the present day, but in the early 2000s women in the United States began dying in massive numbers from cancer. The cancer itself was aggressive, but the bigger problem was that there wasn't enough chemotherapy and other medical treatments to care for the sheer volume of women who were sick. The epidemic was eventually traced back to Scarpanol, a hormone that the United States approved for use in cattle without testing it properly.
Avie, the story's main character is a victim of Scarpanol, not in the sense that she got sick or died, but because she's a survivor and is now left to deal with the aftermath. Avie's mother, and pretty much all the women in her generation are gone (long time vegans and vegetarians survived) and women are now so rare they're treated as precious commodities. Avie, an only child, comes from a wealthy family so she has a full-time bodyguard and is never allowed outside on her own. Less well off women aren't so lucky with many being kidnapped and essentially sold into sexual slavery. Avie looks forward to the day she can go to college and have more freedom, but then women are barred from higher education with colleges claiming they can't adequately keep women safe. Avie's only other choice at that point is to get married and, with her father's business in trouble, she's contracted (pretty much sold) to a wealthy older politician for $50 million.
Once Avie has been contracted she needs to make a decision about what to do and there are pretty much only two decisions available to her: go through with the marriage or run away to Canada, where they are willing to harbor women trying to escape contractual marriage. Avie doesn't want to go through with the marriage, especially when she meets her betrothed Jessop Hawkins who is a leader in the "Paternalist" movement, but running is dangerous and she doesn't know if she can do it. Yates, a childhood friend, urges her to go. His sister's marriage ended badly and Yates has dedicated his life to working for the underground movement trying to help women escape. Even though Yates and Avie haven't been able to interact much in recent years they still care about each other deeply and maybe even love each other.
A Girl Called Fearless is pretty much fraught with tension. I forced myself to put it down around 12:30am one night, but I could have easily stayed up until 3 or 4am reading. I kept trying to tell myself that it was highly unlikely that the story would end up with Avie married to Hawkins, but I still was almost in a near panic while reading. (Sidenote: I kept picturing this as a New Adult book where Avie marries the creepy, older Hawkins, he indoctrinates her into married life (i.e. sex) which she becomes a fiend for, and then she slowly changes his mind over time and he helps her free women and they live happily ever after.)
Major props to Catherine Linka for not being after to go to some dark and creepy places. The whole idea of the Paternalist movement is terrifying, girls' cell phones are restricted, girls aren't allowed to interact with boys their own age or really any men outside of their family, and the Paternalists want to take away women's right to vote, but there was so much more on top of that. A common clause in the marriage contracts are that girls need to be virgins and Avie goes through a virginity check which also includes the doctor telling her that no matter how many times a day her husband wants sex she has to go along with it (the whole idea is to repopulate society). Linka also isn't afraid to kill and hurt characters and force Avie to make tough decisions. And then there's the whole second half of the book which I could have never imagined, and at first I was skeptical, but I came to really like the way it played out.
The writing here is strong, the story is unique, and the characters are complex and brought out a whole range of emotions in me, but what really got to me about this story was how real it could be. As I said above the American diet is killing us, maybe not directly by a poisonous hormone, but indirectly by things heart-disease or diabetes. And there's no reason something more direct couldn't happen. The rest of the story is terrifyingly real as well. In the book there are politicians plotting to take away people's rights and fear-mongering at pretty much every turn. Women might seem like we're ok in the United States now, but what about reproductive health rights or equal pay? And what about the rights of African-Americans, Latinos, and gays? I was raised to question everything and not be complacent and this book is a great reminder of that.
That said, as much as I liked the idea for this story, the world Catherine Linka created, and the interpersonal relationships, I couldn't fully get behind the times when Avie seemed to have some effect on society as whole. It's not that I didn't think she personally could, it's more that in the world Linka created one teenage girl's ability to have a real impact seemed like such a slim possibility. I did very much enjoy this book as whole, but it was strongest when it focused on Avie, the world in which she lived, and her interactions with the people around her.
Bottom Line: Avie's story and the world Catherina Linka created made for one of my favorite reads of 2014 so far. The idea of a hormone used on cattle killing women and the Paternalistic movement were both frighteningly real and made for a quick-paced, nail-biting story. Plus, Avie is a great heroine who I challenge you not to root for. A Girl Called Fearless is the best of both worlds: an interesting, compelling story that also makes you think about the world we live in.
