The Farm: A Novel

By Joanne Ramos

Book Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Life is a lucrative business, as long as you play by the rules. Skimm Reads Pick - People Book of the Week - Belletrist Book Pick - " Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1984853759
• ISBN13: 9781984853752
• Release Date: May 2019
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.1" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

3.75 stars

THE FARM by Joanne Ramos Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is struggling to make ends meet while caring for her infant daughter, Amalia. At the encouragement of her cousin “Ate”, Jane applies at a ritzy facility called, Golden Oaks. At Golden Oaks, women are selected to be surrogates for the über wealthy. Their sole purpose, as “hosts” is to adhere to the strict rules, take advantage of the luxurious accommodations, and pop out healthy babies. In exchange they’re given an exorbitant amount of money which they use to change their lives. While the synopsis leans toward dystopian science fiction, it’s not entirely that. This is more of a commentary on our reality. We get a glimpse into the “business” of surrogacy through the perspectives of four different women; Jane, Ate, Mae, and Raegan. Their views are influenced/clouded by their backgrounds and economic status. I really appreciate the diversity of the characters. Almost all the women are POC and come from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. Their stories explore the inequalities between class and race, capitalism, the immigrant experience, feminism, and motherhood. It raises questions about ethics, society, privilege, what it means to be a mother, and what defines a family. While this has a promising start and brought up many thought-provoking topics, I felt it only just skimmed the surface and the ending didn’t really resolve the issues. In short, this was good and I liked it, but I didn’t love it. Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️