Eudaimonia

by Meghan Godwin

The year is 2112. To combat the infertility epidemic plaguing the world, the United States government has established the Department of Propagation--the last defense against the extinction of the human race. The agency oversees, facilitates, and monitors all activities related to procreation.
Like many women in the twenty-second century, Bette Donovan is infertile and just scraping by. After a seemingly freak accident sends her to the hospital, Bette suddenly finds herself under the scrutiny of the Department of Propagation, triggering a series of changes that turn her life inside out. Soon, she is inside the shiny, clinical walls of the Department's birthing center. But the birthing center holds dark secrets. Confronted with the fallout of what a desperate society will do to survive, Bette's only hope is to escape. In any way possible.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia

410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2022

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 "excellent vision, average execution, fair to good reading experience" stars !!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Inkshares books. This novel was released November 2022. I am providing an honest review.

This might have been an amazing trilogy. As a standalone novel it was way too long with uneven pacing. The prose is sometimes good but just as often mediocre. The overall story arc is exciting and original with futuristic dystopian flavors and themes of (in)fertility and warring societal factions. The psychologies are superficial but solid. The biggest issues I had was the pseudo philosophizing of the last third that simply rang Hollywood and rather false.

Had this been workshopped and reworked several times we could have had a more cohesive single novel or perhaps a thought provoking trilogy. Instead we have a novel that I have no regrets reading but ....well I won't repeat myself.

I am putting this on my 3 star shelf but the real rating is 2.8 ...the midway point between a fair and good reading experience.

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of a good dystopian tale so when I started reading Eudaimonia, the world building started blowing my mind right away. I ended up finishing the same day, as I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I put it down.

The very first page started out with this paragraph:
“These were the days of the National Fertility Agenda. These were the days of the Department of Propagation, the DOP. These were the days of the Mandate. Days of fertility monitoring and sex compliance. Days of crushing expectations and obligation. Days of struggle, duty, and sacrifice. These were the days they all hoped would not be called ‘the end days.’”

Most women were infertile. If there was even a slight chance you could conceive, you were “mandated” to couple with different partners at least 3 to 5 times a week. Staying with the same person was against the law.

Bette eeks out an existence, as most did, just barely able to survive, doing her best to become pregnant for the DOP as her status was INCONCLUSIVE. The girls that were FERTILE were whisked off to a center to live in luxury.

This story had very disturbing The Handmaid’s Tale vibes and I couldn’t get enough. I did find out that the author is currently working on the second book in this series and I can’t wait!!

*Thank you so much to Inkshares and NetGalley for the advance eGalley!*

[Jessica Trow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have approximately 9,637 thoughts I could share after reading this book, so hang with me as I try to condense those. First, this book is FANTASTIC! Scary, but fantastic. It is The Circle meets The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games, but also different than any other book I have read. Godwin paints such a clear picture of the future. You can smell, feel, taste, see, hear everything in this muted, stifled, struggling version of reality. It is so incredibly uncomfortable and unsettling. It is also very easy to see how this could become the actual trajectory of the human race…which is terrifying.

The storytelling is brilliant. Godwin weaves news clips and memories in throughout the novel that help the reader understand how events in the past paved the road to the current reality. Nothing is gratuitous. Every detail, character, connection, memory…has a purpose. There are so many elements, but in the perfect, digestible amount. BRILLIANT!

Now to the heart (or womb, as it were) of the novel. I think this book will reveal something different to everyone who reads it, depending on the shoes you have walked in. What it revealed to me was a reminder of the ever-growing and utterly exhausting expectations that women are faced with. There are so many and from so many directions, that it often feels as though we cannot win. Can you have children? Will you raise those children? Can you work? Are you a good employee? Are you a good daughter? Are you a good friend? Are you a good parent? Did you have good parents? What is your value? In this book, we follow Bette as she navigates many of these questions, some of which seem at first to be a concrete “no” but then turn out to be a ‘yes,’ and vice versa. Where she thinks her path is predictable, suddenly it takes a sharp turn, and she is thrust into an entirely different set of knowns. What she realizes is that there is not a better or easier side of “can you?”, and there is no perfect choice in “will you?” I'm not spoiling anything when I say that this book is about the right to choose, but it's not a pro-choice manifesto. It's not any sort of manifesto. It's a conversation about the complexity of emotions and consequences that surround the expectations of women. It is not fighting for a specific choice but fighting to have any say at all. It is uncomfortable to read because Godwin takes moments that we can all relate to, where connections are missing or where we feel dehumanized or inadequate, and she makes it the 24/7 reality for these characters. However, despite all of the desolation, there are personalities, attachments, emotions, and hope that cannot be stamped out. Where those exist, maybe change can too. The timeliness of this novel is amazing. I am so invested in Bette and all of her complex, introspective glory. I cannot wait to find out where her courage takes her next.

