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segreene111's review
5.0
Wow. Incredible read. So very timely. Eerily accurate how we'll Nawaz's well-researched book parallels our own coronavirus pandemic. Probably my book of the year. Needs to be made widely available for US publication! Right now it's only available to purchase from Canada.
melhara's review
2.0
The book started off pretty interesting but I slowly lost interest as the story progressed. I'm not a fan of stories with multiple POVs, which is probably why I didn't particularly enjoy this book. This was also a very character-driven story in which I didn't really care about any of the characters... Edith / ARAMIS girl (the person who is suspected to have caused the outbreak by being at the first infection zone) and Owen (the author who wrote a prescient novel about a worldwide pandemic, only to have it come true) were probably the most interesting characters. As interesting as they were, my interest in them waned by the end of the book... The best parts of this book were definitely the premise and the author's interview at the end.
almacd13's review
4.0
3.5
this book was a beautiful look at all the pieces that fit together in our lives
in the midst of a pandemic.
this book was a beautiful look at all the pieces that fit together in our lives
in the midst of a pandemic.
the_bitchy_booker's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
claudetteb's review
3.0
Full disclosure: I couldn't stop reading this book!
Only 3 stars because it left me so dissatisfied. The story is told from several different perspectives. The characters are mostly from the Philosophy Department (profs and students) of a small eastern college. Some are more clearly defined than others and the author states in her interview that some of these characters were the main people in some short stories she wrote. This is exactly how they are portrayed as well. The characters are all interconnected in some way - closer than 6 degrees in some cases, and obviously manipulated to be "Ohhh" moments in many cases - and are (I think) supposed to all be joined in this story by the Pandemic. Unfortunately, this just doesn't work, and this is the reason for my discontent. I kept hoping this would come together, and it just doesn't. It's very forced, and while some threads are resolved, many aren't.
Of course, the Pandemic as written is amazing, because this book was mostly written years ago. The research is astounding, and kudos to the author for really nailing it. But again, it just didn't seem finished, somehow. We get snippets, and lots of Wikipedia moments, explantions, and philosophy galore, but there were a lot of dropped threads regarding this as well.
As readable as this book is, it could have been so much better with either fewer threads, or less detailed philosophy (if everyone agrees, it's not much of a conversation, even for the reader), and more completion.
I think some of the relationships could be better developed too. For example, Jericho and Sarah. Really? One kiss, and 2 lives are put in jeopardy? Come on. Also, what the heck happened to Stu in Jericho's life? These are some of the threads that just seemed to have been set aside as one then another character become the "star" for a short time.
I think the Pandemic was supposed to tie it all in together, but as you see, it didn't seem to do it, for me in any case.
I still would recommend this book, as I said, it's very readable, and the Pandemic is very interesting!
Only 3 stars because it left me so dissatisfied. The story is told from several different perspectives. The characters are mostly from the Philosophy Department (profs and students) of a small eastern college. Some are more clearly defined than others and the author states in her interview that some of these characters were the main people in some short stories she wrote. This is exactly how they are portrayed as well. The characters are all interconnected in some way - closer than 6 degrees in some cases, and obviously manipulated to be "Ohhh" moments in many cases - and are (I think) supposed to all be joined in this story by the Pandemic. Unfortunately, this just doesn't work, and this is the reason for my discontent. I kept hoping this would come together, and it just doesn't. It's very forced, and while some threads are resolved, many aren't.
Of course, the Pandemic as written is amazing, because this book was mostly written years ago. The research is astounding, and kudos to the author for really nailing it. But again, it just didn't seem finished, somehow. We get snippets, and lots of Wikipedia moments, explantions, and philosophy galore, but there were a lot of dropped threads regarding this as well.
As readable as this book is, it could have been so much better with either fewer threads, or less detailed philosophy (if everyone agrees, it's not much of a conversation, even for the reader), and more completion.
I think some of the relationships could be better developed too. For example, Jericho and Sarah. Really? One kiss, and 2 lives are put in jeopardy? Come on. Also, what the heck happened to Stu in Jericho's life? These are some of the threads that just seemed to have been set aside as one then another character become the "star" for a short time.
I think the Pandemic was supposed to tie it all in together, but as you see, it didn't seem to do it, for me in any case.
I still would recommend this book, as I said, it's very readable, and the Pandemic is very interesting!