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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Atomic Anna is a interesting blend of historical fiction/family drama/time travel sci-fi story. Anna Berkov is a brilliant nuclear physicist who is in charge of the Chernobyl nuclear plant. During the notorious disaster, a ripple in space time occurs causing her to time travel several years into the future to meet her daughter Molly dying of a gunshot wound. There her daughter begs her to go back in time to save her daughter, Anna's granddaughter Raisa.
From there, over the course of the novel, we learn about the three generations of women and how their lives are intertwined in past, present and future that all leads to that date in 1992 where Anna finds her daughter dying. Having discovered new physics that allows people to travel through time, Anna decides to not only save her daughter and granddaughter but also to prevent the disaster at Chernobyl. As one of the lead designers of the plant, she feels personally responsible for the disaster. She is also in hiding from the Soviet government who would torture and kill her if she is ever discovered. She continues her research into time travel in a secluded mountain laboratory in Armenia.
I don't want to summarize the entire plot, but most of the early book focuses on Anna's daughter Molly. We learn that she was adopted by Anna's friend Yulia and her husband Lazar and fled to Philadelphia. Molly has a troubled childhood but finds herself mesmerized by comic books, especially ones that feature women. She decides to create her own comic and decides to make her heroine Atomic Anna after her birth mother. Without giving too much away, the comic book that Molly creates weaves itself throughout the story connecting her mother Anna, and her daughter Raisa.
Unfortunately, I didn't really like Molly as a character. She is meant to be troubled, but I had a hard time sympathizing with her. I didn't find her story and her fall into drugs and addiction to be very interesting to read about. So I struggled a lot with the first half of the book, which largely followed her story. We also get POV chapters from Anna, and I found her story more interesting though Anna is also a hard character to like. However, I think Anna is a more complex character and her flaws are easier to sympathize with. Anna puts work before her family and that one of the core themes of the book. Anna is more concerned with her work and career than saving her family. Choosing to save Chernobyl instead of being there for her daughter is one of the main reason's for Molly's troubles.
However, I had a hard time with the issue of Molly treating her adoptive parents like they weren't her real parents. They had taken care of her since an early age and I didn't really understand this obsession that Molly had with her birth mother and why she let that bother her so much. To me it felt disrespectful because Yulia was her mother, not Anna. I was simply bothered by that and was one of the main reasons I couldn't connect with Molly. I did like Molly better in the second half of the book, so at least she seemed to grow as a character.
However, once Molly's daughter Raisa became a prominent character I started to enjoy the book a lot more. Raisa is also a math genius like her grandmother and she becomes a more central character to the plot. The pace of the book picks up with her chapters and I simply liked her more as a character.
It's clear that the author put a lot of heart into this story. The ending was satisfying and pretty emotional and touching. I liked how the time travel plot was used to tell a family drama. It was unique and an interesting way to tell the story. Unfortunately, some of the science part was not explained as well as it could have been. However, I think since the point of the story was focused more on the family I wasn't too bothered by the lighter sci-fi aspect. The problem is that with time travel, it's very difficult to address all the plot holes and there is a rather large time travel paradox associated with the ending. It was simply not plausible given what happened, but for the sake of the story I understood why the author went that direction.
The other slight issue I had was the focus on saving Chernobyl. There was a discussion about "Just because you can change the past, should you" and one of the main goals of the characters was to prevent the Chernobyl disaster. But given the lengthy discussion of Hitler and Nazis during WWII, it find it difficult to believe the characters would never consider going back in time to stop Hitler. Of course the story can't go that direction because then Molly and Raisa wouldn't exist. The book does grapple with this aspect of time travel, erasing futures and experiences of people by changing past events but I felt this was an important oversight. Why focus on Chernobyl and not arguably the greatest disaster in human history.
Overall I feel a little conflicted over the book, but I did enjoy it. I respect the author's creativity in telling this story and I can tell a lot of passion was written in the pages. Even though not everything worked for me, I'm glad I read it and felt satisfied with the ending. If you like family sagas with a mix of speculative elements, I recommend this story. It's unique and I think it's a worthwhile read.
From there, over the course of the novel, we learn about the three generations of women and how their lives are intertwined in past, present and future that all leads to that date in 1992 where Anna finds her daughter dying. Having discovered new physics that allows people to travel through time, Anna decides to not only save her daughter and granddaughter but also to prevent the disaster at Chernobyl. As one of the lead designers of the plant, she feels personally responsible for the disaster. She is also in hiding from the Soviet government who would torture and kill her if she is ever discovered. She continues her research into time travel in a secluded mountain laboratory in Armenia.
