Reviews
"[Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more relevant or timely." -- O: The Oprah Magazine (25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019) "This topical, provocative debut anatomizes class, race and the American dream." -- The Guardian , "What You'll Be Reading This Year" "Wow, Joanne Ramos has written the page-turner about immigrants chasing what's left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable." --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers "Ramos has written a firecracker of a novel, at once caustic and tender, page-turning and thought-provoking. This is a fierce indictment of the vampiric nature of modern capitalism, which never loses sight of the very human stories at its center. . . . Highly recommended." --Madeline Miller , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe "Perhaps the most powerful element of this debut novel by Ramos, who was born in Manila and moved to Wisconsin when she was six, is its portrait of the world of Filipinas in New York. The three-page soliloquy of instructions for nannying delivered to Jane by her more experienced cousin is a work of art in itself. . . . Excellent." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Transfixing . . . Ramos particularly shines at her nuanced, emotional depictions of these women's interior struggles. A surefire hit with book groups, this striking novel will also appeal strongly to readers who like dystopian touches and ethically complicated narratives." -- Publishers Weekly " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page." --Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "[Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more relevant or timely." -- O: The Oprah Magazine (25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019) "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers "Ramos has written a firecracker of a novel, at once caustic and tender, page-turning and thought-provoking. This is a fierce indictment of the vampiric nature of modern capitalism, which never loses sight of the very human stories at its center. . . . Highly recommended." --Madeline Miller , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe " The Farm is a smart, thoughtful novel about women, choices, and the immigrant experience that asks the question: How far would you go for the American dream?" -- PopSugar, "Buzzy Books to Read This Spring" "[ The Farm ] hits home hard--a thrilling read about the myth of meritocracy, the way some people get ahead in life before they're even born." -- New York , "Spring Books Preview" "Perhaps the most powerful element of this debut novel by Ramos, who was born in Manila and moved to Wisconsin when she was six, is its portrait of the world of Filipinas in New York. The three-page soliloquy of instructions for nannying delivered to Jane by her more experienced cousin is a work of art in itself. . . . Excellent." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Compelling storytelling . . . Ramos's debut is so engaging that the reader might not understand the depths she probes until the book is done. . . . Each character's complexity will give book groups plenty to discuss." -- Booklist (starred review) "Traveling from the glitz of Manhattan to multiethnic, immigrant Queens and the isolation of the rural Hudson Valley, this is an exciting read about the politics of motherhood and female autonomy." -- Library Journal "Transfixing . . . Ramos particularly shines at her nuanced, emotional depictions of these women's interior struggles. A surefire hit with book groups, this striking novel will also appeal strongly to readers who like dystopian touches and ethically complicated narratives." -- Publishers Weekly " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page." --Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "[Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more relevant or timely." -- O: The Oprah Magazine (25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019) "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers "Ramos has written a firecracker of a novel, at once caustic and tender, page-turning and thought-provoking. This is a fierce indictment of the vampiric nature of modern capitalism, which never loses sight of the very human stories at its center. . . . Highly recommended." --Madeline Miller , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe " The Farm is a smart, thoughtful novel about women, choices, and the immigrant experience that asks the question: How far would you go for the American dream?" -- PopSugar, "Buzzy Books to Read This Spring" "[ The Farm ] hits home hard--a thrilling read about the myth of meritocracy, the way some people get ahead in life before they're even born." -- New York , "Spring Books Preview" "Perhaps the most powerful element of this debut novel by Ramos, who was born in Manila and moved to Wisconsin when she was six, is its portrait of the world of Filipinas in New York. The three-page soliloquy of instructions for nannying delivered to Jane by her more experienced cousin is a work of art in itself. . . . Excellent." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Compelling storytelling . . . Ramos's debut is so engaging that the reader might not understand the depths she probes until the book is done. . . . Each character's complexity will give book groups plenty to discuss." -- Booklist (starred review) "Transfixing . . . Ramos particularly shines at her nuanced, emotional depictions of these women's interior struggles. A surefire hit with book groups, this striking novel will also appeal strongly to readers who like dystopian touches and ethically complicated narratives." -- Publishers Weekly " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page." --Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "Heady, chilling . . . [Ramos] peoples her book with figures who are appealingly engaging--or, at times, engagingly repellent." --NPR "What's so striking about The Farm isn't that it imagines a frightening dystopia. This isn't a hundred years in the future, it's next week. This is reality, nudged just a touch to its logical extreme. Its very plausibility is a warning shot." -- USA Today "Richly rendered and engrossing . . . [Ramos] has the acute gaze of the immigrant girl made good. Her book is a necessary one. . . . A great read." -- The Guardian " The Handmaid's Tale vibes are strong, but the 'holy sh*t this book is genius' vibes are stronger." -- Cosmopolitan "Unnervingly