Kindle
$14.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$14.95
Paperback
$15.00
Buy new:
-45% $14.95
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 21 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: CoolStore76
$14.95 with 45 percent savings
List Price: $27.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 21 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$14.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
CoolStore76
Sold by
CoolStore76
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.68
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Used book that is clean, average condition without any missing pages. Used book that is clean, average condition without any missing pages. See less
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 9 hrs 33 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$14.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Joanne Ramos
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Farm: A Novel Hardcover – May 7, 2019

by Joanne Ramos (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 4,681 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$14.95","priceAmount":14.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"JSGH3yYWmlMJsboIU8Ks78BnRPKFBqZq%2FvxzTvpwaUffvkV7MM%2BqWedpfxiN3Jr4Gri437%2BI7fmjszH9bVdCJ91DZwLLPP69kwG%2BlvCCcO0%2F410JBf0ih4ZFJgepmbsX4MQXWYnxbsWQUl9XhtcBkYpsuhbk4yT2rpB4Vus%2BtLD%2BxejPRLKLUCy9JAMzQm3l","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.68","priceAmount":7.68,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"68","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"JSGH3yYWmlMJsboIU8Ks78BnRPKFBqZqtj8h7PLZWGiAd%2FVMRf0j4Z%2Br3B0bHtXT1iDS3nEe2PjDBoMREu2Vnts8aVawby%2Fw6ClnjQwtM0Rx6oRwpXl9glXF4fc111DON2rUKTqqgUyC4VTCyfkq8aeoxPmuzEfydxAC26Wl96zO9NF3HLoXGCnocrATd5iu","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Life is a lucrative business, as long as you play by the rules.

Skimm Reads Pick • People Book of the Week • Belletrist Book Pick • “[Joanne] Ramos’s debut novel couldn’t be more relevant or timely.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • Glamour • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping • Marie Claire • Town & Country

Nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley is a luxury retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, personal fitness trainers, daily massages—and all of it for free. In fact, you’re paid big money to stay here—more than you’ve ever dreamed of. The catch? For nine months, you cannot leave the grounds, your movements are monitored, and you are cut off from your former life while you dedicate yourself to the task of producing the perfect baby. For someone else.

Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is in desperate search of a better future when she commits to being a “Host” at Golden Oaks—or the Farm, as residents call it. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her family, Jane is determined to reconnect with her life outside. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she’ll receive on the delivery of her child.

Gripping, provocative, heartbreaking, The Farm pushes to the extremes our thinking on motherhood, money, and merit and raises crucial questions about the trade-offs women will make to fortify their futures and the futures of those they love.

NOMINATED FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE

“So many factors—gender, race, religion, class—may determine where you come down on the surrogacy debate. . . . Ramos plays with many of these notions in her debut novel, The Farm, which imagines what might happen were surrogacy taken to its high-capitalist extreme. . . . The stage is set for lively book chat.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“A thrilling read.”—New York 

“Grippingly realistic.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Brilliant.”—New York Post

“A provocative idea, and Ramos nails it . . . Crisp and believable, this smart debut links the poor and the 1 percent in a unique transaction that turns out to be mutually rewarding.”—People

“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
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Random House
  4. Publication date
    May 7, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.52 x 1.07 x 9.51 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1984853759
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1984853752
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Farm: A Novel
$14.95
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 21
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by CoolStore76 and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
Future Home of the Living God: A Novel
$12.99
Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
One of these items ships sooner than the other.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

Praise for THE FARM

the farm;summer reading;book club;beach reads;gifts for mom;women's fiction;new in literary fiction

the farm;summer reading;book club;beach reads;gifts for mom;women's fiction;new in literary fiction

the farm;summer reading;book club;beach reads;gifts for mom;women's fiction;new in literary fiction

