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franziskera's review
3.0
This was a very quiet book. And maybe a little bit too perfect of an happily-ever-after ending for this chaotic series but on the other hand Cordelia, Jole and all the others should be as happy as anyone can imagine.
But i have to say a lot of the themes talked about and choices the characters made did not resonate with me as much as usual.
But i have to say a lot of the themes talked about and choices the characters made did not resonate with me as much as usual.
Spoiler
I found having a whole squadron of children using your dead husbands genes while co-parenting with his other partner kind of... sad actually? Didn't look very much like moving on but rather like trying to recreate a family with the principal missing and new kids (as if Mark and Miles were (even grow-up) not enough buzz). I don't know maybe I'm too young and will look differently on this book in a couple of years.the0bauman's review against another edition
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
2.0
janu0303's review
5.0
About Cordelia not Miles, which was a pleasant surprise. Another excellent book of the series.
blherrou's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This book felt like it was for Bujold, but it wasn't for me. I enjoy slow-paced, character-driven novels, but this one took slice of life to the point of being a bit boring.
rebeccazh's review
Loved reading about Cordelia again. LOVED the polyamorous relationship the three of them had, and that Aral Vorkosigan was bi.
chirson's review
5.0
(an improper review to follow, for now: all the hearts)
So, assorted thoughts:
(There are no perfect books, but there are books that are perfect for you. I don't think this book was perfect for me, but it was close in many respects, and it made me cry a lot, and gave me a migraine.And I probably would have paid a lot more for therapy to accomplish that than I did for the ebook. The fifth star is for the book hangover.)
1) I am sure this book will/has hit all the wrong buttons for many readers. I honestly don't think it's intended to be or needs to be read as representative of specific real life identities, especially considering how depressingly retro its future is. What it did hit right, for me, was
2) Speaking of pain and grief:
3) I found Cordelia's and Jole's friendlessness to be terrifying.
4) Miles was more grown-up and less awful this time, but I still feel so bad for Ekaterin for being married to him.
5) Speaking of which, how telling is it that throughout Miles books we see very limited progress on women's rights on Barrayar but skip to Cordelia's and Jole's POV and it turns out stuff has been going on that he just didn't quite bother to think about?
6) I find it very interesting that Cordelia thinks less about spirituality / religion / God than either Miles in some recent novels or her character in her own previous novels. Perhaps it's too painful, either as hope or lack thereof.
7) Various lessons from this book:
8) I'd read a sequel set 20 years in the future where
So, assorted thoughts:
(There are no perfect books, but there are books that are perfect for you. I don't think this book was perfect for me, but it was close in many respects, and it made me cry a lot, and gave me a migraine.
1) I am sure this book will/has hit all the wrong buttons for many readers. I honestly don't think it's intended to be or needs to be read as representative of specific real life identities, especially considering how depressingly retro its future is. What it did hit right, for me, was
Spoiler
the alienation and pain associated with being in the closet. The fact that Aral Vorkosigan died without telling his older son about his bisexuality, and both his sons about the poly-ish relationship he was in, was heart-wrenching for me. And yet, terribly believable and realistic, especially considering how Miles can be (remember that time he walked in on Simon and Alys and it took him like 24 hours to process that they were definitely interrupted). It hit terribly close to home, too.2) Speaking of pain and grief:
Spoiler
I don't know if I've ever read a character more blatantly and to a T fitting all my fictional types and kinks than Aral Vorkosigan. And reading a book about other characters grieving for him so palpably felt cathartic but also terribly painful. In general, I think I need to stick to less grief-filled novels for a while now.3) I found Cordelia's and Jole's friendlessness to be terrifying.
Spoiler
And also believably the result of the secrecy. It is difficult to be friends with someone you're keeping the biggest parts of your life from.4) Miles was more grown-up and less awful this time, but I still feel so bad for Ekaterin for being married to him.
Spoiler
(Would it really hurt so much to treat his mother as a full human? I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is what comes from letting women-are-things-Bothari help raise him.)5) Speaking of which, how telling is it that throughout Miles books we see very limited progress on women's rights on Barrayar but skip to Cordelia's and Jole's POV and it turns out stuff has been going on that he just didn't quite bother to think about?