[Aubree Deimler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Eudaimonia in exchange for an honest review.

This one took a bit for me to get into, but about quarter of the way through my intrigue started to grow. Definite Handmaid’s Tale vibes mixed with some zombie dystopia 😅

Godwin is a great writer. Very atmospheric, creepy and perhaps triggering for some with the fertility references + suicide. This teeters between fantasy and horror. Assuming there is another book as it left off pretty open ended.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually got mixed feelings about this book in the start, I mean the mandates of the govern were too much, people had to have 3 to 5 times sexual intercourse with other person and it’s not like they want people to connect to others, since relationships are frown upon, in that matter this was very much as brave new world or 1984 with a touch of the handmaid, people belong to other people, and that for a woman is kind of a touchy felling…

But the story starts to grow and transforms itself, even Bette she changes, starts to realize how wrong everything around her is broken, the truth behind the mandate, but not all, when we arrive at the end of the book, there’s still space to learn more and understand what really is behind, I really believe this will be a great trilogy. It will be a touchy subject for many people, the mandate is no more than legalize and force people into have sex with others, if interest is shown by one of the parts… so even if one doesn’t really care the other can’t really turn the other down (Bette mentions that while she is procuring the males that are compatible with her), some of the subs are really jerks about that… canners are like zombies with some sort of reasoning, but their impulses are quite strong.

Without spoilers I think that the tittle give a bit away of this dystopia,

“The Greek term eudaimonia has no one-word translation in English. Hursthouse describes it as a combination of well-being, happiness and flourishing [11]. It is the ultimate goal of a human being, a part of her function. The virtues are therefore human needs that benefit their possessor. “ from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/...

But that's the question that remains, is it?

Thank you NetGalley and InkShares for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[TessaMcbessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔹Book Review🔹
Eudaimonia by Meghan Godwin
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5)

Blurb:
The year is 2112. To combat the infertility epidemic plaguing the world, the United States government has established the Department of Propagation--the last defense against the extinction of the human race. The agency oversees, facilitates, and monitors all activities related to procreation.

Like many women in the twenty-second century, Bette Donovan is infertile and just scraping by. After a seemingly freak accident sends her to the hospital, Bette suddenly finds herself under the scrutiny of the Department of Propagation, triggering a series of changes that turn her life inside out. Soon, she is inside the shiny, clinical walls of the Department's birthing center. But the birthing center holds dark secrets. Confronted with the fallout of what a desperate society will do to survive, Bette's only hope is to escape. In any way possible

🔹CALLING ALL DYSTOPIAN LOVERS🔹

I have always loved dystopian novels, and this one deserves to be at the top of the list of must reads in the genre. Not only does Meghan Godwin deliver a disturbing and suspenseful novel of epic proportions, but it is written with such a beautiful poise and flow that I could not help but continually be impressed by.

This story has it all- Apocalyptic atmosphere, government control, civil divide, amazing and relatable characters, and a creatively unique storyline. Her way with words was incredible to me.

I was immediately sucked in to this one. It is disturbing and direct, but in a way that is necessary and for this story to be told. I was so attached to the characters, and the emotion that I felt going through this one was so authentic.

Dystopian novels are my favorite because of how they make you think, and Meghan Godwin does an amazing job of stringing together the multiple links in this story that truly make you believe this is all completely possible in our future.

I am officially going to label this one of my top reads of the year. I love when I get to read an authors debut novel and it turns out this incredible, because now I can’t wait to read what comes next.

