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    The Female of the Species: A Novel
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    The Female of the Species: A Novel
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    The Female of the Species: A Novel
    Ebook535 pages8 hours

    The Female of the Species: A Novel

    By Lionel Shriver

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “Shriver’s debut is a 'literary' novel without an iota of pretentiousness. It reads with the grace of a well-written spy story, but conveys some of its author’s early wisdom about what our humanity both demands of and grants us.” —Washington Post

    The first novel by the New York Times bestselling author Lionel Shriver, The Female of the Species is the exotic and chilling story of a highly independent and successful woman’s late-life romantic education, in all its ecstasy and desperation

    Still unattached and childless at fifty-nine, world-renowned anthropologist Gray Kaiser is seemingly invincible—and untouchable. Returning to make a documentary at the site of her first great triumph in Kenya, she is accompanied by her faithful middle-aged assistant, Errol McEchern, who has loved her for years in silence. When sexy young graduate assistant Raphael Sarasola arrives on the scene, Gray is captivated and falls hopelessly in love—before an amazed and injured Errol's eyes. As he follows the progress of their affair with jealous fascination, Errol watches helplessly from the sidelines as a proud and fierce woman is reduced to miserable dependence through subtle, cruel, and calculating manipulation.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061899492
    Unavailable
    The Female of the Species: A Novel
    Author

    Lionel Shriver

    Although Lionel Shriver has published many novels, a collection of essays, and a column in the Spectator since 2017, and her journalism has been featured in publications including the Guardian, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, she in no way wishes for the inclusion of this information to imply that she is more “intelligent” or “accomplished” than anyone else. The outdated meritocracy of intellectual achievement has made her a bestselling author multiple times and accorded her awards, including the Orange Prize, but she accepts that all of these accidental accolades are basically meaningless. She lives in Portugal and Brooklyn, New York.

    Read more from Lionel Shriver

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    Reviews for The Female of the Species

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    • 5/5
      "I live in a world where not being molested as a child is considered luck"This was BRUTAL!! This book was raw and beautiful and will stay with you for a VERY long time! I love, love, LOVED the writing which was stunning and real. I'll admit it, I'm here, just having finished this book, and I'm broken into pieces crying. It's not that civilized, sniffling, dab at your eyes and it's done kind of crying. It's the soul abraded, snot dripping cry that leads my hubby to ask why I choose to read things that tear me apart emotionally. This was told by 3 different characters perspectives, all of whom I fell in love with which is extremely rare. Usually I am skipping through one characters ramblings just to get back to another I liked best. That was definitely not the case here, even the supporting cast were amazing. I might go as far as to say that this contemporary story has some of the best character development I have read in a LONG time! All three MCs were human, strong yet weak at the very same time. They were complex and realistic and ultimately it HAD to be done with dueling POVs..I can not picture the story working better any other way. If you can imagine it, amongst all of the griminess and heartache there was romance and thankfully it was sans insta-love. I want to tell you to run out and read this asap because of the breadth of its beauty and the skill in which it was executed...BUT it feels weird telling you to do so because I know that the subject matter is merciless and that you too will be lacerated and laid bare...a puddle of sobbing feels. I don't want my GR friends to hurt but if you're okay with a bit of pain and some tear stained pillows then I HIGHLY recommend this book!!
    • 4/5
      The characters are well developed. Alex Craft is an interesting character, filled with rage, but not psychopathic.
    • 5/5
      The most honest fiction I've read... Alex was on a crusade (and a much more honorable one than the crusades from the Middle Ages). She provided true justice when the legal system was inadequate. She stopped predators dead. She protected other women from predators by killing monsters. Some would call her a vigilante. I'd call her a one-woman war on soul-killers. A heroine, saint and a martyr for the abused, raped and murdered. No, I don't believe in turning the other cheek. God helps those who help themselves. Should be required reading for every man, woman and school child. How else to make sure that conscienceless sociopaths (who comprise 10% of any given population) actually read it. Inspire possible victims to be heroic. Let the bastards who would prey on others become frightened.
    • 5/5
      This is the tale of teen Alex Craft and how she turned into a killer. When she was a child, her older sister Anna was abducted and murdered. While everyone knew who the killer was, there was never enough evidence to successfully prosecute him. Alex went into training and then took care of justice her own way. Along the way she became friends with Jack and Peekay. This friendship results in Alex caring for her friends and doing whatever necessary to protect them, leading to a violent ending. Despite the violence, it is a compelling storyline with lots of wonderful characters.
    • 5/5
      4.5 stars

      can't wait to go to class with a tear-stained face and internally cry the whole time

