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Rating:  - Woman on the Edge
Woman on The Edge of Time is about a woman named Connie who is in an unfortunate situation. The story begins with Connie trying to help her niece Bonnie from her abusive husband Geraldo. When the altercation is over Connie finds herself in a mental institution once again. Because Connie has a history of "mental illness" no one ever believes what she tells them nor does anyone care about her well-being. She quickly finds that in order to survive she will have to depend on herself.
We find later in the story that Connie is able to communicate with a future world. Here is where she befriends Luciente. Luciente is from a future city called Mattapoisett. Connie had already begun to communicate with this world before she was committed but since then she traveled there more frequently. In this world she found their lifestyle strange. There weren't any gender roles and people could basically do what they wanted. Everyone was healthy and happy and this was unusual for Connie. She later begins to accept this world and in a way yearns to be a part of it.
Connie's life really takes a turn when she accidentally communicates an alternative universe to Mattapoisett. This is a world where your occupation is chosen for you and no one is free except the rich. Connie realizes that in order for Mattapoisett to prevail something must be done in her current world and situation. Connie makes the ultimate choice to get rid of those who try to control her. Connie felt this was the only way to save herself from someone controlling her and keeping her away from her freedom. Connie's plan is successful and in the end she finds her true self.
Woman on The Edge of Time was an excellent novel. It's a book that really challenges the mind to think outside the box. It's also a reminder on how judgmental the world is today, everyone is so quick to put another in a category or label them. In actually we should take the time to know one another.
Rating:  - Connie Ramos - on the edge of time?
Marge Piercy's "Woman on the Edge of Time" is a science fiction novel with many turns and twists. It focuses on Consuelo (Connie) Ramos, a Mexican-American woman, living in New York. She becomes institutionalized by her niece and pimp Geraldo because she attacks Geraldo when he is beating Dolly. Connie spends a lot of time thinking about her life, a life when she moved from Chicago to New York, a blind lover named Claud, and her beautiful daughter Angelina who was taken from her at the age of four because she beat Angie as a result of alcohol and drug use after Claud's death.
While at the mental hospital, which she calls the bughouse, she supposedly time travels to a future world and place called Mattapoisett with Luciente. In Mattapoisett the people wear kenners, a wrist computer, which they use as an encyclopedia and also to communicate with each other. In this world factories are automated, embryos are grown in brooders, and racism is no more. At first Connie thinks it is strange in Luciente's world because of each child having three mothers and men being able to nurse a child. Many details are discussed in the book about Luciente's world. There were frequent time travels, which I believe were merely hallucinations to get her through the misery of being in an institution and setting her mind free to feel true belonging.
In the end, Connie was set to have experimental brain surgery and as a result, takes revenge on the doctors. Trying to follow so many happenings at the institution and in Luciente's world makes the book a bit confusing at times. You clearly have to stay focused when reading this book.
Rating:  - Lacks depth, but a good read
Marge Piercy's story is something like psychobabble science fiction without the explanation. Interestingly, she chooses a woman protagonist that isn't your typical hero. Instead, she is a poverty-stricken older woman, subject to the many dangers of the town she lives in. She has been committed to an institution by a pimp who wants her out of the way so he can take advantage of her niece. In the clinic, she sees a vision that appears very real to her, and claims to be from the future. It tells her that she must stay alive despite the circumstances, because she is important. Readers, along with the woman, Connie, are left wondering if her seemingly meaningless life is actually quite pertinent, or if she is simply too far gone to turn back. As my title says, it lacks depth. There is not much explanation as far as time-travel, theories, and whatnot. I'm not sure that's too important, but for me it left a lot of small holes in the story.
Rating: - Seclusion's Illusion
In "Woman on The Edge of Time" Piercy showed how Connie developed an alternative reality, the future. Connie was tucked in a mental institute when she feels there is no reason she should be there. She began having dreams and visions of Luciente's world which was a marvelous place that Connie eventually wanted to stay. At first Connie did not want to believe the nonsense Luciente was shooting her, but later she thinks it is real. Honestly, I must admit I was suckered into the facts of Luciente's world. The creation of materials, human life, food, and love were achieved so differently than our present world. That is what made it exciting. Piercy opened my eyes to the mind of a woman with the ability to manifest futuristic characters. I wanted to believe her hallucinations, but there were to far-fetched for me. If this were true, the disaster that awaits the world afterwards would be tremendous. What if we had the ability to change the future? Life will ultimately destroy its self constantly fixing and breaking things. We probably would not make it one minute without an alteration to thirty seconds ago. I do believe technology will exceed our expectations but hopefully not as far as going back in time. I think it is unconceivable to travel to past existing life when it is already nonexistent. My understanding of the book was for both the real and imaginary world to find a common ground...freedom.
Rating: - Women on the edge of time
"Women on the Edge of Time" tells the story of Connie Ramos, a Mexican-American woman living in New York who has been deemed insane. Connie is committed to a mental institution, where she communicates with people from the year 2137. The main lady who can contact Connie, whose name is Luciente, shows Connie the futue world. The future is filled with peace and equality, where the issue of male-female and race does not exist. It is in this world, that Connie comes to when she wants to escape her own world. I think that Connie creates this mythical world to cope with the real world. In the old world, she is on welfare and has no good job. The fact that she is a female and Mexican-American does not help her situation. It is ironic, how in the "future" world, race and gender are erased and Connie plays an important role in the future world. Women on the Edge of Time will leave you with a weird feeling adn wondering if Percy's future will oen day be our own. Women now have more rights and becoming more equal. I didn't get into the book at first, but after a while I was hooked, wanting to know what would happen. I feel that this book is a must read and will generate much discussion.
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