Since reading the first book, I’ve put off writing a review for The Mad Ship for a while just ‘cos it seemed almost impossible to write something coherent and basically befitting for the 2nd book of this marvelous series.
While I don’t have many negative views on The Mad Ship because it was awesome, I did feel it was long-winded at times, especially when it came to the serpents (Like, I’m so eager to know what happened, but lawd have mercy can we speed it up with all the secrecy?) or when someone was thinking about something like a long ass never-ending dear diary moment, albeit with better writing. Also, the whole dragon rising was seriously underwhelming, in my opinion
That aside, I gotta say despite being a fantasy book, Hobb continually creates characters and events that you can relate to in real life and never more so in this book. Everyone here struggles; what’s to say your way is right and mine isn’t? Sure some characters are more devious than others, but then again, Hobb does make you see that things just don’t happen in a vacuum.
Finally, we come to the most important part of this review. While I didn’t pay attention to the female-to-male ratio in the book, cos heck, to be honest, I hardly notice such things anyways. It was, however, quite rudely brought to my attention when I read someone’s review of this book. In the person’s words,
In addition it felt like Hobb was trying very hard to create a story for Women.. Yes capitalized. I don’t mind women being protagonist, or even that they are the majority in the POV– that’s FINE with me….but it seemed as though she were going out of her way to show women in all varying roles and types as they come in, from young to old, from proper to outlandish, etc etc. TOO MUCH
Well, look at that! Homeboy is upset women can be more than sex play things in a novel. I’m struggling to understand what part really had this person frothing. Was it Ronica Vestrit being able to hold her family together? Althea saying fuck all and going for her dreams? Amber walking the talk? Serilla not staying down even when she had been kicked down so badly? Etta owning what she used to be like a badass and being a damn good fighter? Fuck it, even Malta! Girl knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to wrap any boy around her pinky to get it.
How threatened do you have to be by women to write something like that??
I tweeted about it, and I especially love Hobb’s response to what the reviewer wrote:
And you know what? I’m unapologetically proud that Robin Hobb has been able to create a book where women shine in various roles. One way or the other, the women in this book, no matter what their situation was, rallied and took control of their damn lives!!
If the divine is also female and the female is also divine, then she understands that woman is more than mother, more than daughter, more than wife. Those are the facets of a full life but not single facet defines the jewel
Ship of Destiny
