SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Curious what other folks thought about Native Tongue. Just finished it and was very frustrated at the quality of the writing. The concept was outstanding - definitely 5 stars. Loved the idea that language can affect culture and eventually history. But, I really was disappointed in the flatness of characters and plot. It was so very two dimensional in the way the women and the men were portrayed. The women were asexual and the men cave-mannish. And the "evil basement pentagon scientists" scenario got old (somehow I kept thinking about "Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz" ;-), as did the femme-fatale-kill-all-the-linguists character. I was very surprised to read that people had actually read this book as assigned reading in lit classes. If I were teaching a Sci-Fi feminist lit class, this wouldn't be on the list; The Handmaid's Tale and Grass would definitely be on the lists, but not Native Tongue. Anyway, curious what other folks thought. Not adverse to positive reviews. Maybe I missed something.
-M