      (for real though, this book effed me up in the best and worst possible way. thanks, mindy mcginnis)

      ok but i do have some criticisms:
      a) This book is extremely white. As far I can remember, there is not a single POC character. That is not acceptable.
      b) More generally though, this book lacks diversity. And no, a lesbian best-friend who we know nothing about does not count as "diversity."
    • 5/5
      Wow. It's been a while since I've dipped into YA and I'm glad this is the one I picked up. Compelling story with complex characters. At times harsh and graphic. This is a book for very mature YA readers as younger readers or those less prepared for intensity may struggle with some of the subject matter, namely murder and rape. Also: sex, language, drinking. That said, I very much enjoyed the writing and the ride.
    • 5/5
      This book....ugh, this book. Where do I even begin? Just read it. You won't regret it.
    • 4/5
      YA plot, but with adult issues and minimal support from any parents in a dying Rust Belt town, leaving three high school seniors to attempt decisions beyond their brief years and limited skills. The narration is from three perspectives - Alex, the sister-avenger to a murdered girl, Alex's boyfriend Jack, and her best friend (called "Peekay" for Preacher's Kid). Many of the boys seem incredibly sexually brutal, and the girls are defeated by their perceived lack of value, except as fuck buddies. Alex knows herself to be possessed by her need to inflict punishment and retribution, a trait she has in common with her estranged father. Fearful of her own pathology, she avoids participating in high school life (not even a cell phone!) until Jack and Peekay pull her into the social order, with somewhat predictable consequences. There are a few plot holes, but the writing is compelling and it's a good read. As an adult who still remembers her late teens with great fondness, I hope that this really IS mostly fiction, and that any kids who fall into circumstances like this have someone who is capable of being a savior and voice of reason. Though who ever turned to their parents at age 17?
    • 4/5
      From the first sentence, this book grabs you and doesn't let go. Told from three points of view, the voices are distinct, and revolve around Alex who is a most unusual teenager. Her sister was kidnapped and murdered, and she lives alone with her alcoholic mother. Peekay and Jack are her first real relationships, but by necessity she has secrets even from them. Very powerful!
    • 4/5
      still processing this novel. some really interesting characters (by which I mean Alex, a teenage girl who enacts vigilante justice on adult male rapists), though it sometime verged into melodrama. I could have done without the ~true love~ story line, which did not ring true and only heightened the melodrama. also could have skipped Jack's character entirely. still wondering: was Alex treated as a sociopath or a heroine? kind of both, I think. the animal shelter as a backdrop for Alex and Claire's friendship was a good choice.
    • 3/5
      I feel odd rating or reviewing this book because it is great in some ways and utterly confounding in others.
    • 5/5
      McGinnis tackles the darkest parts of humanity-rape culture, violence, bitterness, and insecurity with the same lyrical tenderness as she deals with the fragility of new friendships, relationships, and family amidst the politics of living in a small rural town. The loss in this book is as tangible as the vengeance. This book is everything I love about books. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. Mindy McGinnis has my attention, and I can't wait to read more of her work.
    • 5/5
      A brutally honest look at life, loss, and growing up. Alex's sister was raped and brutally killed. As a result she has been changed. She avenged her death by killing her killer. She was never accused or charged. Now, through a series of events, she is starting to engage in the high school scene. Usually friendless, she meets Peekay (preacher's kid whose real name is Claire) while working at the animal rescue shelter. Alex can be gentle and kind with troubled animals but tends to find relating to other humans challenging. But she slowly comes out of her shell and actually gets a boyfriend. During the book she kills a child molester and her boyfriend puts it together. Are some killings justified? This book is graphic with scenes of violence, teenage sex, and the F-bomb. But it truly looks closely at life, growing up, revenge, and justice.
    • 5/5
      The Female of the Species handles heavy topics & in my opinion it was done really well. I loved the three POVs we got; Alex, Jack and Peekay. I found all of the character's interesting and I loved watching their lives. I got really invested in Alex's character, I loved reading what was inside her head and seeing her point of view on certain situations. Some parts I was cheering her on and others I just continuously repeated no over and over again. This book made me cry many times and when I got to the end of the book I cried even more that it was over.All in all it was an amazing book and I will definitely be re-reading it sometime in the future.
    • 5/5
