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onceandfuturelaura's review against another edition
3.0
Lightweight and readable. The prose sparkled. If there was a little deeper level, I missed it.
verkisto's review against another edition
4.0
Anything by Connie Willis is squee-worthy for me. I've found that her novellas are usually just a hint of what she can do with the longer form, but reading her stuff is such a joy. She can take something mundane and make it interesting. She can make you care about her characters in just a few short pages. She can keep you reading to see what happens next, without making it look like there's any effort to it at all.
I love the way Willis conveys so much of the exposition through natural dialogue. This novella begins with the main character, Claire Havilland, a theater actress, having a conversation with her manager, and in those few pages, we understand the setting, the premise, the central conflict, and the main character. She does this with so many of her stories, and does it so naturally, that this is the first time I've really noticed it.
She also has a knack for adding her commentary of any social construct into her stories. Willis has made satirical attacks on movies and Hollywood before, and she does the same thing here, even if the story is about musicals. In true Willis form, theater is the new trend, and like Hollywood, the newest trend in the new trend is to remake all of the old movies into musicals (including High School Musical: The Musical). She peppers the story with sly references to current events, even though this story is clearly set in a near future of ours.
Is All About Emily as good as Bellwether, To Say Nothing of the Dog, or Doomsday Book? No. But it is Connie Willis at her peak, showing you just how deft of a writer she is.
I love the way Willis conveys so much of the exposition through natural dialogue. This novella begins with the main character, Claire Havilland, a theater actress, having a conversation with her manager, and in those few pages, we understand the setting, the premise, the central conflict, and the main character. She does this with so many of her stories, and does it so naturally, that this is the first time I've really noticed it.
She also has a knack for adding her commentary of any social construct into her stories. Willis has made satirical attacks on movies and Hollywood before, and she does the same thing here, even if the story is about musicals. In true Willis form, theater is the new trend, and like Hollywood, the newest trend in the new trend is to remake all of the old movies into musicals (including High School Musical: The Musical). She peppers the story with sly references to current events, even though this story is clearly set in a near future of ours.
Is All About Emily as good as Bellwether, To Say Nothing of the Dog, or Doomsday Book? No. But it is Connie Willis at her peak, showing you just how deft of a writer she is.
theartolater's review against another edition
5.0
It's a novella involving the theatre and robots, what's not to like? It's a very quick read about a getting-up-there-in-age actress and the robot that seemingly wants to be part of it. It's a perfect size book for this story, and entirely enjoyable. Really liked this, glad I picked it up.
l2intj's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
A cute little story, but nothing to get excited about. She's definitely written better.
eandrews80's review against another edition
4.0
This isn't as good as any of the full-length Willis books I've read, but it was quite enjoyable nonetheless. In the span of 96 pages, Willis creates an odd little world that blends nostalgia for 20th century film and theater with musings on the role of robots/artificial intelligence in the near future. I found the ending a bit rushed, but otherwise found it a very engaging and satisfying read.
andreablythe's review against another edition
5.0
What starts out as a tale about an aging actress afraid the innocent looking Emily will replace her, turns into a story about free will and Broadway and what it means to be human. Being a novelette, this is a short and quick read. It is also delightfully fun with a smattering of pop culture references between bouts of witty humor. And though short and funny, Willis manages to delivery and emotional impact that had me crying at the end. Loved it.
wealhtheow's review against another edition
3.0
A short novella about an aging actress who meets an android prototype. She fears that Emily the android will replace her, given that the android is beautiful, tireless, and gives flawless performances. But instead of sabotaging the young droid, she gives her the best advice she can, for reasons the reader doesn't fully understand until the end. I liked the ending; it surprised me.
craftyhilary's review against another edition
3.0
A very good novella, and in classic Connie Willis style, but the jacket blurb comparing it to Last of the Winnebagos was rather overblown. Not destined to become one of her best works (particularly because it lacks that tale's emotional depth) but I loved all the inside baseball theater and movie stuff. Clever and charming.
moreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was a pretty fair introduction to Connie Willis. It was a tad too short for me, I read it in about 45 minutes & found it kind of hard to get very invested in the characters. It was a fine twist though, to have Claire soaking wet in the snow in the beginning & be made to think, through the many wonderful references to All About Eve (a movie that I have to watch at least once a month) that she's in such a position because she's been thrown over for Emily. Even though this didn't set me on fire, I'll certainly read more by Willis.
tdeshler's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
This was a sweet little story, although given its brevity the characters were rather thinly drawn.
This was a sweet little story, although given its brevity the characters were rather thinly drawn.