Editorial Reviews

Review

“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

About the Author

Joanne Ramos was born in the Philippines and moved to Wisconsin when she was six. She graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University. After working in investment banking and private-equity investing, she became a staff writer at The Economist. She currently serves on the board of The Moth and lives in New York City with her family. The Farm, her debut novel, is a national bestseller and has been chosen by over 50 media outlets in America and abroad as a “must read” in 2019. The Farm was longlisted for the Center of Fiction’s 2019 First Novel Prize.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House; First Edition (May 7, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1984853759
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1984853752
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.22 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.52 x 1.07 x 9.51 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 4,681 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Joanne Ramos

Joanne Ramos

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Joanne Ramos was born in the Philippines and moved to Wisconsin when she was six. She graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University. After working in investment banking and private-equity investing for several years, she became a staff writer at The Economist. She currently serves on the board of The Moth. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children.

Instagram: @JoanneRamosTheFarm

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
4,681 global ratings
A surrogacy farm with lots of themes, sadly didn't connect
3 Stars
A surrogacy farm with lots of themes, sadly didn't connect
Eerie and topical, THE FARM discusses some off-kilter practices and might be a slightly science-fiction hybrid with literary fiction.Nestled in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York, a bucolic parcel of land welcomes pregnant women through their doors. At THE FARM (Random House, May 2019; paperback 2020), everything is luxurious, provided for, and the women are 'lucky' to be there; they're being paid big bucks to carry another woman's baby (because she can't due to physical limitations or vanity, or something else). The farm is a surrogacy clinic--and it's been on my radar for some time.Unfortunately, for me, this one just missed the mark. There are a good deal of messages and themes within THE FARM, from race and class, inequalities, to wealth and poverty, immigration, child care/rearing, self-expression, manipulation of freedom, and more. Maybe *too much* more. I found the characters lacking dimension, the pace tedious and without tension. THE FARM had so much potential, and there were some fabulously written accounts, especially Ate's rendering of childcare/service, which is more like a monologue, but so perceptive.I wanted to love THE FARM, but I just didn't. You might go into it thinking it's going to be like THE HANDMAID'S TALE, but it isn't. I kept waiting for something 'big' to happen, it never really did. Still, I will say, the concept is unique and it did have me worried something like this might actually exist.THE FARM reminded me a little of NEVER LET ME GO (Kazuo Ishiguro) meets VOX (Christina Dalcher) with perhaps a bit of SUCH A FUN AGE (Kiley Reid).L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

CB
4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a fast read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
I’ll consider it a fast, easy read; though not a complete page turner, it’ll have you going through chapters very quickly.
It’ll make you think about certain things (class, inequality, immigration etc.) without being too ‘in your face’ about it, while snatching your attention to the plot at hand and the characters’ fates.
There are some interesting characters; Ate and Mae being my favourites for their dimension and ‘grey’ types: not just good or bad but with conflicting sides.
The book left a couple of blank spaces for me regarding some characters (Lisa’s and Ate’s) and I cannot help but feel the author had to leave dangling POVs just to deliver the book in time (?).
The topic sparked my interest, yes, but I wish it had gone a step further, especially with the ending, which felt like too much of a neat bow the way it wrapped up so nicely.
Overall an entertaining, well written story, with some unexpected surprises that’ll keep you wanting to keep reading.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Marjorie Kemp
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
Enjoyable read
Helpful
 Report
Susan
3.0 out of 5 stars Less dystopian than it implies
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
The Farm tells the story of women who live in luxury at Golden Oaks, a spa-like resort, during their pregnancy. They are pampered, their pregnancies are carefully monitored, their meals all fresh and healthy, yoga sessions, massages, personal trainers, and a lovely room to stay in. They live far better than their current existence ... because these women are surrogates for wealthy clients. And these aren’t just any women ... these are young immigrant women who are in the United States
trying to capture the American dream.

This book deals with the exploitation of women ... primarily immigrant women of color who don’t have the means to come by the life changing amounts of money that surrogacy offers. These women are recruited into what promises to be a life changing position but have to abide by strict rules and leave so much behind. They are cut off from their family and friends, emails and what they can do on-line are monitored, and they are restricted from what is going on in the world outside of Golden Oaks. Meanwhile, there is a lot of manipulation of these women by the director of Golden Oaks, a woman who refers to the surrogates as “hosts” and by their number and not their names, thus dehumanizing them even further. The white women are few and far between but seem to be more “prized” and fetch a higher fee as they have a “better pedigree”. So there is still a definitive class system going on within this spa.

