An intriguing human society occupies the metal-poor planet, a society with gender values quite different from Earth, resulting from a virus that kills 50 percent of baby girls at birth. Newholmians use the best and the worst of dogma, religion, and "patriarchy" to uphold a society where men manage the money but women hold the keys to power through church, reproductive control, and their own short supply. "Family men" pay exorbitant dowries in order to gain a temporary wife, contracted for wifely duties and reproduction for a number of years. When their marriage contracts are finished, the women, relieved of duty, retire to enjoy the sexual services of male "Consorts."

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Sending as a RABCK to Lottiotta. Enjoy!

First of all, thank you so much, Ms. Loo! I feel very treated already this month, I won a Pay-It-Forward from Skully's craft blog too. :)

Secondly, this book has been on my wishlist since practically the Dawnatime, so I am really looking forward to it. Gender intrigue? Strange new worlds? Awesome. As are you, Lauraloo29.

Almost 2 years later and I am starting to really get through my TBR shelf. I'm sorry it's taken so long, but I'm loving my new-found reading enthusiasm! I just wanted to let you know that I am about to get started on this book; it's on my nightstand and ready to go.

I tried to pick this up three times, but each time I read a few pages and it made me feel so sad. I don't know why I'm being so sensitive about it! So I've given up. Perhaps later in life I'll find another copy and give it a try, but for now it's best placed in the hands of someone else.

This is on the BookCrossing shelf, towards the back of the cafe and to the left.