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agnesg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent
lizzie24601's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know if I would say you have to read The Glass Hotel before this, but this book prominently features two of the characters from that one.
Speaking of which, I love that all of Mandel's books seem to
And note/trigger warning: at times this is very much a COVID/pandemic book. Extensive descriptions of lockdowns and mentions of pandemic deaths.
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent
saric7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
clemrain's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
It took me a while to get into this book. I’m not sure what it was but I think it was the pacing. It’s nailed a bit in the beginning but once the book picks up it’s hard to put down.
The characters in Sea of Tranquility are small and—in turn—real. I deeply feel for all of them. The hurt I feel for these characters isn’t easy to describe without spoiling the book and rambling for paragraphs. But Mandel has a talent for writing real people living their real lives. And without it, the ending on the books wouldn’t land as hard.
I love the writing style of this book. I wish this were longer. I want to know more about all of these characters. I have read about some of them in Glass Hotel and Station Eleven, and I hope as I read more of Mandel’s work I’ll run into the other characters as well. Especially Edwin. He’s such charming character. Back to the writing though, I love a past future and present and Mandel really kicks that idea up a notch in this novel. So fun to follow the narrative.
The dialogues are real. They feel like human interaction and it’s easy to get invested in them. The literary cadence is effective most times.
The ending caught me by surprise.
It’s not easy to write time travel. I don’t care much about the science. I only care about a good timeline and something that isn’t corny. Just good writing, science can be bad. It’s fiction afterall. Madel’s time travel sections are very entertaining.
I really wish this book were longer. I know the plot was centred around the shared experience of all the characters and we did get a good glimpse into the characters lives but I just want more.
Great book, it made me think and added new perspectives into my life.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
trips's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Its the oddest sci-fi I've ever read simply because its very obviously sci-fi while feeling like a literary fiction novel. And I really enjoyed it for that.
But at the same time...isn't this just Cloud Atlas? Well, its a lot shorter, and more relevant to our post 2020 lives, so perhaps its more palatable.
I also don't think the last 5% of the book is truly necessary, once the 'reveal' happens, I was thinking "Ok, we get it, lets wrap it up,"...but I have a feeling I'm in the minority with that opinion!
In any case, its a book I could recommend to both my older aunt and closer friends, a book we can all take something away from.
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
kers_tin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: War and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, Death of parent, and Colonisation
kcarney86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, and War
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
mandi4886's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Forced institutionalization, and Car accident