Review with photo at:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkBoF5ZvUcj/

[Heather Bueltel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing.
Godwin creates a completely relatable protagonist in Bette Donovan, whose willingness to persevere despite her meager allotment of resources pulls you along in her journey.

“We are beyond the luxury of time and preference”

This is a recurring theme that takes you on a journey of emotions, your anger at the unfairness of life to acceptance, to hope that maybe things can be different.

It took me a few days to process all that I had read and the emotions I experienced.
I look forward to Godwin’s next book and following her career.

[Melinda Guillemette · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your idea of the perfect read is one that: leaves you breathless and NEEDING to know more; has characters who break your heart and lift you up; scenery so bleak and so beautifully written you can almost taste it; a plot that grabs you by the throat, the heart, and the gut; and social commentary that makes you want to cry and sing at the same time, then get this book.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written. This is one you are going to want to read. The characters, the storyline and the descriptors are so vivid and enthralling that it isn’t hard to imagine what these places and people are like. I am hoping there’s a sequel or even a trilogy.

[Brooke Rousseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well i definitely got sucked into this one! Great character development and descriptions. I felt l1ike I was there a lot of times. With a cliffhanger ending, I’m already looking forward to the 2nd book!

[Peter Baran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eudaimonia is a strange name for this near-future sci-fi dystopia. It takes place early in the 22nd century, fifty years after there has been a sudden population collapse due to women's fertility dropping off. This has created a situation that echoes The Handmaid's Tale in places where women are regularly tested and encouraged to have multiple sexual partners, to try and get pregnant. And if they turn out to be fertile, they get sent to a birthing home, where they live in luxury, a sharp contrast to how most of the society grubs by in the polluted, water-starved outside world. So perhaps the Eudaimonia (it's Greek for good cheer and Aristotle's view of the ultimate virtue in life) is within the birthing homes. Except as we travel through this world with our lead character, we discover it is nothing but.

Our heroine Bette is near thirty and hitherto infertile. The first quarter of the book we spend with her in the outside world, seeing how horrid it all is. And then she gets attacked after her regular fertility meeting and suddenly is taken away by the Department Of Propagation to a birthing home and discovers that she is pregnant. And the book moved from a society-wide dystopia to a locked institution dystopia. Because as you might guess, the birthing home may have great food and water and all mod-cons, but there is something weird going on and only Bette can sort it out.

Eudaimonia is a solid little sci-fi adventure which dodges its main premise in favour of a latter swing to escaping authoritarian control and - er - zombies. There is a grand conspiracy set up that the book doesn't need, the organs of control are already monsterous enough without adding monsters. The novel ends up trailing a sequel, but the world-building didn't really convince me, and the twists were disappointing. I wanted more about the fertility issue, which perhaps might come up in a sequel but I'm not minded to go there.

[Netgalley ARC]

[Jonathan Godwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

FULL DISCLOSURE - I AM THE AUTHOR'S SPOUSE

If you've never been fortunate enough to watch someone write a novel, you're really missing out. When Meghan started this process (and it was a long process), we were both very excited about it and wary of what we didn't know. It's safe to say that what we didn't know would have filled a small planet. She plowed through multiple rewrites, editorial stops and starts, highs, lows, cover approvals, writing acknowledgements, and then the overwhelming joy of holding the book in her hands. I was so fortunate to be there for all of it. I read the book in all of its incarnations along the way, but this is the first time I have read it from start to finish in its bound form and not on a laptop or iPad.

I love this book for many reasons. I love seeing things that we discussed show up in a chapter; I love seeing Meghan's personality and sense of humor show itself among the characters in the book; I love seeing all of the characters come to life with their intelligent dialogue; and I love seeing all of Meghan's hard work come to fruition. This book is intelligent, it's creepy, it's heart-pounding, it's daunting, and it's a prescient work of fiction that I believe carries more weight today than it did when it was published nearly 3 years ago. One of the coolest things about this book is that it's not for everyone; Meghan did the thing that you're supposed to do with works of art...build something for a particular audience and go hard with it.

If you like your novels spiced with dystopia and flavored with interesting characters and intelligent prose, then this book is for you. If that's not your jam, that's OK, but you're really missing out on something fun. You never know, you may find yourself a Meghan Godwin fan in the end!

