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betweenbookends's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I really liked this literary, historical, time travel mishmash of a novel despite some of its gaping flaws. It opens in the year 2000 in a slightly utopic version of New York. Kate and Ben meet at this boho-chic uptown party and have this electric attraction for each other and they hit-it-off right away. You soon come to realize that Kate has these intensely realistic dreams where she finds herself in Elizabethan England leading a parallel life as a mistress to an English noble, a character speculated to be ‘the Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare's more bawdy sonnets. Every time she wakes up, she finds small details of her life as Kate altered, while every now and then, visions of a burning city plague her. Kate increasingly begins to believe her actions in the past, however inconsequential, torpedo to have far-reaching consequences in the present. As the novel progresses, both timelines increasingly coalesce and Kate’s mental stability gradually deteriorates.
Newman’s novel is a fascinating meditation on the Great Man Theory, a few men of profound significance altering the course of history, as well as the butterfly effect, small acts having far-reaching consequences. These concepts though are slightly heavy-handed. To the extent, that Kate actually mentions them in the initial few pages of the novel. A little subtlety and trust that her readers would understand would have helped? While these ideas are incredibly interesting, the execution is not near as perfect. The historical timeline initially bored me. The logical loopholes seemed too large to ignore, even with some suspension of belief. The character development also felt a little lazy. I didn’t particularly care for any of these characters. But the story was compelling enough to keep me interested. Despite my criticisms, it’s definitely one I’d recommend. A well written, whacky, joy-ride of a novel that keeps you guessing till the end.
I really liked this literary, historical, time travel mishmash of a novel despite some of its gaping flaws. It opens in the year 2000 in a slightly utopic version of New York. Kate and Ben meet at this boho-chic uptown party and have this electric attraction for each other and they hit-it-off right away. You soon come to realize that Kate has these intensely realistic dreams where she finds herself in Elizabethan England leading a parallel life as a mistress to an English noble, a character speculated to be ‘the Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare's more bawdy sonnets. Every time she wakes up, she finds small details of her life as Kate altered, while every now and then, visions of a burning city plague her. Kate increasingly begins to believe her actions in the past, however inconsequential, torpedo to have far-reaching consequences in the present. As the novel progresses, both timelines increasingly coalesce and Kate’s mental stability gradually deteriorates.
Newman’s novel is a fascinating meditation on the Great Man Theory, a few men of profound significance altering the course of history, as well as the butterfly effect, small acts having far-reaching consequences. These concepts though are slightly heavy-handed. To the extent, that Kate actually mentions them in the initial few pages of the novel. A little subtlety and trust that her readers would understand would have helped? While these ideas are incredibly interesting, the execution is not near as perfect. The historical timeline initially bored me. The logical loopholes seemed too large to ignore, even with some suspension of belief. The character development also felt a little lazy. I didn’t particularly care for any of these characters. But the story was compelling enough to keep me interested. Despite my criticisms, it’s definitely one I’d recommend. A well written, whacky, joy-ride of a novel that keeps you guessing till the end.
jemk00's review against another edition
4.0
Fabulous concept executed exceptionally well!! I will agree with another reviewer and say that the 1590s timeline could have been more fleshed out but all in all this was a fun, short and exciting read
areaxbiologist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
atgerstner's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The idea is great but the execution was . . . odd.
lanternheart's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A deep element of tension underlies Sandra Newman's The Heavens, and it is difficult to say whether it is held more often in the hands of time or love. The premise relies on the central character, Kate, moving between an alternate version of our present and the past, where she dreams herself — in a way that seems all too real — a woman in Shakespeare's England, (the true historical figure) Emilia Lanier . The more Kate dreams, the more it effects her alternate world, turning it, piece by seemingly unconnected piece, into the flawed glass we see ourselves in today, our own world with all its troubles .
The beauty of the book lies in Kate's point of view, and in her travels through the past: her increasing awareness of the past as more rich than the present, and her growing conviction in the importance of the sad, curious playwright who(in her home timeline) seems to have never done anything, and died younger than we'd ever recognize . She feels "the fearful knowledge that she had to save the world," and in so doing, save this old love — but in doing so, her world in the present turns so much that her present-day lover, Ben, flees.
It's a lyrical premise, and a poetic one to watch un-spiral: my problems with the book lie far more in its structural choices than the premise itself. It's relatively late in The Heavens that we learn that Kateis not alone, she's one of many unwitting time travelers, effected by catastrophic experiments with time in a distant apocalyptic future . I didn't wholly dislike this, but I did find myself enjoying The Heavens more when it leaned into the ambiguity of Kate's ability: the premise was the most interesting to me when it was not explained, when it was something ineffable and unable to be grasped.