I don't want to summarize the entire plot, but most of the early book focuses on Anna's daughter Molly. We learn that she was adopted by Anna's friend Yulia and her husband Lazar and fled to Philadelphia. Molly has a troubled childhood but finds herself mesmerized by comic books, especially ones that feature women. She decides to create her own comic and decides to make her heroine Atomic Anna after her birth mother. Without giving too much away, the comic book that Molly creates weaves itself throughout the story connecting her mother Anna, and her daughter Raisa.
Unfortunately, I didn't really like Molly as a character. She is meant to be troubled, but I had a hard time sympathizing with her. I didn't find her story and her fall into drugs and addiction to be very interesting to read about. So I struggled a lot with the first half of the book, which largely followed her story. We also get POV chapters from Anna, and I found her story more interesting though Anna is also a hard character to like. However, I think Anna is a more complex character and her flaws are easier to sympathize with. Anna puts work before her family and that one of the core themes of the book. Anna is more concerned with her work and career than saving her family. Choosing to save Chernobyl instead of being there for her daughter is one of the main reason's for Molly's troubles.
However, I had a hard time with the issue of Molly treating her adoptive parents like they weren't her real parents. They had taken care of her since an early age and I didn't really understand this obsession that Molly had with her birth mother and why she let that bother her so much. To me it felt disrespectful because Yulia was her mother, not Anna. I was simply bothered by that and was one of the main reasons I couldn't connect with Molly. I did like Molly better in the second half of the book, so at least she seemed to grow as a character.
However, once Molly's daughter Raisa became a prominent character I started to enjoy the book a lot more. Raisa is also a math genius like her grandmother and she becomes a more central character to the plot. The pace of the book picks up with her chapters and I simply liked her more as a character.
It's clear that the author put a lot of heart into this story. The ending was satisfying and pretty emotional and touching. I liked how the time travel plot was used to tell a family drama. It was unique and an interesting way to tell the story. Unfortunately, some of the science part was not explained as well as it could have been. However, I think since the point of the story was focused more on the family I wasn't too bothered by the lighter sci-fi aspect. The problem is that with time travel, it's very difficult to address all the plot holes and there is a rather large time travel paradox associated with the ending. It was simply not plausible given what happened, but for the sake of the story I understood why the author went that direction.
The other slight issue I had was the focus on saving Chernobyl. There was a discussion about "Just because you can change the past, should you" and one of the main goals of the characters was to prevent the Chernobyl disaster. But given the lengthy discussion of Hitler and Nazis during WWII, it find it difficult to believe the characters would never consider going back in time to stop Hitler. Of course the story can't go that direction because then Molly and Raisa wouldn't exist. The book does grapple with this aspect of time travel, erasing futures and experiences of people by changing past events but I felt this was an important oversight. Why focus on Chernobyl and not arguably the greatest disaster in human history.
Overall I feel a little conflicted over the book, but I did enjoy it. I respect the author's creativity in telling this story and I can tell a lot of passion was written in the pages. Even though not everything worked for me, I'm glad I read it and felt satisfied with the ending. If you like family sagas with a mix of speculative elements, I recommend this story. It's unique and I think it's a worthwhile read.
Absolutely breathtaking. This is the perfect unification of head and heart. A masterpiece.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
ATOMIC ANNA took my breath away. It's a multi-generational saga about a mother, daughter, and granddaughter who attempt to use time travel to stop the Chernobyl disaster and also right the many wrongs in their family's past. The book has the sweeping family saga feel of Tolstoy and the magical realism of Bulgakov and the historical fiction vibe of A Gentleman in Moscow. It's a must-read for any fans of Russian literature, family dramas, historical fiction, magical realism, and even sci-fi, plus it is disturbingly relevant right now with the current war in Ukraine. ATOMIC ANNA though is about way more than just an engaging, can't-put-it-down plot. Barenbaum digs into the complicated ways our pasts affect our future and the messiness of mistakes we've made and continue to make. Her three main characters -- Anna, Molly, and Raisa -- are relatable and real. I see myself in all of them, and see their challenges in their relationships with each other in my own relationships with my mother and grandmother. Did I cry at the end? You bet. Buy your copy of ATOMIC ANNA today! It's so good!!!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
✨BOOK REVIEW:
Thank you to @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
BLURB;
In 1986, renowned nuclear scientist, Anna Berkova, is sleeping in her bed in the Soviet Union when Chernobyl’s reactor melts down. It’s the exact moment she tears through time—and it’s an accident. When she opens her eyes, she’s landed in 1992 only to discover Molly, her estranged daughter, shot in the chest. Molly, with her dying breath, begs Anna to go back in time and stop the disaster, to save Molly’s daughter Raisa, and put their family’s future on a better path.
