Joanne Ramos

"Nestled in New York's Hudson Valley is a luxury retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, personal fitness trainers, daily massages--and all of it for free. In fact, you're paid big money to stay here--more than you've ever dreamed of. The catch? For nine months, you cannot leave the grounds, your movements are monitored, and you are cut off from your former life while you dedicate yourself to the task of producing the perfect baby. For someone else. Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is in desperate search of a better future when she commits to being a "Host" at Golden Oaks--or the Farm, as residents call it. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her family, Jane is determined to reconnect with her life outside. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she'll receive on the delivery of her child"--

The Farm

Merry Rudinger

But you don't have to be a top leader, or a bestselling writer, or an art-world darling to make your mark. Running simply to run faster is pointless. The constant striving- -for what, really? The adulation of strangers? More Instagram followers? A fawning article in some dumb magazine-ultimately empty.

Sashi

Reagan covers her face with her hands, willing an epiphany. Thinking so hard her head hurts and wondering if Dad is right, if she's the kind of person who likes humanity in the abstract but has little interest in actual people. He always tells her that feeling sorry for people isn’t the same as loving them, much less helping them.

Because in America you only have to know how to make money. Money buys everything else.

Imagine: Children not caring for their parents? After all the sacrifice? As if they are Americans?

They will tell you to call them "Cate and Ted," very American, very equal — but it is always "sir" and "ma'am." They will tell you to "make yourself at home" — but they do not want you to make yourself at home! Because it is their home, not yours, and they are not your friends. They are your clients. Only that.

This was ok. Didn’t love, didn’t hate. 

Kyra Cracchiola

Amulya Garimella

really good, full of interesting ideas to chew on. imo it was densely written in that there are a lot of complex ideas, arguments, and tensions to think about while also having well-written characters you can feel for and really get in the heads of. was leaning towards 5 stars, but the ending was very incohesive in tone and theme with the book. to me, it almost completely neutered the otherwise assertive, biting, and thought-provoking commentary. 4 stars for everything else, because I still left with a lot to think about. plot- and theme-wise, could have been much better executed with a different (view spoiler)[(and probably darker) (hide spoiler)] ending.

Wenny

To all the readers seeking a sumptuous dystopian tale: drop the book, and look outside your current circle of companionships.

The premise is truly viable as of now, and as we enter the age of automated labour, we must ask if the model of assigning privileges to capital owners is still ethically sound.

I enjoyed the social commentaries as explored through various characters, and looking at the writer’s background one can’t help but think that she had well and truly been these women, or have lived with women of these two worlds. Such a vivid imagery!

Spoiler alert for the ending:
For some, a happy end to a disadvantaged beginning is just slightly behind the starting point of privilege.

Jayme Bosio

Meh...much like with “If Then” I saw the potential story this could be and was annoyed that it wasn’t that.

Lizzy Grayson

3.5 Stars

Basically the whole book was 4 stars: interesting characters and world-building as well as raising important questions about the morality of surrogacy and - maybe unintentionally - the humanity of the unborn. However, the epilogue seemed extremely contrived and artificial, not fitting with the rest of the book (my husband said it sounds like it was a "pat ending" - embarrassingly, I had actually never heard this expression, but it does seem fitting). Therefore, I'll take off half a star for the bad ending.

Definitely recommended, but just be aware that the ending disappoints.

marie-ange

DNF @ 17%

don’t get me wrong, i’ll definitely pick this book back up when i’m done with all my class readings. i tried picking it up the other day and was completely lost :( so i’m gonna restart when i’m done and worry free 📖✨🌿

MARCH 17th — DONE!

Jennifer Dieter

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

"The Farm" is a surrogacy center called Golden Oaks located outside of New York City. Golden Oaks promises to help its wealthy clients have the perfect baby using surrogate hosts that are recruited from all over the world. The Farm alternates between the stories of Jane, Ate, Mae, and Reagan. Jane and Reagan are hosts, one Filipino and one white. Ate Jane's cousin. She shares the hosting opportunity with Jane and is charged with watching Jane's child while she's pregnant at Golden Oaks. Mae Yu is the founder and CEO of Golden Oaks. Her goal is to cater to her client's wishes and make money, which sometimes involves manipulating and punishing her hosts.

I expected The Farm to have a dystopian feel similar to Handmaid's Tale, but Golden Oaks feels like a place that already exists. Families are already employing wet nurses and nannies and using surrogates. It doesn't seem like that far of a reach to pay a center to care for your surrogate and make sure your fetus has all of the amenities needed to be born strong and healthy. This book raises some powerful questions around privilege when it comes to class, race, and gender. All of the characters felt human and well-developed, and their internal struggles felt real. I don't think I've read a book about the Filipino culture by a Filipino author (Ramos is originally from the Philippines), and it was definitely a privilege check as a white woman. The amount of microaggressions experienced by these characters along with the relationship between Jane and Lisa and Reagan made me think about my own journey to be a better ally to women of color. 

There were several points where Ramos introduces a lot of characters at one time or had abrupt transitions that felt jarring as a reader. Some of the narrative and story felt like it could have been tightened up more, and there were parts I skimmed that didn't feel as relevant to the story. 

Overall, I found The Farm to be an interesting, thought-provoking read that would be a great book club selection. 4/5 stars.

Jen Estrella

I'm changing my rating to 3 stars after thinking about it a bit more last night - Very accurate portrayal of the Filipino culture/values and struggles, and great storytelling; however, I felt like it was rushed, and I was left hanging in the end. The ending was okay, but I felt like I missed a chapter or two between the climax and the ending...

Chelsea White

It took awhile to build, but once the story got going it was hard to put it down. I found myself thinking about Jane and Amalia while trying to do school work because I couldn’t wait to read what happened next. The fear and paranoia that Ramos built was incredible. I found myself trying to rationalize Mae’s actions, even when they seemed perfectly rational on the surface (and ultimately were). There’s so much to unpack in this book, and I’m definitely not the one to do it in an eloquent way. The author’s note helped me contextualize a lot of what happened. Overall this book was an incredible look and furthering of who we value in our society and why we value them.

For nine months you belong to the Farm. You dedicate yourself to the all-consuming task of producing the perfect baby for your überwealthy clients. Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines is thrilled to make it through the highly competitive Host selection process. But now pregnant Jane grows desperate to reconnect with her life outside

A Novel

Anyaconda

I had high hopes and expectations for this book. The topic and overall concept was great, but it fell flat in the end. 

I never got attached to Jane or Reagan.
I felt it wasn't "dramatic" enough and the novel ended in an abrupt way with no real conclusion. 
We didn't get to know what happened to Ate or Lisa and Troy.
What happened with Reagan?

It was a 3.5 star read until the ending and I can only give it 2 stars for the initial idea and writing style. I'm quite disappointed. I really wanted to like it.
Nonetheless I do believe it would be a great book club book. Lots to discuss!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of The Farm.

The Farm

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