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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Yet another book who's reputation brought me to its pages but left me questioning how in the world it managed to earn its reputation in the first place. This book is basically a collection of 6 short stories nested together in a shockingly superficial and unnecessary framing. I found only one of the stories to be even marginally interesting (but sadly half-baked), two that were extremely boring, two that were saved from the same fate only by merit of the humorous personalities of their protagonists, and one so frustrating I honestly had to force myself not to abandon the book altogether. If any of these stories were published as standalones, none would have any notoriety; together they're just a flower arrangement of forgettable mediocrity. I would give this book 2 stars, but I think that might be somewhat unfair considering the capability of the author and the book's moments of whit (early on, luckily) and thematic clarity (way too late, sadly). Ultimately, the book is a clever idea that never even comes close to its actual potential.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Xenophobia, War
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The concept (six different people in different times somehow connected) was interesting, but the narrations were not well connected, except for in the general idea that history repeats itself. There were some deep, thought-provoking points as well, realizations that each of the main characters came to, but these were also not well connected or dwelt upon. The six different characters and their settings were pretty well-developed--I liked the difference in linguistic styles. I especially enjoyed the writing of Robert Frobisher. The author's ideas of what the future holds for civilization were also fascinating and, scarily enough, believable.
Unique in form, I particularly love the short story about Sonmi-451 which is a brilliant stand-alone piece of sci-fi in its own right.
adventurous
inspiring