Podkayne of Mars

I was a bit disappointed by this story. It's set up is great, with Poddy's intelligence and ambition shining through. Then, slowly, that all fades, as Poddy becomes more and more reliant on her male family members (Uncle Tom and her brother Clark) and questions both her desire and capability to become a starship pilot.

At the same time as Poddy's agency diminishes, so does the thrust of the story. What starts out as an adventure to explore new (to Poddy) worlds, turns into a frustratingly slow-paced abduction tale in which Poddy repeatedly shows how incapable she is of doing anything on her own. As I read, I kept hoping that Heinlein was going to subvert the increasingly misogynistic trajectory somehow. He never does, and the worst offense comes at the end when Tom calls Poddy's father to blame him for Poddy's condition because he didn't make his wife stay home more to take care of the kids.

Still, poor Heinlein is better than most other stories. Plot and character problems aside, the book is well written. His turns of phrase are typically humorous, and I'm always a sucker for a good anti-government quip or two. The planetary societies are well thought out and described. I just wish that he had put the same effort into the story itself.