(Edited to add: Catherine Linka left a comment saying that there will be a sequel to A Girl Called Fearless involving Avie. She left a little teaser , but I won't put that here in case anyone doesn't want to see it)
I received an electronic review cope of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
April 7, 2014
Source: Goodreads giveaway
Note: This is half review/half discussion of the themes presented. It will include references to some plot events, so those who dislike any type of spoilers should not read it.
A Girl Called Fearless is a bold novel, exploring women’s rights and sexuality and what it means to be free. It will appeal to many modern young women, who are growing up in a world where the media and politicians debate some of the same issues: what women’s rights are, whether pornography and prostitution are valid ways for women to earn a living, whether women’s sexuality should be promoted or suppressed, whether there is a “war on women” and, if so, who is waging it. However, A Girl Called Fearless is much more successful at raising questions and themes than it is at packaging them within an exciting well-executed plot. I predict a high level of popularity for the book, but it will hinge on readers’ ignoring the fact that it is not well-written and focusing instead on the ideas it presents.
[This paragraph contains spoilers.] The premise promises readers an intriguing and dangerous dystopian world. The summary explains that Avie Reveare lives in a future version of the United States where the political Paternalist Movement is systemically taking away women’s rights: rights to education, suffrage, money, and love. Throughout the book readers and Avie are given hints that something even “bigger” is going on, however, and that Avie might inadvertently become involved. Exciting, right? Suspenseful? Wrong. The “big reveal”, three hundred pages in, is that (drumroll!) the Paternalists are systematically taking away women’s rights. I repeat, the “surprise” is something readers were told since page one. That is both immensely disappointing, and, frankly, baffling.
The entire premise is also illogical. The Paternalist Movement began after the majority of women in the United States died from ovarian cancer from a synthetic hormone that had been injected into beef. The Paternalists, after this tragedy, vowed to protect the women and young girls that were left. Due to the circumstances, one would think “protecting” women would mean requiring extensive research before chemicals were approved for use in food and cosmetics. No, instead, the Paternalists are protecting women by restricting their right to any kind of free movement or thought. That is not a sensible response to an epidemic caused by beef. Granted, there is one line suggesting that men need women to be oppressed so they can get them to start breeding at age fifteen and repopulate the country—but repopulation could have easily been achieved by other methods. Example: Offer incentives for females from other countries to immigrate to the United States. As it stands, the Paternalist Movement is ensuring that no foreign women have any desire to step foot in the country, thus lowering potential birth rates.
So, readers must ask themselves, why are the Paternalists trying to oppress women, if neither their public reason (protecting women) nor their private reason (increasing the population) makes any sense? Are men just evil? Do they just have some innate sadistic desire to control women? There are a few good men in the book, generally the ones under eighteen who get to fill the role of love interests (and one priest!), but the overall depiction of the male population is bleak. This book appears to be promoting strong female heroines at the expense of painting men as the bad guys.
If we accept that the premise of the book does not make any sense, however, and continue reading for individual scenes, things do get more interesting. The cast of female characters is pretty diverse, for instance. Avie and her friends are the “privileged” of the nation, girls who may have no choice in whom they marry, but who get to live “safely” in private gated communities and may have the opportunity to attend college in Canada. Avie eventually learns that she does have some kind of luck in life (money) compared to many other girls. I most enjoyed the depiction of an escort service in Las Vegas. Avie arrives very judgmental of the girls who live and work there, until she learns it’s the only choice some of them have, and that many of them are earning the money to buy their freedom or that of their family members (women can buy out their marriage Contracts, if they somehow manage to acquire the money). It is noteworthy that, in spite of the “defense” of these girls and their lifestyles, Avie herself vehemently refuses to take part in it, even for a day, even for a greater cause. Apparently even a book that wants to look kindly on escort girls knows that its protagonist will not be easily accepted by readers if she becomes one.
A Girl Called Fearless also explores a lot of family dynamics. The interactions between fathers and daughters are a big one. The problem: The men and the older girls all remember the world as it was when women had rights. Naturally, this knowledge causes huge rifts (and we’re back to the question of why most men comfortably go along with the Paternalist movement, when they were raised by and married to lovely independent women, but that’s just not going to be answered). There are also some complex relationships between those who have joined the Resistance and those they left behind. The book asks characters and readers to decide which is more important, family or a cause, or if the two can somehow be balanced.
In the end, A Girl Called Fearless is a book of ideas. It is packaged as a dystopian that excitingly zooms readers across a reimagined nation, from urban areas to rural, but the plot is not what holds the book up. It’s a little too disjointed and illogical for that. However, tons of readers are going to love it for the questions it asks—are men controlling women, why would they want to, is selling your body a form of freedom or of slavery? From my above review, it is probably clear that I am not quite satisfied with the answers that the book hints at for many of its own questions. However, the novel can (and doubtless will) be used as a starting point for discussions about women’s rights, both present and future.
