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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I don’t think a book outside of scripture has ever struck me so poignantly. When Breath Becomes Air was similarly heart-wrenching, but On the Beach gave me a full, global sense of dread and impending, inevitable doom. It’s chilling to think that there are still enough nuclear weapons to destroy the Earth—and disheartening that so many people refuse to draw parallels to other existential crises today.
In reality, I believe humans are far more desperate, cowardly, and selfish than they are portrayed in this book. The COVID pandemic showed that in times of disaster people tend to gravitate toward extremes, but the characters here are composed and reasonable, which made me reflect on how I would act in the face of certain death. What would those final moments be like? How would it feel to be so close to the end, not knowing what comes next? Would I be able to hold it together and stay strong for my family? Could I truly sacrifice for the good of others? How would I look back on my life?
The central message is that war—especially nuclear war— is "silliness", but the book raises enough questions about confronting our own mortality that I would recommend it to anyone. There were moments that made me smile and moments that made me cry. I put the book down feeling extremely grateful to be alive and well with my family.
In reality, I believe humans are far more desperate, cowardly, and selfish than they are portrayed in this book. The COVID pandemic showed that in times of disaster people tend to gravitate toward extremes, but the characters here are composed and reasonable, which made me reflect on how I would act in the face of certain death. What would those final moments be like? How would it feel to be so close to the end, not knowing what comes next? Would I be able to hold it together and stay strong for my family? Could I truly sacrifice for the good of others? How would I look back on my life?
The central message is that war—especially nuclear war— is "silliness", but the book raises enough questions about confronting our own mortality that I would recommend it to anyone. There were moments that made me smile and moments that made me cry. I put the book down feeling extremely grateful to be alive and well with my family.
dark
sad
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Slowly, gently heartbreaking. The pacing of the book lulls you into the rhythm of life that the characters experience, only for it to quietly unravel.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know this is a famous book, but due to multiple reasons, it just didn't click for me.
The writing was bad. One of the important plot points (not that there was much of a plot anyway), was resolved in a few sentences, whereas the race towards the end of the book just went on and on and on for pages... The characters weren't interesting when they weren't annoying, and just felt the same most of the time. As a result, the moments that were supposed to be emotional, weren't impactful at all.
Exploring the idea of people accepting (or denying) their fate was interesting. However, the execution just fails since all the characters do the exact same thing, and it ends up being frustrating and boring.
Lastly, it would have been great if all male characters hadn't gone "women, am I right???" at every opportunity. I understand that it was a different time, but it felt like Shute went out of his way to have his characters mention how irrational, and emotional women are.
It's a difficult book to read, not because it is emotionally impactful, but because it's just not a good book, in my opinion.
The writing was bad. One of the important plot points (not that there was much of a plot anyway), was resolved in a few sentences, whereas the race towards the end of the book just went on and on and on for pages... The characters weren't interesting when they weren't annoying, and just felt the same most of the time. As a result, the moments that were supposed to be emotional, weren't impactful at all.
Exploring the idea of people accepting (or denying) their fate was interesting. However, the execution just fails since all the characters do the exact same thing, and it ends up being frustrating and boring.
Lastly, it would have been great if all male characters hadn't gone "women, am I right???" at every opportunity. I understand that it was a different time, but it felt like Shute went out of his way to have his characters mention how irrational, and emotional women are.
It's a difficult book to read, not because it is emotionally impactful, but because it's just not a good book, in my opinion.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Turned out to be the perfect book to read on the day Trump got elected.
Agonising and beautiful. Somehow the book feels both extremely dated yet still relevant and accessible.