The era of the Mad River Grille meetings of the
Classic Sci-Fi Meetup appears to have passed--another private event forced us to relocate again, this time just a building or two over to
Vaughan's Pub, and we'll be trying out a new (hopefully good, long-lasting location) next time.
Still, a lovely patio on a Chicago summer, and a nice discussion of
Marge Piercy's "Woman on the Edge of Time" (1976): definitely a bit of classic SF, this one particularly in the feminist SF tradition of the 60s/70s, often mentioned alongside work by Le Guin, Russ, or Atwood. The novel follows Consuelo Ramos, a woman who is (seemingly wrongfully) placed in a mental institution, and who is having (seemingly real, albeit psychic) visits to and from the future.
A couple points that we all agreed on: this is a hard book to read. Partially because it takes a while to really pick up, partially because it is about 30% utopia with attendant infodump-itis, but primarily because, emotionally, it's grim. Connie's experience being held against her will, misdiagnosed as an act of oppression, and the way that sexism, racism, and classism are magnified by being institutionalized all make for a rough read.