Note: This is half review/half discussion of the themes presented. It will include references to some plot events, so those who dislike any type of spoilers should not read it.
A Girl Called Fearless is a bold novel, exploring women’s rights and sexuality and what it means to be free. It will appeal to many modern young women, who are growing up in a world where the media and politicians debate some of the same issues: what women’s rights are, whether pornography and prostitution are valid ways for women to earn a living, whether women’s sexuality should be promoted or suppressed, whether there is a “war on women” and, if so, who is waging it. However, A Girl Called Fearless is much more successful at raising questions and themes than it is at packaging them within an exciting well-executed plot. I predict a high level of popularity for the book, but it will hinge on readers’ ignoring the fact that it is not well-written and focusing instead on the ideas it presents.
[This paragraph contains spoilers.] The premise promises readers an intriguing and dangerous dystopian world. The summary explains that Avie Reveare lives in a future version of the United States where the political Paternalist Movement is systemically taking away women’s rights: rights to education, suffrage, money, and love. Throughout the book readers and Avie are given hints that something even “bigger” is going on, however, and that Avie might inadvertently become involved. Exciting, right? Suspenseful? Wrong. The “big reveal”, three hundred pages in, is that (drumroll!) the Paternalists are systematically taking away women’s rights. I repeat, the “surprise” is something readers were told since page one. That is both immensely disappointing, and, frankly, baffling.
The entire premise is also illogical. The Paternalist Movement began after the majority of women in the United States died from ovarian cancer from a synthetic hormone that had been injected into beef. The Paternalists, after this tragedy, vowed to protect the women and young girls that were left. Due to the circumstances, one would think “protecting” women would mean requiring extensive research before chemicals were approved for use in food and cosmetics. No, instead, the Paternalists are protecting women by restricting their right to any kind of free movement or thought. That is not a sensible response to an epidemic caused by beef. Granted, there is one line suggesting that men need women to be oppressed so they can get them to start breeding at age fifteen and repopulate the country—but repopulation could have easily been achieved by other methods. Example: Offer incentives for females from other countries to immigrate to the United States. As it stands, the Paternalist Movement is ensuring that no foreign women have any desire to step foot in the country, thus lowering potential birth rates.
So, readers must ask themselves, why are the Paternalists trying to oppress women, if neither their public reason (protecting women) nor their private reason (increasing the population) makes any sense? Are men just evil? Do they just have some innate sadistic desire to control women? There are a few good men in the book, generally the ones under eighteen who get to fill the role of love interests (and one priest!), but the overall depiction of the male population is bleak. This book appears to be promoting strong female heroines at the expense of painting men as the bad guys.
If we accept that the premise of the book does not make any sense, however, and continue reading for individual scenes, things do get more interesting. The cast of female characters is pretty diverse, for instance. Avie and her friends are the “privileged” of the nation, girls who may have no choice in whom they marry, but who get to live “safely” in private gated communities and may have the opportunity to attend college in Canada. Avie eventually learns that she does have some kind of luck in life (money) compared to many other girls. I most enjoyed the depiction of an escort service in Las Vegas. Avie arrives very judgmental of the girls who live and work there, until she learns it’s the only choice some of them have, and that many of them are earning the money to buy their freedom or that of their family members (women can buy out their marriage Contracts, if they somehow manage to acquire the money). It is noteworthy that, in spite of the “defense” of these girls and their lifestyles, Avie herself vehemently refuses to take part in it, even for a day, even for a greater cause. Apparently even a book that wants to look kindly on escort girls knows that its protagonist will not be easily accepted by readers if she becomes one.
A Girl Called Fearless also explores a lot of family dynamics. The interactions between fathers and daughters are a big one. The problem: The men and the older girls all remember the world as it was when women had rights. Naturally, this knowledge causes huge rifts (and we’re back to the question of why most men comfortably go along with the Paternalist movement, when they were raised by and married to lovely independent women, but that’s just not going to be answered). There are also some complex relationships between those who have joined the Resistance and those they left behind. The book asks characters and readers to decide which is more important, family or a cause, or if the two can somehow be balanced.
In the end, A Girl Called Fearless is a book of ideas. It is packaged as a dystopian that excitingly zooms readers across a reimagined nation, from urban areas to rural, but the plot is not what holds the book up. It’s a little too disjointed and illogical for that. However, tons of readers are going to love it for the questions it asks—are men controlling women, why would they want to, is selling your body a form of freedom or of slavery? From my above review, it is probably clear that I am not quite satisfied with the answers that the book hints at for many of its own questions. However, the novel can (and doubtless will) be used as a starting point for discussions about women’s rights, both present and future.
