Rating: 
Summary: Why reading this book is a waste of your time.
Review: I really did not enjoy this book. I understand that this is supposed to be a satirical look at American gender roles, but it was probably a lot more applicable back in 1970s. I am a feminist and this book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Maybe if you're a raging chauvinist, this book has something to teach you. To me, Brantenberg's prose seems trite. The writing is simplistic. The sex scenes are graphic, but moreover, so are the non-sex scenes. I felt as though the author was secretly smiling to herself and saying, "I'm so clever" while she wrote it. It's hard to define what makes for a great book, but here's something I can define: this book is not great. Or good. Or even tolerable.
Rating: 
Summary: the viewpoint. seeing by women's sight
Review: Some months ago, I read this book by korean edition. This book let me think about the unbalance between women and man. I recommend this book if you are man, you must read this. if you do so, you can understand women more deeply. this book was translated in 1996, seoul, korea.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful satire; buy it for your sister, your mother...
Review: The author imagines a society in which sexism goes the OTHER way: women are in charge, and men are stereotyped and oppressed. It is so very very well done that the book is worth reading just for that. Even the sexist language is well done: amazingly, since I imagine the original was in Norwegian. Indeed the language is one of the most delightful parts of the book. I wasn't as happy with the novel's plot, and I thought the ending was somewhat weak, but I got a lot out of the picture of the society and the discussions. Even long time feminists may find some new insights here as to how different elements of a sexist society work together to produce oppression. And it's such fun!
Rating: 
Summary: For all who use cod biology to explain the position of women
Review: This book describes a world in which gender roles have been reversed and in particular the fortunes of one "masculinist" boy who tries to fight against the opression of his gender. When you first start reading it lots of the reversals may seem artificial and a bit trite and you might think that this is nothing more than a feminist take on the UK comedians the two Ronnies' long run sketch "the worm that turned". Even at this level it is very much worth reading if your sense of humour is in anyway childish and scatalogical. This book goes further than this in two ways. First it has brilliant justifications for why women (or wim) have the power in the society described in the book which are just as convincing as the usual psuedo-biological "survival of the fittest" type arguements most recently put forward by a certain US law professor. This undelines the point that a story consistent with the facts is not necessarily "true" , even if a "true" story could be used as justification for the status quo. Second, by ascribing to the men in the book the characteristics usually asociated with women (so men are now from venus and women are from mars!) it also undermines the 70/80s feminst view that a society run by women would be much "bettter" than a society run by men. While none of this points are very profound it is after all a novell rather than an essay in feminist theory, it is a brilliant satire and should definately be read.
Rating:
Summary: Imaginative and entertaining
Review: This book is a captivating story about coming of age and a profound statement about gender divisions in human society. Brantenberg artfully tells a story about growing up and questioning the social roles and expectations encountered along the way. The history and social structure of an imaginary society are developed and brought to life in this book, to the point that I had trouble putting it down for curiosity about what would happen next.
Rating:
Summary: Imaginative and entertaining
Review: This book is a captivating story about coming of age and a profound statement about gender divisions in human society. Brantenberg artfully tells a story about growing up and questioning the social roles and expectations encountered along the way. The history and social structure of an imaginary society are developed and brought to life in this book, to the point that I had trouble putting it down for curiosity about what would happen next.
Rating:
Summary: Satire of the sexes
Review: This book is both hilarious and makes you think. It's subtitled "A satire of the sexes", and that basically says it all. It's an upside-down society, in which men are repressed and taken advantage of, and women have all the power. There men wear the skirts and have to cover their unattractive, flat chests, while women wear the pants and can walk around topless if they want to. And the men take care of the kids, once the woman has decided she wants to have one. The whole language reflects this society's views, e.g. by referring to humanity as Woman, rather than Man. It's written in Norwegian originally, and I really feel sorry for the translator who had to find culturally and linguistically comparable expressions. I've read the original, and the language "switch" is even more successful there. (... that "history" was left in the original form, which it should rightfully be, as this has nothing to do with the pronoun "his") It does lose a bit of the wordplay-effect of the original, which is inevitable. Still I think the translation is good, considering the differences between the languages. Because of the "creative" language it's a bit heavy to read, especially in the beginning. At least I found myself trying to "translate" back to the usual way of saying things - the patriarcaic way. But if you're looking for a book out of the ordinary and don't mind the effort, this is an interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: highly recommended
Review: This book is thought-provoking; men who just can't understand women's viewpoints no matter how hard they try (but are you really trying? I want to ask) should read this book and put themselves in the male protagonist's shoes. Another plus for the book is that it shows that a society run by women won't be much different from the one we have now, because for one sex to be dominant the other has to be oppressed. The book makes an interesting read and some very good points, so you probably won't find yourself bored. Try it, and after that I recommend discussing it with a member of the opposite sex.
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