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erikabites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Minor: Suicide, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
maeverose's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t want to say too much, I think it’s better to go into it not knowing much. If you like sci fi stories that involve a mystery but mainly focus on characters, their relationships, and mundane aspects of people’s lives, I would recommend. I found the writing style very easy to read as well, not confusing or difficult as sci-fi books can be for me sometimes, especially with my adhd brain.
The main content warning I would give for this, in the least spoilery way possible: it involves questioning reality. I didn’t personally feel like it was done in a triggering way. It doesn’t dwell on it too much. But if that’s an especially triggering topic for you then that’s something to keep in mind. The spoiler version:
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Colonisation
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Drug use
Ptsd flashback involving dismembered bodies - not described in graphic detail. Questioning of reality:bloomingpear'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Sexism and Colonisation
Minor: Vomit, Suicide, Alcoholism, War, and Gun violence
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Cursing and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Gun violence, War, Vomit, and Alcohol
maddie_can_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The writing and the characterization is so good that even though you're only with each of the initial characters for a short period of time (time both in terms of chapters, and time in terms of a very short period of their lives), you care for them and get a sense of who they are. Loved the writing style. Loved how everything came together at the end.
The only thing I want from this book is more
Graphic: War and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
dinipandareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The synopsis is vague and for good reason. There's not much I can say about this that won't give the plot away entirely but I thoroughly enjoyed this "cosy-esque" science fiction about time travel. Despite my initial confusion around halfway through, this was a relatively accessible SF story that doesn't get overly technical about the physics or mechanics of time travel as a concept, which I appreciated. This was (somehow) my first book by Emily St. John Mandel but I can say that it won't be the last. Her writing has a dreamy and hypnotizing quality to it that, at times, makes you question what's real and what's not, but it's entirely captivating and I was easily swept along for what turned out to be a wonderfully thought-provoking ride! I found the images played out like a movie in my head and even though each character's chapters weren't long, I found myself fully immersed in their settings and stories and I felt emotionally connected to all of them.
Overall, I think this is going to be a story that sticks with me for a while after I finish reading it. As it is, I'm still thinking about how brilliantly St. John Mandel wove everything together for that ending. I loved it and I would definitely recommend it if you're curious, enjoy science fiction or would like to dip your toe into a genre that you're not entirely comfortable with.
Minor: Suicide, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and War
sramac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
Minor: Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, Grief, Vomit, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, and Death
caroisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The build-up is slow, so don't give up on it. There are unconventional chapter setups and changes of POV that you adjust to.
I have mixed feelings on how time travel and the future are illustrated in this story. I caught myself being too picky about realism and tiny details (like, why is there an overpopulation problem when that clearly is not where we're trending?) -- but appreciated the focus on pandemics, very clearly inspired by COVID. It's like we progress, but our nature stays the same.
There's a moment where a character muses in front of an audience why we are so focused on pandemic literature. Our inherent narcissism is brought up, but dismissed quickly. I think that's so funny, given how this story is tied up.
You'll enjoy this if you normally like time travel / futuristic stories, pensive reads.
Moderate: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Minor: Alcoholism
quinnyquinnquinn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: War, Gun violence, and Suicide
locoemsky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Suicide, War, and Colonisation