The wonderful 'what ifs' raised in this book...

- What if the UK surrendered and had been taken over by Nazi Germany in the 1950s?
- What if the people in the UK had no idea what was happening in the rest of the world?
- What if women were placed into castes according to how useful they were, and had to follow every rule and regulation, made by men, by law?
- What if some women couldn't read or write because they were in a low caste and not worth bothering about? For example, over fifty and childless?
- What if books were 're-edited' to remove subversive words in order not to put any ideas into women's minds and to formulate the 'perfectly indoctrinated woman'?

The main character, Rose Ransom, is 'lucky' to be in the highest caste, to have a job (she's a re-editor), and be a mistress to a Nazi. To be honest, despite those things, she doesn't seem to have much of a personality, perhaps it's just me?

I would've loved to have had more of a backstory for the lower caste women. Having said all that, really enjoyed this book and it held my attention from the first page to the last.

I chose to voluntarily read an eARC copy of this work via NetGalley, which I then honestly reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Widowland is one of my favourite reads this year! Carey's writing is incredible, as is her specific and striking world building. I enjoyed this exploration of a dystopian society, and I'm certainly glad it's not real life! Thanks for the ARC!

Wow what a book! I am a big fan of C J Carey and this book had a lot to live up to. I am pleased to say it did not disappoint. I could not put it down. A definite must read.

This book didn't work out for me.

The premise was wonderful - what if there was no World War and Britain decided to act for Germany as its Protectorate? Women have been divided into castes. The protagonist is of the higher caste that allows her more freedom yet she has numerous restrictions to pass. Life in Britain is dull and grey. There is a shortage of everything. Our heroine has a good life in comparison to others.

But the book meanders and there is not much impactful in it in the end. It just goes on and ends.

3 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Set in an alternate reality, "Widowland" by CJ Carey, is one of those "what if" books... in this case, what if England had surrendered to Germany and become part of their empire. Focussing on the women, the regime categorises women in a similar way to Margaret Attwood's "Handmaid's Tale". Luckily this book is not as extreme as Attwood's and the women just get different priviliges, accommodation and clothing allowances.. The story itself is pretty good, following Rose as she befriends a senior officer and enters Widowland on a secret mission.

Curious.
The world is a fascinating thought experiment - what if GB was taken over and became an isolated island, with no idea of what the rest of the war or world contained, in which unacceptable ideas were perpetuated and gender divisions were law?
Within this, the story of a woman, and a choice.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Its always fascinating to read alternative histories and this one was especially intriguing. As a childless-not-by-choice woman, I look for myself in literature and was horrified at the caste system that put women like me at the very bottom rung of the societal ladder; I was rooting for the Friedas from the very start! Although I had hoped Princess Elizabeth would swoop in and save the day, I was very satisfied with the ending. The characters were robust and vivid, the plot fast paced and enjoyable, and the writing pulled me in and did not let go.

This is billed as "smart" book with "a strong feminist twist" and one to look out for. However, I thought the book was a mess. It reads like cross genre fan fic. A lot of the book is spent "world building" but still leaves many unanwered questions about how it works and then the "meat" of the story/action is rushed and unbelievable. For example, Rose (our heroine) goes from thinking a colleague she has barely spoken to is a government spy to declaring undying love and risking her beloved family for him in less than a day.

The story is a "what if the Nazis had taken over Britain?" with some Handmaid's Tale female subjugation and rebellion thrown in. Rather than fight the Nazis in 1939, Britain agrees to become a Protectorate of Germany. All the young men are taken away (to fight or something more sinister?) and the women are subdivided into castes. from "Geli's" (young, intelligent, upper class girls) down through Leni's and Magda's to widows who are lowest caste, given barely enough food to eat, living in derelict houses in "widowland" ghettos and employed as cleaners. The only possible marriage or boyfriend choices are with middle aged and older men. The Germans are either incredibly attractive middle aged guys or procine onion breathed ones, but all a througoly bad lot.. The SS have "gleaming boots" and I almost expected to read that they had "ways of making you talk." Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII are due to be crowned and the ailing Hitler is due to in England as a guest. Graffiti with quotes from A Vindiction of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecroft have started to appear on public buildings. It would be a disaster if the Leader saw them. So our heroine, Rose (a Geli) is sent to Widowland in Oxford to see if she can flush out agitators. There also seem to be plans afoot to deal with the widows in the same way "another problem had been dealt with in the past."