January 10, 2018
This the first book that I read by Catherine Linka and I really liked it. The book "A Girl Called Fearless" is based around Avie. In the period of time, a poisoning of meat has killed all middle-aged women. The security around young women is higher and more important than ever, but so is money. Avie's dad sells her for 50 Million dollars to become the new wife of an extremely successful older man.
Avie needs a way out and she needs it quick. She has many friends who help her along the way. Her teacher Mrs.A is one of them. Mrs. A is teaching Avie how to be brave. She was not hit by the poisoning, but she has seen how strict the government is becoming. Even with the cameras watching, she shows Avie her options. Another good friend of Avie is Yates. Before everything became so strict Yates and Avie spent lots of time together. Now, she can only see him from the occasional glance out a car window. But, he may be able to help her.
This book is a fantastic read that has you hooked from the beginning. You fall in love with all of the characters. If you are into Sci-Fi books with characters easy to relate to this is the book for you. I give this book five stars and I think really anyone would enjoy it. I'm so excited to read the next book.
Avie needs a way out and she needs it quick. She has many friends who help her along the way. Her teacher Mrs.A is one of them. Mrs. A is teaching Avie how to be brave. She was not hit by the poisoning, but she has seen how strict the government is becoming. Even with the cameras watching, she shows Avie her options. Another good friend of Avie is Yates. Before everything became so strict Yates and Avie spent lots of time together. Now, she can only see him from the occasional glance out a car window. But, he may be able to help her.
This book is a fantastic read that has you hooked from the beginning. You fall in love with all of the characters. If you are into Sci-Fi books with characters easy to relate to this is the book for you. I give this book five stars and I think really anyone would enjoy it. I'm so excited to read the next book.
July 12, 2024
Ok
How.
HOW IS THIS BOOK NOT MORE FAMOUS?
Id NEVER heard of it and I found it at a goodwill AND IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO GET ME OUT OF A TWO MONTH LONG READING FUNK!!!
It was amazing!!
It deserves sooo much more hype like seriously it needs to be a bestseller.
Fearless.
I love that word, and this author brought to light what that truly means in the face of adversity. It means sacrifice and hard choices, and not let those choices destroy you. It means MAKING a choice even when the world says there are no choices. It means owning up and sucking up and pushing forward even when you have a twenty pound pack on your back hiking up a mountain.
This book shows how to stand up for what we KNOW is right and giving us the fire to do it.
So.
Go out into this world.
And show them what is like to be
Fearless.
How.
HOW IS THIS BOOK NOT MORE FAMOUS?
Id NEVER heard of it and I found it at a goodwill AND IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO GET ME OUT OF A TWO MONTH LONG READING FUNK!!!
It was amazing!!
It deserves sooo much more hype like seriously it needs to be a bestseller.
Fearless.
I love that word, and this author brought to light what that truly means in the face of adversity. It means sacrifice and hard choices, and not let those choices destroy you. It means MAKING a choice even when the world says there are no choices. It means owning up and sucking up and pushing forward even when you have a twenty pound pack on your back hiking up a mountain.
This book shows how to stand up for what we KNOW is right and giving us the fire to do it.
So.
Go out into this world.
And show them what is like to be
Fearless.
May 17, 2017
A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS is an intriguing YA dystopian novel about one girl's struggle for freedom. I found the premise to be interesting, and the heroine is easy to care about. However, I enjoyed the first half of this book much more than the second, and I found the ending to be lacking. Even so, it is a thought-provoking and fast-paced read.
Disclosure: I won a free ARC of this book in a giveaway.
Disclosure: I won a free ARC of this book in a giveaway.
June 20, 2018
Great new dystopian concept - loved that it's very recently after the disaster so you see the perspective of the girls who know what they'd be missing out on. I felt the heroine had a real internal struggle that I could relate to (though I love my women bada$$ and usually easily able to make their decisions, it's nice to get the realistic side as well). Overall, really looking forward to the next book to see where this leads!
March 25, 2022
A girl named Avie Reveare starts off with a normal life in LA. But when her father "contracts" her to marry a rich older man, it ends up going downhill. Trapped in a controlling and political marriage. The book itself started off really good, then the energy got weird and there were a lot of unnecessary characters added. It was a little confusing when the guy that Avie was contracted with just gave up and walked away.
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