The sequel to Herland was both good and disappointing. I loved that it picked up right where Herland left off and proceeded to tell a wonderful story of Van and Ellador's world travels. However, the like 5 or 6 chapters of the book were nothing more than Ellador making profound political and societal statements. And I literally mean for chapters. There is no story to be had until the last chapter where they return to Herland to live happily ever after. That last chapter was so rushed, especially compared to the fact that Ellador is on a soapbox for chapters upon chapters. Perkins Gilman rushes the end of the novel almost as an after thought like, "Oh right, I forgot, I had a story to tell. Hm I guess they can just go back to Herland and have a kid." Don't get me wrong, most of what Ellador spouts off is profound and wise (except for the casual racism and anti Semitism), especially for the time this was written, but it could have been done in a better way that was a part of the storyline instead of it becoming the storyline.

Overall, I was expecting it to be better than it was. If it hadn't gone off the rails, I would have enjoyed it much more. Still, I love Charlotte Perkins Gilman as a writer and even when I was sick of Ellador's thoughts, it was still an enjoyable read.