I thought it was a mess, dull and confusing for the most part, then when it does appear to have some life, it has no legs as the story becomes so unbelivable (even within the rules of its world). Not for me.

What if Germany and Britain didn't go to war, instead they formed an Alliance in which Britain became a Protectorate of Germany? The caste system is introduced and strictly adhered to. People not conforming just disappear. Ideas are bad. The Mainland is Utopia, the Leader is revered. The past is not discussed. To ensure this system is not questioned, books and history are rewritten to encourage more correct thinking, now doesn't that sound familiar?

Enjoyable alternative history, set in an England that became a Protectorate as part of a German Alliance rather than fight the Germans in the Second World War. Women are put in a strict caste system that sets limits on their jobs, their diet, who they can marry (if allowed at all...) and it’s fair to say that the majority of the population have acquiesced despite restrictions on liberty and forced deportation of the majority of working age men.
Inevitably there is some dissent, and widowland explores this through the eyes of Rosa. There’s a huge amount of world building going on, arguably at the expense of plot and character development, but everything moves quickly enough that you can push aside underlying thoughts of “wait, would they really do or say that”? Flawed but enjoyable- there really is a huge rush towards the end that left me thinking “how will this get wrapped up in the next few pages?” .

Probably a 3 and half star rather than a 4 - I felt the logical inconsistencies and rushed pace in the last few chapters underwhelmed somewhat

Imagine a mingling of Fatherland, Vox, Handmaid's Tale, and other novels that change the story we grew up learning.

Rose lives in 1953 England, a minor country in the German Alliance that began in 1940 when England essentially surrendered and King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and their two daughters were “removed.” Now, the country is gearing up for the Coronation of Queen Wallis and her husband, King Edward VIII. The Leader will be coming just to watch this great event.

Women in this regime are now classified by various levels of usefulness to the Alliance. Rose resides in the highest classification, for now, but one wrong move can get her reclassified. Everything depends on the classification: food rations, what clothing you're allowed to wear, the activities in which you're allowed to take part, and whether you live or die.

But something is happening that is troubling the powers that be. Graffiti featuring quotes from “degenerate” literature are appearing in random places around England. Rose is tasked with finding out who is doing it and turning them in for punishment. In doing so, she uncovers things that she had no idea were in process.

All in all, I thought Widowland was a page-turning, cracking read. I was initially (and remained throughout the read) terribly confused by the various classifications cited for women in this alternative world created by Carey. I lost count after about five, and there were really only two that mattered to the story in any great degree: highest and lowest. Any of the others I just could not keep track of, and it wasn't until I was a fair way in to the story that I realized I didn't really need to do so, because this is all about Rose and her investigations into the denizens of Widowland. Until I came to that realization, however, it did slow and weigh down my experience with Widowland, and I wish it could have been just slightly more streamlined.

Intrigue, subterfuge, suspense, and even a little humour. Widowland has most things you could ask for from a novel. Contrasting this world that could have been with the world that is was a rewarding experience.

I thank the author and NetGalley for allowing me access to Widowland in exchange for my honest review.

Although this book starts with a splash of colour, it is set in a grey world. Everything is in short supply, food, clothing, young men, freedom. There was no Second World War for Britain, but instead a surrender which left the country as the poorer relation in a forced alliance. Society has been rearranged into a reflection of the central Reich, and people have adapted.
In the second chapter there is a chunk of exposition to describe the various levels of women in the Protectorate, which would usually be a little dry to get through, but it works because the classifications themselves are dry and inhuman. At first it appears the protagonist Rose is in a privileged position, but there is a price to pay and the rewards are barely worth it; her life is still a minefield of constraint and fear. One of the few sources of colour and freedom appears when she ventures into the Widowland of the title, where having lost so much the women living there have a liberty which contrasts with what we have seen already.
Life is dismal, and a Coronation provides a celebration to look forward to, but Rose begins to realise that things could get worse, and ends up in a position where she may be able to influence the future. Whether her final act in the book would change the wider society is debatable, but it does give the character a moment where she can reach for something better.
In some ways this was a depressing book to read. The alternate history and how the country has adapted to it are clearly laid out in a way that shows a sceptical, but probably accurate, eye for what people will put up with. Rose′s job as a censor of women′s literature does show there is a history of rebellious women, and the graffiti of women′s quotes show that all is not lost. I found this a thought-provoking book which I′d come back to for a re-read.