6) I find it very interesting that Cordelia thinks less about spirituality / religion / God than either Miles in some recent novels or her character in her own previous novels. Perhaps it's too painful, either as hope or lack thereof.
7) Various lessons from this book:
Spoiler
Sergyar birthdays are the best birthdays, there's either threesomes or swarms of vampire balloons. That time Miles first saw Jole, and thought Jole was very handsome, his parents would have been like: you don't know the half of it. Simon Illyan really did deserve to have the chip taken out and his job was THE WORST. Mark gets his mom better gifts than Miles (construction companies versus baby pictures). Miles is a terrible role model for his poor firstborn. Alexander is going to have a very interesting A-HA moment about his grandfather at some point. Barrayar really is the worst and thank goodness for Cordelia not going back. If you want to get asylum, plumbing is a better choice than artistry, career-wise. You should pay attention to your parents/family. Cordelia is still bitter about Steady Freddie. It's funny how life in the ff fandom clearly influenced Bujold's writing in this one.8) I'd read a sequel set 20 years in the future where
Spoiler
the six Kosigan girls and their three brothers finally abolish Barrayaran autocracy and institute equal rights for all, sort of like Beta but with less brainwashing and without the forcible control of reproduction.mad_matx's review
4.0
Not so much a story of new and exciting things (fair warning to those who demand this in their Science Fiction reads); I personally found it fun and interesting and in a way a nice retrospective of the series, but also a nice twist on what we thought we knew about some of the characters.
duffypratt's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Bujold is nothing if not audacious. In almost every Vorkosigan book to date, there has been a thread that involves something seriously implicating the fate of the galaxies. Even in the more seemingly low stakes books, this sort of threat comes through in the background. Not here.
Rather, this is a completely low stakes book about coming to terms. With grief, with old age, with family. The main plot basically involves a dilemma for the main character: Admiral Jole. He needs to decide between his career and his personal life. Beyond that, there's basically no action, no real tension. As A Civil Campaign was basically Bujold doing her take on Jane Austen, this feels like her doing a take on one of Anthony Trollope's thinner books, like Cousin Henry.
And my problems with it are basically the same that I have with the slender Trollope books. They are charming, but there just isn't a whole lot of meat there. A guy needs to make a decision, and then he does. "Cozy" has become sort of a big deal in the last year, at least in the fantasy fiction realm. This book is about as cozy as it gets. But there's a very thin line between cozy and dull, and this book is not always on the right side of the line.
Bujold's structure and writing of this are just fine. But it lacks the uproarious humor of A Civil Campaign, or the intensity of most of the Miles-centered books. It's good, but for me, a decided step down from the better books in the series. From what I've read, it appears that this may be the last Vorkosigan book, and that's kind of a shame. It's such a good series.
Rather, this is a completely low stakes book about coming to terms. With grief, with old age, with family. The main plot basically involves a dilemma for the main character: Admiral Jole. He needs to decide between his career and his personal life. Beyond that, there's basically no action, no real tension. As A Civil Campaign was basically Bujold doing her take on Jane Austen, this feels like her doing a take on one of Anthony Trollope's thinner books, like Cousin Henry.
And my problems with it are basically the same that I have with the slender Trollope books. They are charming, but there just isn't a whole lot of meat there. A guy needs to make a decision, and then he does. "Cozy" has become sort of a big deal in the last year, at least in the fantasy fiction realm. This book is about as cozy as it gets. But there's a very thin line between cozy and dull, and this book is not always on the right side of the line.
Bujold's structure and writing of this are just fine. But it lacks the uproarious humor of A Civil Campaign, or the intensity of most of the Miles-centered books. It's good, but for me, a decided step down from the better books in the series. From what I've read, it appears that this may be the last Vorkosigan book, and that's kind of a shame. It's such a good series.
leslielikesthings's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Nothing really happens in this book. If you're already invested in the characters then it's a nice send-off, but it's long and slow and probably should have been a novella.