This book slightly teeters on dystopia. Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, these women are not forced to conceive nor are they raped in the process. They enter into their contract willingly and are paid for it.

I enjoyed this book but thought it fell a bit flat. There is an underlying air of something sinister ... but that never flushes out in any way. I also felt that the ending fell a bit short. I think that the dystopian-ness of this book was a bit exaggerated. Leaning on the predominant topics of class, economic and class disparity, reproductive rights, and immigrant issues would have been a better route in promoting this book. Although I found it to be a slow burn, I think it offers a lot of talking points for a book club.
Helpful
 Report
Chantel Worley McCray
4.0 out of 5 stars Surrogacy Taken It’s Most Capitalist Extreme
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
It’s been a long time since I stayed up late to finish a book. I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night to finish The Farm because I just couldn’t put it down. I’m tired today, but it’s well worth it. What a page turner! “The Farm” is actually Golden Oaks. A beautiful mansion in upstate New York where surrogates are paid big money to carry the children of the mega wealthy. The surrogates, or “Hosts,” are pampered, fed healthy and delicious meals, and given personal trainers. Their every action is planned to produce the most perfect baby possible for their clients. But their every action and communication is monitored. The hosts must give up their cell phones, wallets, and identification, are sworn to secrecy and must not see their families or loved ones... unless the visits are sanctioned by “the clients.” The hosts are mostly women of color, undocumented immigrants, or women who are otherwise in desperate situations. Surrogacy taken to the most capitalist extreme. Women are vessels, their babies are commodities. You can imagine where things might go wrong.
The book jacket synopsis makes this seem like it might be dystopian a la Margaret Atwood. Something terrifying that might come to be in the future. I found it to feel much closer to our current reality of extreme income inequality and commodification of every part of our lives. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a place like The Farm already exists.
Addictive, exciting, disturbing, and relevant. This is a novel I would highly recommend to anyone.
Many thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title.
55 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Kate M
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on October 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this. It's a fantastic book, with a dystopian storyline that really makes you think. The story is easy to follow though so it isn't an overly difficult read. It really draws you in. Well written and engrossing.
Report
miss k green
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is a really interesting story that keeps you guessing and changing sides but ultimately hopeful, would definitely recommend reading it
Report
Louise Mc
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story
Reviewed in Canada on January 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading The Farm. The story is intriguing and the idea of such a farm is reminiscent of Big Brother, always watching. But something was missing. I wanted the story to have more depth, detail or colour. I felt that the characters were too bland and that the story was just scratching the surface. It seemed to drag along until the end, when it picked up the pace. Overall, I thought it was a good book, but I’m not sure I will recommend it to my friends to read.
Report
Nutzer
5.0 out of 5 stars Großartige Dystopie
Reviewed in Germany on July 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
Die Autorin breitet vor den Leser*innen eine großartige und kluge Dystopie aus, in der das Thema der Reproduktion der Menschen ironisch und zugleich auch vollen Ernstes aufs Korn genommen wird. Ich wünsche mir jetzt schon die Verfilmung dieses Buches, das in den USA viel gelesen und viel gepriesenen ist.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Cheryl Schenk
5.0 out of 5 stars Cultures and Class
Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
Rich, poor, hard working, driven.
Joanne Ramos takes us into the lives, beliefs, and observations from both sides of the spectrum.
The wealthy driven in their desires to maintain that wealth, and going to extremes in every aspect of their lives, fully justifying their actions. And the impoverished hardworking class, that will take on whatever is need to survive and to aid family in need in the hope of maintaining a better life.
Here are two worlds, so vastly different and divided, yet reliant on each other.
A good book, such as this, makes you think, what if and how come?
One person found this helpful
 Report