      4.5 Stars“This is how I kill someone. And I don’t feel bad about it.”Now, that is how a book captures and pulls you in to want to read more. I will tell you I have heard so many great things about this book. I read it on my Kindle, and about 35% into the book all I knew was a girl was dead. You really do not know much more or what else is going to happen. But, I promise you that you need to keep reading. The pace picks up the second half of the book and you will not want to put it down.I know everyone is saying that this is a great book dealing with rape and rape in our society, but I think it is so much more than that. This book is dealing with relationships, mental health, rape, drugs, friendship, and love. But, most of all, this book is dealing with coping with losing a loved one. I am still not really sure what the heck happened with the ending of this book. I do think the tributes to the past survivors and how they looked up to Alex could have been more powerful and brought so much more emotion to this book. However; it was still will hit your emotions and in a powerful way.The writing is something that is very different than I am used too. I normally read pretty fast, but you really need to take your time with this. The sentences will not run as smoothly as you may be used too (but this is also part of the charm of Alex). I actually really liked it.Just throwing this out there, since I am not sure where to put it in my review, but I also loved this quote, "A smile is the same in every language."Great read and recommend giving it a try.
    • 5/5
      The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis was, hands down, my favorite book read during February. It is an unbelievably powerful story regarding the long-term ramifications of a young woman’s murder. At the same time, the three main characters serve as a backdrop for a brutal and unflinching look at rape culture and its impact on teens and the social hierarchy of high schools across the country. First published in 2016, it is a story that is as relevant today as it was during the #metoo movement.
    • 3/5
      Character is the rise and fall of this book. McGinnis does a lot of detail work to establish her characters as complex human beings, but through their actions and eventual fates, they are portrayed as archetypes. Riveting breakneck pacing reminded me of what I liked in YA, but the way her characters ultimately play into teenage drama to the exclusion of external problems seemed to fall flat.
    • 5/5
      ‘The female of the species is more deadly than the male’- Rudyard KiplingAuthor #MindyMcGinnis takes this quote from another (beloved) author and runs with it, in this haunting, tragic teen novel that revolves around what some call ‘rape culture’. I hate to have those two words put together, but at the center of this book, one girl takes matters into her own hands, and says ENOUGH. It’s gut-wrenching, brutal, and some won’t like it, but I LOVED it.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book. The story was told through alternating perspectives and made the read very interesting. The Female of the Species is a contemporary YA novel about love and loss.Alex Craft is in high school. Three years ago, her older sister was murdered – savagely and sadistically. Alex killed her sister’s killer. Because Alex has killed and felt no remorse, she feels she can’t be trusted among other people in case her “dark side” comes out. However, Alex’s self-imposed isolation is challenged when she is befriended by PeeKay (the Preacher’s Kid) and then Jack, the high school star athlete, decides he wants to get to know her better.As the lives of these 3 teens become more entwined throughout their senior year, Alex struggles to keep her darker nature contained.Rating: 4 Stars
    • 5/5
      This is a book everyone should read. Told from three different characters, The Female of the Species tells the story of Alex Craft and her final year of school. Alex has been shaped by the events of her past - mainly that of the rape and murder of her older sister, Anna. The police know who did it but could never find enough evidence for a conviction. Alex takes matters into her own hands - she plots and plans and then murders him without regret and without guilt. But as much as that has shaped Alex - this book isn't really about that. It's not even really about Alex - because Alex is just one part of the story. What happened to her sister was horrible and tragic - but the real story is about the fact that it KEEPS HAPPENING. Anna isn't the only girl in town to be raped. She's definitely not the only girl in the world to be raped. The Female of the Species examines the culture we live in - the way in which rape jokes are still made, sexual assault is just the way it is and "not being molested as a child is considered luck." It examines the language we use and the behaviour we accept and the comments we make and it brutally shames us for it. And frankly - rightly so. There is so much to be said about this book. So much so I don't even really know where to start. I loved the portrayal of the parental figures. Peekay's parents especially, but Jack's were great too. Supportive parental figures are so rare in YA and I really liked how they weren't just placeholders, but were contributing characters. I loved that Peekay's parents loved her so much and were so accepting of her. I loved Alex's determination to end bad behaviour. She constantly speaks up against rape jokes and gossip and judgement. She calls out Sara on her jealousy. "She looks nice," I say, and she does. Branley always looks put together in a way that tells me she spends hours in front of a mirror before going outside. And while I don't understand that, I can respect it." And let's face it we need more of this. Because just because we don't understand something doesn't mean we should mock it. I love that she defends Branley. She defends her outfits and she defends her behaviour and she puts the blame back where it should be. (In this case, on Adam.) "She likes boys, and she can get them. You were hurt by that, but it wasn't Branley who hurt you. It was Adam." Too often women fall into the habit of blaming the "other woman" but it isn't the other woman who should be faithful. Branley and Jack used to hook up all the time, Alex. [....] So how would you feel if you found out Jack still had Branley on the side?""I'd be