[Nicole Coyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. This book started off great - I was captivated straight away by this too-close-to-home story of a woman living in a world devastated by global warming, having her mind fed with government propaganda about the fertility crisis. It was a good level of dystopian where it fringed on a possible future of where we are today. Did it make me uncomfortable? Yes. Consider me ready to read.

As the book went on, I found myself losing interest and feeling less invested in the key characters. A lot of the book was spent describing the environment when it felt unnecessary, and I started to find the extensive inner monologues of Bette irritating. Like let's get on with it, shut up Bette, and lets replace that space in the book with an awful scene of Melody hooked up in the lactation unit going full canner.

This is obviously all personal opinion, but I love an element of horror to really feel disturbed in a dystopian novel and this just missed the mark. So many missed opportunities - the medical floor could've been bigger, there could've been a transfer fetus testing lab, or even just more scenes in the rooms that already exist. I want to be disturbed!

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I’d love to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for granting me permission to access this arc.
Second, let me tell you how greatly I enjoyed this piece of literature and how every dystopian geek needs to read it too. QWe find ourselves in a dystopian society where fertile individuals get separated from “inconclusive” ones in the hopes of repopulating the Earth and preserving the human species. If I had to sum it up, I’d tell you it was an improved and upgraded version of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
The pacing was done very well and all the necessary information was revealed just at the right time. The characters were interesting and had very specific characteristics and quirks to themselves (I personally loved Roya and Sol). As is expected of every good dystopian novel, this book was full of unexpected twists and turns that were a delight to read.
Overall, this book was above and beyond my expectations and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

[Athene Z. Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eudaimonia consists of a world suffering from an infertility epidemic and climate change. The alternating passages of the protagonist's point of view with articles or memos is clever world building, done in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the reader. Godwin explores the insidiousness of the government and its agents against the population and against women in particular. This is just detailed enough to be disturbing without being graphic. Some avid science fiction fans may foresee some elements but because this dystopian tale blends genres, the story keeps the reader guessing alongside a realistic protagonist as she tries to piece together the mystery of the events she experiences.

[LX · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC.

3 stars!

I really liked the premise of this and also the world building within the book. Really liked the spin this took an a dystopia future where fertility is extremely fragile and difficult.

Sadly I lost so much interest while reading it. It had so many good points but then some pages seemed to drag on or lack the spark the first part of the book had and I just lost interest in the story and the characters.

[Sam Veltre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

a unique setting and blend of dystopia / fertility / viruses etc. took a while for me to get fully invested in the narrative and characters. Godwin writes beautifully and with nice flowing sections. all the characters (their growth and arcs) felt true to them.

in the crowded field of fertility themed dystorian novels Eudaimonia sets its self apart in a great way!

[Vicki Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a great read! Megan Godwin takes us into a disturbing future that’s not too far fetched if we continue on the paths that we are on. Easy to read and hard to put down. I was left wanting more. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Godwin is clearly an upcoming author that we will be following for a long time!

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this. I'm deep enough into my sci-fi kick that I feel like I usually know what's coming down the pipeline in these plots. I was pleasantly surprised multiple times while reading this. It was certainly difficult to read at times, while comparing this theoretical reality with the one we're living. But I was grateful for the reminders.

[Lisbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m impressed. It is a book once you start, you won’t be able to put down.

But.. I didn’t realise it’s not a standalone, so at some part I started to wonder while reading every detail (beautifully done) when the action would be coming. It did come, at the end. And now I have to read the next instalment. Not bad, not bad at all. I

[Wendy Thibodeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing for a first novel; it can only get better from here. I loved this book, but I'm left with many unanswered questions. I do hope there's a second novel in this series because now I'm invested. It started slowly, as character-building sometimes does, and then I blinked, and the book was finished. It is an excellent start to a promising writing career.

[Mickey Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely fantastic world-building and completely engrossing. i found myself thinking about it constantly until i could pick it up again. dare i say that it needs a sequel??? it’s an extremely impressive first novel!

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review TK

[Lisa Grønsund]

I've received an advanced digital copy of this book, courtesy of the author and publisher, via Netgalley, for review consideration.

RTC

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love dystopian novels. But not this one. Throw it in the huge "it was ok" pile..