The Book of Flora (The Road to Nowhere 3)

I have just finished the third book in the series, The Book of Flora. The stories are all fast moving and intriguing. Msg. Ellison has a real flair storytelling a good story. I found myself reading late into the night. The story line makes you think about how we define ourselves in relation to the world around us. It was specifically appropriate now as it deals with a society devastated by an epidemic. Being in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic I empathize even more with the story line.My only criticism of the books are that they can be somewhat redundant in the story line and because of that I gave it a four star rating. Etta/Eddy goes through the first two books being a little unreasonable about trying to find perfect freedom. However, the last book gives a satisfying end for most of the characters.It is a worthwhile read that you will find thought provoking.

A novel about the need to be loved, love, and fitting in. The struggle of equality in a ruthless and possibly dying world. Where every hive has a different idea of what is needed and what is right. That cannot and will not include all. Made me sad, happy and sad again. The characters struggles of uncertainty running of the pages as well as their advancements in who they are, inside and out. A book that will hopefully make the reader want to hug the people in there lives and understand better the ones who are not. Brilliant and bold.

I adored the first book and enjoyed the second but do not feel the same about Flora. I felt like, looking back at the three books, we were being taught about alternative gender roles one by one and Flora was the transgender entry in the series. I hated the character Connie, their anger seemed to come out of nowhere. If they had a mental disorder that caused them to be obsessive about frags and Alice, it was not explained at all... The army story-line was ridiculous, how did Connie get all these people to follow them and kill thousands of pregnant women? Just again out of nowhere. I felt a general failure to keep the integrity of characters established in the first two books. Etta goes from being a brave adventurer to a librarian on a battleship????? I kinda get the connection with not being able to really write his own story, but a librarian? seeking silence and peace so suddenly? I just didn't connect it. Alice goes from being a brilliant chemist and herbalist to being a flake who sleeps with anyone and plays coy and stupid to get her way. This book goes off the deep end with the Connie/frag/army stuff and never makes it back to the basic stuff that was so good in the first two books. I honestly thought it was going to be a 'what's next' for the Nowhere folk - going somewhere and building something new where all genders are welcome (which we did get a teeeeeeny glimpse of in Bambritch) but instead rambled around too much and stayed in one place too long. I did like seeing some of the other cities like Shy and Demons, the village of men, Florda.... but those felt like they were missing a second part - the characters taking what works from each of these communities and blending it into their new vision. I am definitely let down.

Meg Elison slam dunked this trilogy. The Book of Flora continues the story, and also offers more insight into what the world now looks like generations after the Unnamed Midwife. I loved this whole series, and especially how this book addressed gender and sexuality, as well as human rights, with questions and issues we see in today’s world, but without being preachy. I’ll just say that this book is highly timely if you’re a US citizen in 2019. I liked the way Elison approached these issues by allowing her main characters to also struggle with identities and issues that seem foreign to them. Elison also has a gift for creating well rounded characters, regardless if they’re in the whole story or just have a bit part. The world she describes is so clear, and I was brought right into the story. I could picture everything. I love how words we know now were transformed into new words in the future, as most names of things and places are passed down through oral stories. Diesel became deez. Florida became Florda. And so on. I’m so glad I came across this series, and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a well written dystopian story that’s hard to put down.

I was worried I wouldn’t like this book after the reviews. I do agree it spent a lot of time on gender and sexuality preference, but I’m going to guess I felt that way because I don’t understand the questioning.m and it’s ability to consume someone’s thoughts. The ending was by far the best part of the book and I’m so glad I continued.

I have a feeling this is the last book in the set. It seems to have reached its conclusion. This author has really written about what it’s like to be transgender and what the future could look like if the world was a little bit kinder.I’m very impressed by these books and they’ve definitely given me things to think about. Beautiful writing, I could see the places that they were at and I would really recommend this book to anyone who likes well written post apocalyptic books with meaning.

Enjoyed it. Different from almost every other story I’ve read. End of the world may not be the end of the world. Evolution, adaptation.

really loved the 3 books in this trilogy.

Better than expected but not as good as hoped for

Found this book a bit of a slog and the plot was.... it felt unbalanced as if the parts of the story which were least important got the majority of the narrative time and those that would have been interesting to see more of were relegated to bit parts. It was disappointing.

Are you ever really satisfied when a trilogy ends? But I give the book of Flora 5 stars because of its stunningly creative narrative. The darkness of it felt so right. I sometimes found frustrating that I was being educated and stretched, and only then because I wanted more of the story, I absolutely applaud the way Elison has used her medium to get people thinking more about gender and sexuality.