plausible . . . a suspenseful page-turner . . . Ramos inhabits [her characters] with affection, sensitivity and a keen ear for voice. Together, these women tell a story of an America in which 'you must be strong or young if you are not rich.'" -- The Economist "A haunting read . . . Ramos has crafted a real page-turner that combines all the hottest issues of the day: inequality, race and women's battle to reclaim their bodies from commodification by big business, with the eternal questions of how much we can sacrifice before losing ourselves completely. . . . The result is an entertaining novel that is also a serious warning." -- The Times (UK) "[ The Farm ] hits home hard--a thrilling read about the myth of meritocracy, the way some people get ahead in life before they're even born." -- New York "A sharp takedown of the idea of American meritocracy." -- Refinery29 " The Farm is a smart, thoughtful novel about women, choices, and the immigrant experience that asks the question: How far would you go for the American dream?" -- PopSugar "A timely investigation of how much control we really have over our own situations, especially when it comes to women's choice . . . With glimmers of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and the dystopian eeriness of The Handmaid's Tale , The Farm is equal parts entertaining and creepy." -- PureWow "Ramos has written a firecracker of a novel, at once caustic and tender, page-turning and thought-provoking. This is a fierce indictment of the vampiric nature of modern capitalism, which never loses sight of the very human stories at its center. Highly recommended." --Madeleine Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe, "Wow, Joanne Ramos has written the page-turner about immigrants chasing what's left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable." --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "Wow, Joanne Ramos has written the page-turner about immigrants chasing what's left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable." --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page."-- Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "[Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more relevant or timely." -- O: The Oprah Magazine (25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019) "You know those books that immediately draw you in and suddenly you can't think of anything else? . . . A cracking, chilling but also human page-turner." --Joanna Goddard, A Cup of Jo "A sharp takedown of the idea of American meritocracy." -- Refinery29 " The Farm is a smart, thoughtful novel about women, choices, and the immigrant experience that asks the question: How far would you go for the American dream?" -- PopSugar, "Buzzy Books to Read This Spring" "[ The Farm ] hits home hard--a thrilling read about the myth of meritocracy, the way some people get ahead in life before they're even born." -- New York , "Spring Books Preview" "Perhaps the most powerful element of this debut novel by Ramos, who was born in Manila and moved to Wisconsin when she was six, is its portrait of the world of Filipinas in New York. The three-page soliloquy of instructions for nannying delivered to Jane by her more experienced cousin is a work of art in itself. . . . Excellent." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Compelling storytelling . . . Ramos's debut is so engaging that the reader might not understand the depths she probes until the book is done. . . . Each character's complexity will give book groups plenty to discuss." -- Booklist (starred review) "Traveling from the glitz of Manhattan to multiethnic, immigrant Queens and the isolation of the rural Hudson Valley, this is an exciting read about the politics of motherhood and female autonomy." -- Library Journal "Transfixing . . . Ramos particularly shines at her nuanced, emotional depictions of these women's interior struggles. A surefire hit with book groups, this striking novel will also appeal strongly to readers who like dystopian touches and ethically complicated narratives." -- Publishers Weekly "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page." --Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "[Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more relevant or timely." -- O: The Oprah Magazine (25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019) "This topical, provocative debut anatomizes class, race and the American dream." -- The Guardian , "What You'll Be Reading This Year" "Wow, Joanne Ramos has written the page-turner about immigrants chasing what's left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable." --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers "Ramos has written a firecracker of a novel, at once caustic and tender, page-turning and thought-provoking. This is a fierce indictment of the vampiric nature of modern capitalism, which never loses sight of the very human stories at its center. . . . Highly recommended." --Madeline Miller , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe "Perhaps the most powerful element of this debut novel by Ramos, who was born in Manila and moved to Wisconsin when she was six, is its portrait of the world of Filipinas in New York. The three-page soliloquy of instructions for nannying delivered to Jane by her more experienced cousin is a work of art in itself. . . . Excellent." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page." --Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "A timely investigation of how much control we really have over our own situations, especially when it comes to women's choice . . . With glimmers of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and the dystopian eeriness of The Handmaid's Tale , The Farm is equal parts entertaining and creepy." -- PureWow " The Handmaid's Tale vibes are strong, but the 'holy sh*t this book is genius' vibes are stronger." -- Cosmopolitan ("The 14 Best Books Coming Out in May 2019") "A horror story set in a not-impossible future, this fast-paced read will keep you on the edge of your seat as it explores topical issues with page-turning plot twists." -- MindBodyGreen ("5 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down This May") "You know those books that immediately draw you in and suddenly you can't think of anything else? . . . A cracking, chilling but also human page-turner." --Joanna Goddard, A Cup of Jo "A sharp takedown of the idea of American meritocracy." -- Refinery29 " The Farm is a smart, thoughtful novel about