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bioniclib's review
2.0
Robert Heinlein is a thinker. A Great Thinker. He's very skilled at questioning social conventions by creating worlds where those conventions are deemed rather silly. He's also a very scientific mind. Often I get lost in mathematical computations. This book is no different.
Man has settled on the moon. It has done so in the grand tradition of Georgia and Australia, by sending prisoners to live there. The story traces the revolution of the Loonies as they become an independent nation. There's lots of philosophizing and political maneuvering and eventually some battles. Truthfully, the story drags on more than a few occasions.
That said, the social questions Mr. Heinlein proposes make it a decent read. In this case he questions such things as monogamous marriages and the need for laws. He also gets into the physical differences between the earth and the moon, namely you weigh 6x less on the moon and because of this, if you're born on the moon, Earth's gravity isn't something your body can handle. Had I been born on the moon, coming to Earth would make it feel like I weighed 1380 pounds. That gravity difference also makes walking tougher because you would literally bounce.
So would I recommend the book? Probably not. It made me think from time to time, but the story just wasn't all that strong.
Man has settled on the moon. It has done so in the grand tradition of Georgia and Australia, by sending prisoners to live there. The story traces the revolution of the Loonies as they become an independent nation. There's lots of philosophizing and political maneuvering and eventually some battles. Truthfully, the story drags on more than a few occasions.
That said, the social questions Mr. Heinlein proposes make it a decent read. In this case he questions such things as monogamous marriages and the need for laws. He also gets into the physical differences between the earth and the moon, namely you weigh 6x less on the moon and because of this, if you're born on the moon, Earth's gravity isn't something your body can handle. Had I been born on the moon, coming to Earth would make it feel like I weighed 1380 pounds. That gravity difference also makes walking tougher because you would literally bounce.
So would I recommend the book? Probably not. It made me think from time to time, but the story just wasn't all that strong.
hobbesman45's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Perhaps Robert Heinlein's greatest novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress successfully imagines an entire society on the moon complete with its own culture, slang, family structures, and problems. A tale of civil war and rebellion who's only downside is mediocre characters.
pumpkinmama's review
1.0
One more chance for Mr. Heinlein. We shall see.....
Update: nope. Sorry Mr. Heinlein, I just can't read you. It seems that 1st one I read was a fluke in my ability to enjoy it. Or more accurately - once I read that I needn't bother reading anything else you've written. Exact same male/female lead throughout each one (even though purportedly different) - same banter, same traits, same oddly incestuous sexual undertones. It was fun the 1st time, but it now comes off like a 5yo telling the same joke over and over because he knows the grownups liked it the first time. The actual events surrounding our characters in this one are as dry as toast and left me more interested in the traffic around me then the words coming out of the audio book.
Update: nope. Sorry Mr. Heinlein, I just can't read you. It seems that 1st one I read was a fluke in my ability to enjoy it. Or more accurately - once I read that I needn't bother reading anything else you've written. Exact same male/female lead throughout each one (even though purportedly different) - same banter, same traits, same oddly incestuous sexual undertones. It was fun the 1st time, but it now comes off like a 5yo telling the same joke over and over because he knows the grownups liked it the first time. The actual events surrounding our characters in this one are as dry as toast and left me more interested in the traffic around me then the words coming out of the audio book.
mste1163's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
octophile's review
2.0
The Unbearable Lightness of Being surprised me because it had so many elements I generally dislike in books, yet I liked it a lot; The Moon is a Harsh Mistress supported me because it had so many elements I DO like, yet I had a hard time focusing on it.
Maybe this is not the book's fault but the fault of the sketchy text file I read which had weird spacing and combined some words.
Maybe this is not the book's fault but the fault of the sketchy text file I read which had weird spacing and combined some words.
ballard37's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
avrel's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
tomcoppola's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was a lot of fun. The future speak that Heinlein used threw me off for the first couple pages, but you get used to it!
I was continuously surprised with how Heinlein's predictions of the future were. Except that phones still had chords...
His creativity is amazing. A penal colony on the moon that ships grain back to Earth via a catapult-- genius.
I was continuously surprised with how Heinlein's predictions of the future were. Except that phones still had chords...
His creativity is amazing. A penal colony on the moon that ships grain back to Earth via a catapult-- genius.
arf88's review against another edition
4.0
Like a lot of the sci-fi of the era, this book is full of weird ideas about how sex and relationships are going to evolve. I actually found it really interesting - the "line marriages" and the clicking, clapping, whistling at attractive women as a "polite" greeting. I haven't read any other reviews, but I get the feeling those aspects are going to be disliked by some.
Beyond the bizarre gender and relationship norms, this is a really entertaining book. The characters are relatively well rounded, the plot is interesting, and it's clear that Heinlein was using this as a vehicle to explore some of his political views - it's not preachy however, and anyone who's read more than one book of Heinlein will know he enjoys using sci-fi to look at different political ideologies from fascism to anarchism to ne0-liberalism.
Beyond the bizarre gender and relationship norms, this is a really entertaining book. The characters are relatively well rounded, the plot is interesting, and it's clear that Heinlein was using this as a vehicle to explore some of his political views - it's not preachy however, and anyone who's read more than one book of Heinlein will know he enjoys using sci-fi to look at different political ideologies from fascism to anarchism to ne0-liberalism.
mystikbunny's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5