As these remarkable women work together to prevent the greatest nuclear disaster of the 20th century, they grapple with the power their discoveries hold. Just because you can change the past, does it mean you should?
As these remarkable women work together to prevent the greatest nuclear disaster of the 20th century, they grapple with the power their discoveries hold. Just because you can change the past, does it mean you should?
✨
Ok… I LOVED this book. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction because I typically find them depressing but the time travel / fantasy aspect made it much more fun than a normal historical fiction. I know absolutely nothing about physics so I don’t know if any of the theory around the time travel is correct but frankly I didn’t care; she explained it in a way that was understandable and plausible to me and that’s all that mattered. I love how the author added levity and fun through the incorporation of the Atomic Anna comics while expertly and respectfully depicting the dark tragedies of this time period.
Barenbaum touched on so many important things with this book; the importance of comics and literature / literary characters for the youth; the complexities of being a woman in science and in the work place; the difficulties of being a working mother and a mother in general; the importance of family, both biological and found.
Honestly, this novel has something for everyone; feminism, history, science, art, comics, super heroes, time travel, world travel, family saga, young love, second chance love… you name it, it’s got it!
This book is out today and I HIGHLY recommend you pick it up! Definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far!
Congratulations @barenbaumrachel!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC!
Content Warning: death (including that of children), murder, violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, anti-Semitism, misogyny, sexual harassment, war, homophobia (mentioned).
Anna Berkova is a famous nuclear scientist, the brilliant mind who created Chernobyl and its reactors, and in 1986, she is sleeping peacefully in her bed. When the reactor melts down, causing one of humanity's greatest catastrophes, Anna also accidentally jumps through time. She finds herself on Mount Aragats in 1992, and her daughter, Molly -- dying from a gunshot wound. Molly begs her to go back in time and save Anna's granddaughter, Raisa, from whatever unfortunate future is coming for her. Exploring Anna's life as she goes from wartime Berlin to making nuclear weapons back in the USSR, Molly's as she grows up in 1960s' Philadelphia drawing comics and falling for a gangster who will make her life hell, and Raisa's as she tries to come to terms with her family's past, present and future, all three women will be forced together in the hopes of preventing total disaster -- Chernobyl's, and their family's.
What a powerful, moving novel! I've had some rough reading patches this year, especially with ones I've been eagerly waiting for, so I was so happy to find that Atomic Anna struck all the right notes for me. At its heart, this story tells the history of a family in all its bloody secrets, love and drama, but it also takes a look at life for Soviet women -- both those who remained in the USSR, and those who left. From the very first page, I was spellbound, intrigued by the time travel questions that have captivated human minds for centuries: if you can change something, does that mean you should?
The three main women are all fully-fleshed out, with an authenticity that makes their chapters all equally enchanting. I liked the mixture of historical detail with science, and I felt that Barenbaum seamlessly joined those two different elements together. Out of all three, Raisa is probably my favorite, although I have a soft spot for them all; there were elements of their personalities that were similar, a sort of passing down of strength and intelligence, but also things that set them apart from one another. Raisa has such a powerful voice, and I loved that in spite of her family's complicated past, she fights to both understand it and also to not let it change the person that she is.
As someone who has only a rudimentary grasp of math (and who it does not come easily for), I really enjoyed living through the minds of these scientific women who rose above in their determination to understand the world and ask difficult questions. The writing is simple, distinct, and makes it easy to fly through page after page. This is not Barenbaum's first novel, and I certainly will now be going back to pick up her debut. I think all of us are fascinated by time travel -- how could we not be? Regret is one of the most fundamental human emotions, and aren't there so many moments where we wish we could turn back the clock? The ideas Barenbaum expands on are beautifully done, questioning the morality of nuclear science and the ethics of changing even the smallest events of the past.
The inclusion of their family's Jewish religion and culture was wonderful. They struggle with it and what it means for them, in times and places where being Jewish is enough to end their lives completely and totally, loving, hating and questioning it in equal measure. The Jewishness of this book is a core element, unable to be extracted from its Russianness or Americanness or female-focus. There are Shabbat dinners, discussion of what it means to be Jewish, bar mitzvahs, the lurking horror of memories of pogroms and destruction. Perhaps it sounds simple, clichéd, but it's beautiful. I applaud Barenbaum for the love and hope in this book, even as it remembers and discusses darkness and fear.
It is, perhaps, timely that this novel is coming out now, when we are recalling Russia's past and also fearful for its present and the future Putin is creating. While we fight for the Ukraine and the voices of Ukrainians, it's important to remember that there are Russians also fighting against this act of cruelty and inhumanity -- just as people rose up against the Soviet regime not so very long ago.
Highly recommended, and in particular, recommended for mothers and daughters.