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kendallashley's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
gharv03's review against another edition
2.0
Historical fiction is really not my style but the topic of Chernobyl did peak interest. However this book really wasn’t my favorite. It was very character driven and i wasn’t particularly interested in any of the characters other than Raisa. I found some of the relationships to be super surface level and not compelling. I do love Daniel however and would risk Chernobyl for him tbh.
rosydaysjpg's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rai's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thepagelady's review
4.0
Book Review….. Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum
Three brilliant women.
1986
When Chernobyl’s reactor melts down, Anna Berkova, renowned nuclear scientist is thrown back in time. She lands in 1992 to her estranged daughter Molly shot in the chest. Molly begs her to go back in time to prevent the disaster and to save Molly's daughter Raisa, and put their family on a better path.
60s Philadelphia
Molly is coming of age as an adopted refusenik. Her family is full of secrets and a past they won’t share. With dreams of being an artist she finds peace in comic books and drawing her own comic Atomic Anna. When she meets. But when she meets the charming Viktor their romance will change the course of her whole life!
Two life-changing mistakes.
80s
Raisa, is a lonely teen and math prodigy, until a handsome boy moves in across the street and a woman shows up saying she is her grandmother. When Raisa finds issues of Atomic Anna, she notices each comic has an equation that leads to one impossible conclusion: time travel. And she finally understands what she has to do.
One chance to reset the future.
Atomic Anna is a fantasy and science fiction with a twist! It's based on the Chernobyl disaster. That was one of the reasons I was drawn to this book. I can't remember reading sci-fi that was based on a real life event. Obviously it's told from multiple points of view and timelines so there is a lot going on but the author brings all the layers together nicely. The main characters are very realistic. They have their flaws, emotions and personalities making it easy to like them. The book offers up a few genres coming of age, sci-fi historical fiction and thriller so it can appeal to a lot of different readers. But in the end it is about family and friendship bonds and sacrifice and redemption!
Thank you Grand Central Pub and Rachel Barenbaum for sharing this book with me!
Three brilliant women.
1986
When Chernobyl’s reactor melts down, Anna Berkova, renowned nuclear scientist is thrown back in time. She lands in 1992 to her estranged daughter Molly shot in the chest. Molly begs her to go back in time to prevent the disaster and to save Molly's daughter Raisa, and put their family on a better path.
60s Philadelphia
Molly is coming of age as an adopted refusenik. Her family is full of secrets and a past they won’t share. With dreams of being an artist she finds peace in comic books and drawing her own comic Atomic Anna. When she meets. But when she meets the charming Viktor their romance will change the course of her whole life!
Two life-changing mistakes.
80s
Raisa, is a lonely teen and math prodigy, until a handsome boy moves in across the street and a woman shows up saying she is her grandmother. When Raisa finds issues of Atomic Anna, she notices each comic has an equation that leads to one impossible conclusion: time travel. And she finally understands what she has to do.
One chance to reset the future.
Atomic Anna is a fantasy and science fiction with a twist! It's based on the Chernobyl disaster. That was one of the reasons I was drawn to this book. I can't remember reading sci-fi that was based on a real life event. Obviously it's told from multiple points of view and timelines so there is a lot going on but the author brings all the layers together nicely. The main characters are very realistic. They have their flaws, emotions and personalities making it easy to like them. The book offers up a few genres coming of age, sci-fi historical fiction and thriller so it can appeal to a lot of different readers. But in the end it is about family and friendship bonds and sacrifice and redemption!
Thank you Grand Central Pub and Rachel Barenbaum for sharing this book with me!
caith's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emkaypee's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a difficult rating to assign. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this story. It was truly unique and unlike anything I've ever read. The added bonus of me being married to a Soviet Jew/Russian immigrant from NE Philly made it even more exciting, I felt like I was reading the story of her family in some ways. I loved the love story between Raisa and Daniel and thought the hint of Anna's queer love was an interesting twist.
Despite the things I loved, this story was just REALLY slow. It felt like I was reading a history book at times, and it took me almost 2 weeks to finish. I just picked it up every so often and knocked out a chapter or two and mainly found myself wanting to finish it so I could be done with the story and move on to the next. There isn't really anything fundamentally wrong that I can pinpoint, I just found myself very bored and disinterested with "old Anna's" story in particular.
Despite the things I loved, this story was just REALLY slow. It felt like I was reading a history book at times, and it took me almost 2 weeks to finish. I just picked it up every so often and knocked out a chapter or two and mainly found myself wanting to finish it so I could be done with the story and move on to the next. There isn't really anything fundamentally wrong that I can pinpoint, I just found myself very bored and disinterested with "old Anna's" story in particular.