I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

This was a thoroughly enjoyable novel with a great premise: not just "what if the Nazis won the war" but also what would it be like a decade later living under colonial rule from a Nazi Germany?
Some of it seemed a little unbelievable, and it was almost weakest where it relied on real histories. A few passing mentions of anti-Semitism that are waved away by most of the British people only served to highlight the areas that were downplayed, and took me out of the story. Instead, the authors focus is on women. This I enjoyed, and found to be chillingly believable, particularly having studied the fetishization of motherhood and traditional gender roles in Nazi Germany.
It was a little strange how quickly a post war Britain had adapted to a caste based system for women- ironically, we only really see into the mind of the main character, who is lucky enough to be a top level Geli with privilege, but no real power.
She is researching classic literature work by women, and there are some great parallels made with women's suffrage and rights, which points out how some women's are classed and valued today, as well as the dangers of propaganda.
This was a solid alternate history novel, with a really interesting feminist theme, and one that I raced through!

Ok, so I picked this because it has been flagged in a Guardian list of books to look out for in 2021 where it was described as 'smart': turns out that it's a fan-fiction-alike story, deeply derivative (there are recognisable lifts from [book:1984|40961427], [book:Fatherland|56842], [book:The Handmaid's Tale|38447], with a touch of the Bernie Gunther tales of [author:Philip Kerr|53936]), clumsily plotted and with a 'popular' style of writing (women have 'heart-shaped' faces, 'he was the kind of man who only grew more handsome as he aged', Nazis stalk around in 'black leather boots polished to a mirror shine' and call pretty girls 'liebling'; and 'excitement was at fever pitch').

So I'm really not the target audience for this book - I expected something more 'literary', and this is more of a Jolly Good Romp.

The concept of this book is fantastic. I think a lot of people enjoy “what if...” stories. What if we didn’t go to war with Germany? What if we surrendered to them and were taken over? It’s always fascinating to look at what someone thinks could have happened. While I don’t know if it’s realistic or not (anything is possible), I am intrigued by the idea of women being split into castes. It’s both interesting and heartbreaking to think that some women might be the very bottom of society, while others are at the top (below men). Reflecting on this, there is some reality to the system. Women who are at the bottom of our society, though in a far less formal way. Their children doomed to continue being at the bottom. But this book doesn’t focus on the bottom of the pile, it focuses on a Geli. A woman at the top. I’m not sure if this was the right choice or not. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I enjoyed learning about her world but it felt like some snapshots were there for the sake of being snapshots and not necessarily part of the story. I feel like the actual story was lacking at times and the ending felt disappointing. I’m not really sure what the story was, what the author was wanting to say, or what story they wanted to tell. I think the concept/world building was fantastic but the storyline itself leaves a lot to be desired. I wanted this to be amazing but I wonder if the author had a brilliant concept but struggled to come up with a decent storyline. I don’t think it’s a terrible storyline it just wasn’t very well organised or was a bit lacking. It’s like it ran out of steam or was trying to be too many things at once. It’s technically a very good book, the world is super, I just wanted more from the storyline and character arcs.

A brilliant read! This is a story about a dystopian, alternate history, where Britain sued for peace with Germany in 1939, and is now ruled from Berlin. Life in Britain is very 'Handmaid's Tale-ish". Women are assigned a 'caste' on their 16th birthday, based mainly on how they look. The most beautiful are assigned to the top 'Geli' classic and as such are eligible for the best jobs, the best men and more rations. Enter Rose Tansom, 'Geli' caste, and official for the Ministry of Culture where she is busy rewriting classic books to correct the ideas of the past. She doesn't question her life or role, until she is given a secret task- to seek out and report on anti-alliance activists- in the run up to the Royal wedding of King Edward and Queen Wallis.
I found this novel totally enthralling! The author's description of dystopian Britain are truly terrifying! A brilliant read!