women, choices, and the immigrant experience that asks the question: How far would you go for the American dream?" -- PopSugar, "Buzzy Books to Read This Spring" "[ The Farm ] hits home hard--a thrilling read about the myth of meritocracy, the way some people get ahead in life before they're even born." -- New York , "Spring Books Preview" "What's so striking about The Farm isn't that it imagines a frightening dystopia. This isn't a hundred years in the future, it's next week. This is reality, nudged just a touch to its logical extreme. Its very plausibility is a warning shot." -- USA Today "Heady, chilling . . . [Ramos] peoples her book with figures who are appealingly engaging--or, at times, engagingly repellent." --NPR "Richly rendered and engrossing . . . [Ramos] has the acute gaze of the immigrant girl made good. Her book is a necessary one. . . . A great read." -- The Guardian "A haunting read . . . Ramos has crafted a real page-turner that combines all the hottest issues of the day: inequality, race and women's battle to reclaim their bodies from commodification by big business, with the eternal questions of how much we can sacrifice before losing ourselves completely. . . . The result is an entertaining novel that is also a serious warning." -- The Times (UK) "Subtle and at times thrilling, The Farm is a dystopia born of the world in which we live. It feels anything but removed from our current reality." -- Paste "[ The Farm ] is a fast, gripping read, and it's ideally suited to a period of growing political engagement, in which readers want art to grapple with the moral dilemmas of our time." -- Pacific Standard, "A timely investigation of how much control we really have over our own situations, especially when it comes to women's choice . . . With glimmers of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and the dystopian eeriness of The Handmaid's Tale , The Farm is equal parts entertaining and creepy." -- PureWow " The Handmaid's Tale vibes are strong, but the 'holy sh*t this book is genius' vibes are stronger." -- Cosmopolitan ("The 14 Best Books Coming Out in May 2019") "A horror story set in a not-impossible future, this fast-paced read will keep you on the edge of your seat as it explores topical issues with page-turning plot twists." -- MindBodyGreen ("5 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down This May") "A must-read in an age of increasing inequality and ongoing battles for reproductive rights and immigration justice." -- Literary Hub ("What to Read This Month") "This topical, provocative debut anatomizes class, race and the American dream." -- The Guardian , "What You'll Be Reading This Year" "You know those books that immediately draw you in and suddenly you can't think of anything else? . . . A cracking, chilling but also human page-turner." --Joanna Goddard, A Cup of Jo "A sharp takedown of the idea of American meritocracy." -- Refinery29 " The Farm is a smart, thoughtful novel about women, choices, and the immigrant experience that asks the question: How far would you go for the American dream?" -- PopSugar, "Buzzy Books to Read This Spring" "[ The Farm ] hits home hard--a thrilling read about the myth of meritocracy, the way some people get ahead in life before they're even born." -- New York , "Spring Books Preview" "Ramos has written a firecracker of a novel, at once caustic and tender, page-turning and thought-provoking. This is a fierce indictment of the vampiric nature of modern capitalism, which never loses sight of the very human stories at its center. . . . Highly recommended." --Madeline Miller , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe "Perhaps the most powerful element of this debut novel by Ramos, who was born in Manila and moved to Wisconsin when she was six, is its portrait of the world of Filipinas in New York. The three-page soliloquy of instructions for nannying delivered to Jane by her more experienced cousin is a work of art in itself. . . . Excellent." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Compelling storytelling . . . Ramos's debut is so engaging that the reader might not understand the depths she probes until the book is done. . . . Each character's complexity will give book groups plenty to discuss." -- Booklist (starred review), "[Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more relevant or timely." -- O: The Oprah Magazine (25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019) "This topical, provocative debut anatomizes class, race and the American dream." -- The Guardian , "What You'll Be Reading This Year" "Wow, Joanne Ramos has written the page-turner about immigrants chasing what's left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable." --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page." --Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "[Joanne] Ramos's debut novel couldn't be more relevant or timely." -- O: The Oprah Magazine (25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2019) "Wow, Joanne Ramos has written the page-turner about immigrants chasing what's left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable." --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page." --Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure, "Wow, Joanne Ramos has written the page-turner about immigrants chasing what's left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable." --Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success "A highly original and provocative story about the impossible choices in so many women's lives. These characters will stay with me for a long time." --Karen Thompson Walker, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles and The Dreamers " The Farm terrifies with a simple question: How much of ourselves are we willing to sell? With characters so real they leap off the page, Ramos yanks the reader into a world of Haves and Have-Nots, and her question lingers long after we turn the final page."-- Christina Dalcher, author of Vox " The Farm is a completely plausible imagination of the future of pregnancy in a world of ever-greater inequality. What at first feels off-kilter is slowly ramped up to truly chilling, and it's done so subtly that we barely notice the change happening--it's not afraid to ask searching questions about who wins and who loses when women's bodies are commodified, and how freedom and agency for some come at a cost for others. It's sharply prescient, and terrifying, too." --Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure
