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daynpitseleh's review against another edition
3.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, so this is a retelling of Wuthering Heights with robots. I have never read Wuthering Heights, so a lot of the similarities and nuances probably went right over my head. However, even without the proper context, this is an interesting story that I enjoyed. I had some trouble figuring out when things were occurring, as the chapters jumped around in time. Overall, an interesting science fiction take on Wuthering Heights that you will enjoy more if you have actually read Emily Bronte's story.
Okay, so this is a retelling of Wuthering Heights with robots. I have never read Wuthering Heights, so a lot of the similarities and nuances probably went right over my head. However, even without the proper context, this is an interesting story that I enjoyed. I had some trouble figuring out when things were occurring, as the chapters jumped around in time. Overall, an interesting science fiction take on Wuthering Heights that you will enjoy more if you have actually read Emily Bronte's story.
vangoghaway_'s review against another edition
1.0
I felt like there was really no point to this book. There was no character development and none of the characters were likeable or interesting. If there was supposed to be some Big, Important exploration of what it means to be human and blah, blah, blah, etc I didn't pick up on it. At least it was short.
Update: after reading other reviews apparently this is supposed to be a retelling of Wuthering Heights. Uh oh, I have that on my TBR...
Update: after reading other reviews apparently this is supposed to be a retelling of Wuthering Heights. Uh oh, I have that on my TBR...
nuevecuervos's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book in the space of just a couple of hours, and while I was expecting a story about Sapien, it was more a sordid tale of the residents of Barren Cove, told by the house computer to Sapien, and only experienced briefly by him. Imagine your standard tell-all about the quirks of odd, bored, inbred, rich families whose only problems seem to stem from the ones they inflict on themselves and each other, only the characters are (mostly) post-human robots who for all of their disdain for humans, act just like them. It was fun, but it was modeled as trash candy for the futurist set, and I would assume that was done with the intent of making a reader think about the implications of sentient life repeating the same patterns with which humans have struggled for roughly ever. The story features an abused, timid lives-for-everyone-but-herself doormat sister bot, the domineering, jealous, hateful asshole brother bot, the benign patriarch whose blind eye for his children's shortcomings makes him about the least benign of all of the bots, the human who's taken in and also becomes a weird, domineering asshole who can't admit help and uses sister bot just as thoroughly as everyone else, and the fucked up partying son bot who has feelings he can't admit because he'd rather be a rebel and a robot supremacist, and frankly feelings just haven't served him terribly well in the past. Oh, and Sapien, who is like WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE MOTHERFUCKERS... I gotsta hack their computer and get ALL their dirt, and also who is that hot young babe with the pink hair and can I get with her pleeeease. So, standard dirty old hippie man bot.
Anyway. Entertaining, but probably not something I'd revisit. Recommended for the speculative fiction fans who want to know what daytime drama would look like in a post-human time.
Anyway. Entertaining, but probably not something I'd revisit. Recommended for the speculative fiction fans who want to know what daytime drama would look like in a post-human time.
anna_72's review
challenging
dark
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
tregina's review against another edition
5.0
There is something about exploring humanity through something so explicitly inhuman that is really powerful here. Even with recognisable elements from its source material (Wuthering Heights), it still feels new and alien and tremendously moving, and I find I love it very much.
tessa_grayreading's review against another edition
2.0
I'm so confused!! I didn't get anything from this book at all aside from the questionable fact that even when we finally kill most of humanity off, our heirs will be just as bad- if not worse- than us. I just.. ?? What even is this book? What is the message, what was the inspiration, what was I supposed to get from this?
littlemissbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Mr. Sapien ist einer der letzten von Menschenhand gebauten Roboter. In einer Welt, in der die Menschen so gut wie ausgestorben sind und Roboter sich selbst reproduzieren können, wird er seines Daseins langsam überdrüssig. Er zieht von der Großstadt aufs Land um den Sinn seiner Existenz zu finden, aber ob ihm die Bevölkerung vor Ort dabei helfen kann?
Für mich ist "Mr. Sapien träumt vom Menschsein" ein mittelmäßiges Buch. Es ist schnell und einfach zu lesen, hat mich aber nicht wirklich berührt oder besonders fasziniert. Vielleicht liegt das an den bösartigen Robotern, die einfach aus Spaß Menschen töten und mir daher zutiefst zuwider sind, oder auch daran, dass ich mir eine solche Zukunft nur schwer vorstellen kann. Ich weiß es nicht. Was ich allerdings sehr interessant finde, ist die Familiengeschichte von Mr. Sapiens Vermietern, die alles andere als gewöhnlich ist, da es sich hier ebenfalls vorwiegend um Roboter handelt.
Ich empfehle diesen Roman Leserinnen, die Freude an unkonventionellen Familiengeschichten haben.
Für mich ist "Mr. Sapien träumt vom Menschsein" ein mittelmäßiges Buch. Es ist schnell und einfach zu lesen, hat mich aber nicht wirklich berührt oder besonders fasziniert. Vielleicht liegt das an den bösartigen Robotern, die einfach aus Spaß Menschen töten und mir daher zutiefst zuwider sind, oder auch daran, dass ich mir eine solche Zukunft nur schwer vorstellen kann. Ich weiß es nicht. Was ich allerdings sehr interessant finde, ist die Familiengeschichte von Mr. Sapiens Vermietern, die alles andere als gewöhnlich ist, da es sich hier ebenfalls vorwiegend um Roboter handelt.
Ich empfehle diesen Roman Leserinnen, die Freude an unkonventionellen Familiengeschichten haben.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t know when I started Barren Cove, by Ariel S. Winter, that it would be the second book in a row that dealt with existential crisis. The difference between this book and The Elegance of the Hedgehog is that the protagonists in Barren Cove are almost all robots. Winter’s brief tale is a retelling of Wuthering Heights. But, you know, with robots...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
llatai's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I enjoyed the premise of this book & was intrigued by the set-up, but it quickly fell off from there. The robots are tropey caricatures that apparently retain a lot of stereotypical human problems, & although we get to know most of the characters through chapters with alternating perspectives, not a single character is likeable enough to keep reading the book from feeling like a depressive slog. There are only two female characters in the entire novel, & despite the fact that neither of them are human, they reek of the same shallow, men-writing-women bs that you're no doubt already familiar with. The repeated "perfect white skin" emphasis also had me cringing. Overall, the premise was far more interesting than the execution.