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

Easy quick read, bestseller vibe but perfect for those days when you just want to zone out. perfect for VOX fans

Alternate history novels can sometimes be formulaic and clichéd ridden, but Carey has created an intelligent story with substance that it is very difficult to turn away from. The idea that a country and its citizens can be so subservient with such ease is frightening. The level of submission pushed onto the women of this society in particular is astounding and yet totally possible. The finer details of the caste system and the ways in which the author reinforces the uneven lives of the women was a particular highlight for me. It gave the story more depth and made it linger long after I finished the last page. It really made me feel like this book was something different. Making the main character from the elite caste could’ve backfired but instead of alienating the reader, it makes you see an unexpected point of view.

Yes, it leans into elements of Fatherland, The Handmaid's Tale and 1984, but I think this is in a good way and was an excellent hook for the world of Widowland. I’m curious to see the big reveal of the author behind the pen name when it’s published. This book is going to be to make a major impact due to the strength of the Rose and the way the author has constructed the unjust world around her.

It’s 1953 and the UK, having chosen to submit to Germany rather than going to war, is now the junior partner in the Alliance. There’s going to be a coronation for King Edward and Queen Wallis, with George VI and his family missing and presumed murdered, and the occasion is the cause of a state visit from the Leader, never named here as Hitler, although many of his contemporaries are named. ‘People liked the idea of a strong leader – they didn’t much care what that leader stood for,’ goes the explanation, sounding all too plausible.

The regime’s major focus, in the UK at least, has been the organising of women into different castes, according to factors such as their reproductive value to society. The different castes have been given female names relevant to Hitler, ranging from the relatively privileged Geli caste (young, attractive women) to Friedas (women aged over 50 who have no children, and who live in semi-derelict ghettos on the outskirts of cities). The caste system has obvious parallels with The Handmaid’s Tale, although female sexuality and fertility are so often a focus of control for governments, societies and cultures that it’s not too much of a stretch to see this theme repeated.

The protagonist in Widowland is Rose Ransom, a Geli who has a job with the Ministry of Culture and is having an affair with a senior SS officer. Rose’s job involves editing classic novels to bring them more into line with present day values, mainly correcting novels which have independently-minded heroines. Her work gradually starts to affect her, and she finds it harder and harder to ignore the writings of authors such as the Bronte sisters and George Eliot. In parallel with Rose’s exposure to literary classics, a resistance group, believed by the authorities to be Friedas, has started vandalising public buildings with slogans taken from classic feminist texts.

There’s an obvious celebration of the power of literature going on in Widowland. For me, the defiant acts of vandalism struck a more convincing note than the scenes involving Rose reflecting on her reading, or doing furtive bits of writing herself. Some of these scenes seemed to have an escapist effect on Rose that threatened to take the novel into a gentler territory than it could afford to be in, given the subject matter. In fact, my one real criticism of this novel is that the pace and the tone are too gentle until about two thirds of the way through, when it finally finds some grit and suspense. For example, we’re told early on that there are dead bodies everywhere throughout London, suggesting state-approved violence on a grand scale, yet we’re never shown this violence happening in real time. There are hints here and there about things happening to Jewish people, although the information has been suppressed, leading to a strangely subdued account of the period.

I think Widowland, like The Handmaid’s Tale before it, would benefit from greater prominence being given to lower-caste characters. Rose, in her position of relative privilege and ignorance, has a very limited view for much of the novel, until things finally reach a momentum that means she needs to decide which side she is on. The older, more widely educated Friedas, with their greater knowledge of pre-Nazi times, could have added more vigour to the early stages of the book, had they featured more.

I enjoyed reading Widowland, can imagine that it would work well in film or TV, and I was fully engrossed by the end. Given that the story contained actual Nazis in action, though, I think that a bolder touch early on could have elevated this from being a good book to a great one.

This book feels like a combination of Fatherland (what happens if Hitler had taken over Britain), The Handmaid’s Tale (a world where women’s rights are curtailed), and Dan Brown (easy reading, page turner).

This is clearly written by a writer who loves classic female literature with quotes from them and how they influence the main female protagonist peppered throughout. It’s a tale of the power of female authors and their books.

My only criticism is that it felt like the book could have been more, and elevated from a very enjoyable read to something more impactful. I didn’t feel that we got to spend enough time in Widowland or really got to know any of the characters, other than the main protagonist, in any meaningful sense. This is such a great concept and a bit more about the influence of the words of classic literature and how it was being used as a rallying cry, which was having a meaningful national impact, for the resistance would have been fabulous.
The book was a good page turner, and seemed much shorter than its actual length because of this.

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me advance access to an ebook copy of the novel.