I found myself disappointed that Kate's ability was explained away, let alone so late, and instead relished it more when it was more indescribable, like the abilities of Virginia Woolf's Orlando.
Furthermore, Kate's narration is perhaps the most sympathetic of the novel, while Ben's is very much tinged in the attitudes of a man of his time (the early 2000s). He's not always a likeable narrator, but narrators needn't be — all the same, I did enjoy Kate's sections more. It's a beautiful thing when Kate tries to find her world, especially as persecuted as her dreams cause her to feel in the present: the Lady Cassandra, given a dream in which she may speak.
The beauty of the book lies in Kate's point of view, and in her travels through the past: her increasing awareness of the past as more rich than the present, and her growing conviction in the importance of the sad, curious playwright who
It's a lyrical premise, and a poetic one to watch un-spiral: my problems with the book lie far more in its structural choices than the premise itself. It's relatively late in The Heavens that we learn that Kate
I found myself disappointed that Kate's ability was explained away, let alone so late, and instead relished it more when it was more indescribable, like the abilities of Virginia Woolf's Orlando.
Furthermore, Kate's narration is perhaps the most sympathetic of the novel, while Ben's is very much tinged in the attitudes of a man of his time (the early 2000s). He's not always a likeable narrator, but narrators needn't be — all the same, I did enjoy Kate's sections more. It's a beautiful thing when Kate tries to find her world, especially as persecuted as her dreams cause her to feel in the present: the Lady Cassandra, given a dream in which she may speak.
hanboban's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lyshbish's review against another edition
2.0
It was fine... I love the idea of time travel and the romantic language of the book was entrancing. However, as the book went on the premise became less exciting for me and a little goofy. Not a bad read by any stretch, but I probably won't pick it up again.
snoakes7001's review against another edition
5.0
The Heavens is a multi-layered love story that spans centuries.
It opens with Ben and Kate meeting at a party and falling for each other. Their world is an improved version of ours - climate change is a thing of the past and the Americans have elected the leader of the Green Party President. But when Kate sleeps, she dreams that she is someone else, dreaming. And when she falls in love, the dreams become more intense until she wakes in the dream as Emilia, the mistress of a nobleman in plague-ravaged Elizabethan London. Emilia has her own visions of a city burning and Kate is increasingly convinced that she has been sent back to fix things, to stop a cataclysmic event that will destroy the world. However, every time she wakes, Kate's world is a little bit worse.
Is Kate really changing the future every time she dreams? Does every tiny action Emilia makes in the past have a butterfly effect on Kate's future? Or has Kate stumbled on a door into the multiverse, visiting many alternate realities, but never finding her way back home? Or, as her friends suspect, is she delusional, losing her grip on reality?
It's very cleverly written, but also totally immersive. The utopian world Kate and Ben meet in is never fully described - in fact you only realise how different it is to our own reality when Kate wakes from subsequent dreams filled with horror at what has been lost. Kate and Ben are complex characters, made more complex by the subtle changes in their personalities in each iteration of Kate's waking world. The whole thing is testament to Sandra Newman's incredible imagination.
It opens with Ben and Kate meeting at a party and falling for each other. Their world is an improved version of ours - climate change is a thing of the past and the Americans have elected the leader of the Green Party President. But when Kate sleeps, she dreams that she is someone else, dreaming. And when she falls in love, the dreams become more intense until she wakes in the dream as Emilia, the mistress of a nobleman in plague-ravaged Elizabethan London. Emilia has her own visions of a city burning and Kate is increasingly convinced that she has been sent back to fix things, to stop a cataclysmic event that will destroy the world. However, every time she wakes, Kate's world is a little bit worse.
Is Kate really changing the future every time she dreams? Does every tiny action Emilia makes in the past have a butterfly effect on Kate's future? Or has Kate stumbled on a door into the multiverse, visiting many alternate realities, but never finding her way back home? Or, as her friends suspect, is she delusional, losing her grip on reality?
It's very cleverly written, but also totally immersive. The utopian world Kate and Ben meet in is never fully described - in fact you only realise how different it is to our own reality when Kate wakes from subsequent dreams filled with horror at what has been lost. Kate and Ben are complex characters, made more complex by the subtle changes in their personalities in each iteration of Kate's waking world. The whole thing is testament to Sandra Newman's incredible imagination.
bookish_arcadia's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0