pissed," she says. "But not at Branley. She doesn't owe me anything." She normalises sex and the fact that women can like sex and have casual sexual relationships too and that they should be able to without judgement. But she also acknowledges that sex shouldn't be something one has to do because everyone else is. And perhaps most importantly, she calls Peekay out on her casual slut shaming."Only you would describe sex like that," I say. "Well, that's what it is," she shoots back."Yeah, and now I, like never, ever want to do it.""Yes, you do," she argues. "And I do too, and there's nothing wrong with that. But it's not something that I'm going to do with Jack just because I'm his girlfriend and we're supposed to."So in other words, you're not Branley Jacobs," I say, going for a joke that falls flat. I hear it not cover the distance and immediately wish I hadn't said it."You shouldn't be that way about her," Alex says. "I hear what people say and I bet half of it isn't even true. And even if it is - fine. She's not different from you and me; she wants to have sex. So let her."One of my favourite parts was the graffiti in the bathrooms and how Alex and then later Peekay and Sara fought to remove it. But it was also perhaps the saddest part. This idea of girls writing about date rape and who to avoid - it made me angry because it's so honest. Women often don't report rapes or sexual assault - because they were drinking or because they were wearing particular clothing or because it was their boyfriend or friend or they think they'll be judged and perhaps the worst part of that is the fact that they will be. I wish that wasn't the case. I wish there were more police like Officer Nolan and more people like Alex to help women feel like they can report these crimes. But it isn't and the writing on the bathroom wall was perhaps the most honest part of this novel. And that said, this book isn't a condemnation of all men. It recognises there is good and bad in all of us. And maybe we don't always get it right but we can try to be better. Jack is constantly trying to repent for his playboy behaviour. And Adam who drops Peekay for Branley because she's "hot" is redeemed.I'm crying by the time I go into the first stall, the door clicking shut behind me as I pump the Windex, ready to wipe away anything that pisses me off. Instead I end up sitting on the toilet, reading things I never expected. I love Jessica. Yr mom blew me, followed by My mom's deadThen -- Sorry, dude. My bad.Peekay won't put outMy fingers tighten into a fist, but underneath it I recognise Adam's handwriting; U don't deserve it. And on the back of the stall door graffitied in letters as high as my arm:REST IN PEACE ALEXBoth men and women are guilty of contributing to the way in which women are perceived and treated. As much as men get a lot of the blame - women are guilty too. Our judgement of women's clothes, their behaviour and their sexual relationships all add to the problem. But we can change it. We can change how we respond to this behaviour and speak up when things aren't right. Whether that's reporting rape or sexual assault, warning others about what to watch out for and being there for each other and not tearing each other down. Alex is gone but she's very much still here, and not only in my mind. I've seen her in Sara's willingness to skip class and erase dicks with me; in a loud complaint from a freshman instead of just rolling her eyes when a senior smacks her ass; in a not cool, man from Park when one of his friends made a rape joke. And she's here in the bathroom stall with me, her hand behind the writing on the wall even if it wasn't her fingers holding the marker. stay away from Blake C. - date rape 3/26me too 2/4chad will roofie you don't party with him. This book maybe isn't perfect but it is an unflinching look at our society and one which everyone should read.
    • 2/5
      My first review, and it's a negative one! Oh well. It's really because I was excited to read something by Lionel Shriver and was pretty disapponted by this novel. I've heard a lot of good things about Shriver, especially "We Need to Talk About Kevin," so when I was last in a bookstore I wandered around with her name in my mind. Unluckily for me, this was the only book of hers they had. Basically, it's the story of a famous and well-respected anthropologist who is brutally taken down by late-in-life love during the 1980s, documented by her lifelong assistant and friend. Oy, this book. My main problem with it was that I was unable to relate or even sympathize with any of the characters. Errol, the reader's proxy, is spineless and way too obsessed with Gray. His mental "home movies" are a cheap way of sharing information with the reader that we otherwise wouldn't know, and honestly, just plain weird. I didn't find Gray to be brilliant, admirable, or strong -- just irritating. Raphael was sleazy and the attempt to humanize him through his difficult childhood felt condescending. And Raphael's true motives are so transparent from the moment he steps onto the scene, the fact that Gray couldn't or wouldn't see through him made me question her sanity. I almost couldn't believe that everything ended up the way it did, because it was so predictable from the start. I kept hoping for a twist that never came. (And that New York City scene was riiiidiculous. Not only cliched, but total stereotyped.) In fairness, I did enjoy Gray's Africa flashback scenes. I would definitely read a story all about young Gray or Corgie and their adventures. Too bad that wasn't this book. And I still want to give Shriver a chance. Next time I'll make sure I pick up something of hers that's a bit more recent...or use the library. If you want some good storytelling, read Joyce Carol Oates' "The Female of the Species" instead. Same title, crazy good stories.