WHEN SHE WOKE by Hillary Jordan was a pleasant surprise for me. From what I had heard, I had expected a futuristic book about a world where abortion was a crime punishable by turning the criminal’s skin red. Yes, there’s that. But there’s so much more to it. And Jordan’s writing is superb.

You can believe me. This comes from a pro-lifer.

Because the first part of the book deals with a young woman, Hannah, who had had an abortion and was, subsequently, sentenced to 16 years as “a red,” I thought my expectations were accurate. But, although pro-lifers in this book have tunnel vision and are cruel, which might have irritated me, the story has so many twists and turns, I really did enjoy it.

And it’s about more than abortion. “Reds” might have committed other crimes, and there are also other colors to signify other levels of criminal activity because this is preferable to over-crowded prisons.

My biggest surprise about WHEN SHE WOKE was that so much happens in a relatively short book. I say “relatively” because most books that have this much action are twice as long as WHEN SHE WOKE. I have always felt that too many authors love the way they write so much that they write too much and subject the reader to many paragraphs that can easily be cut without detracting from the story. Jordan has cut the garbage paragraphs in WHEN SHE WOKE. Don’t skip. Jordan’s writing is concise, and all of it is necessary.

Really liked this one - even if you hated "The Scarlet Letter" you will enjoy this one. Interesting story, but scary of what "could happen".

It was not too exciting but it had a neat theme

This is a vivid reimagining of "The Scarlet Letter." Jordan has created a world that is all too recognizable and believable, though the reader hopes it will never come to that. There is a great deal of discussion on sin, suffering, faith, punishment and redemption; the Right to Life vs Right to Choose battle is central to the plot as well. Hannah struggles with what she has always assumed was the true path, opening her mind to consider alternate views and finding an inner strength. I was completely caught up in the story and could not put this down. However, I was somewhat dismayed at how long Hannah clung to the idea of the “perfect” love she had with the father of her child; I wanted to yell “Wake up!” for much of the second half of the book.

"The Scarlet Letter" meets "The Handmaid's Tale"--lots to discuss, from abortion and Christianity to felon's rights, no matter which side of the fence you sit. Fast paced, suspenseful and well written--excellent dystopian lit!

When She Woke was realistic enough while futuristic and unfamiliar. I enjoyed the paradox between how Hannah\\\\\\\'s family lived life and their culture against the idea of Chroming and technology and control of the government. Hannah\\\\\\\'s character was developed well. There was opportunity for good discussion.

My book group really enjoyed this book and we had plenty to talk about. Everyone agreed it was a really quick read, some finishing it in two sittings. The action picks up on page one as we\\\'re introduced to Hannah who is serving time for murder. The biggest complaint with the book was that there was a lot of build up followed by a ridiculously quick wrap up that left most of us feeling a little cheated. Add another twenty pages to the ending and I would have gladly given this book five stars rather than four.

Riveting. A must read for book club!