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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
tense
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:
Yes
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially when it was all tied together at the end. Some things I didn’t like were : the time line hopping all over the place, Marissas inability to go one sentence without mentioning math, and the lack of backstory with Derrick & Amanda’s relationship. I felt like it was not believable that their marriage could be SO bad and they refused to speak to each other for weeks on end just because Amanda was struggling with an illness, and even before that they were so off it seems. I was so relieved that Amanda ended up going through labor and relieving her pregnancy symptoms, although I truly did hope she was going to have a miracle baby after all. I would love to read a sequel to this book that goes over how well Amanda & Patrick’s life works out after they meet again. If they ended up having kids together I would probably cry. I was very impressed by the talk of physics and ethics and the possibility of moving into other dimensions. It was hard to follow but it was such a cool concept. I would read this again and I would recommend it.
I chose this book as my Prime First Read selection because what better way to try a new author than with a free book and also because the story sounded intriguing.
For the most part I really enjoyed this story. The story itself is very interesting and the characters are complex and their lives complicated. The story being told from four perspectives made it seem more personal as I got to know each character and how they got to where they are in the story.
The one issue I had with the book was all the math and neuroscience talk. Sometimes it felt like the story was bogged down with Marissa's math and Patrick's neuroscience explanations. I'm thinking the average person won't understand a lot of what is being told in those pages and a simpler explanation in layperson terms would have been sufficient.
All in all this was a good read and I would read more from this author. He has a way of creating characters and telling a story that kept my attention.
For the most part I really enjoyed this story. The story itself is very interesting and the characters are complex and their lives complicated. The story being told from four perspectives made it seem more personal as I got to know each character and how they got to where they are in the story.
The one issue I had with the book was all the math and neuroscience talk. Sometimes it felt like the story was bogged down with Marissa's math and Patrick's neuroscience explanations. I'm thinking the average person won't understand a lot of what is being told in those pages and a simpler explanation in layperson terms would have been sufficient.
All in all this was a good read and I would read more from this author. He has a way of creating characters and telling a story that kept my attention.
I really enjoyed this book and had interesting discussions with my husband on the plot points which is a big plus. I found a few character motivations/actions strange but ultimately devoured it.
Very strong storytelling elements…. But faltered at the end
In C.J. Washington’s debut novel we meet two women who are grieving in different ways and both their husband not being able to assist. Amanda recently had a miscarriage- she knows she is not pregnant- yet her body and brain tells her otherwise, she is diagnosed with a rare, mysterious condition called pseudocyesis. This is where her body shows she is pregnant, she feels pregnant but is not pregnant. It is hard for Amanda to go through this, and she is unable to connect with her husband who recently found God starts believing they are having a faith pregnancy. Amanda turns to a neuroscientist Patrick for help with her condition….. but maybe Patrick is a little too helpful.
Patrick recently went through a traumatic experience and so did his wife, Marissa. Marissa is a brilliant mathematician who is throwing herself into her work, her goal- to use maths to help people speak with the dead… yeah… wild.
What happens when Patrick and Amanda gets too close? Will Marissa solve for X?
Y’all, let me say this book is WILD A.F in some areas but what I will say is that it started out strong. The author has a way of drawing you in that you must find out what happens next. He does a great job with telling a strong that keeps you engaged and it is only when you are half way through that you think, “WAIT… WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?”
I definitely think the premise was solid, but I felt the ending was entirely all over the place- this book would have benefitted from a strong editor who is able to expertly pull all the strings together. I am not saying I wanted a neatly tied up story but this was just just… too all over the place.
Do I recommend this one… I do… I think it was an enjoyable read, just the ending fell flat.
In C.J. Washington’s debut novel we meet two women who are grieving in different ways and both their husband not being able to assist. Amanda recently had a miscarriage- she knows she is not pregnant- yet her body and brain tells her otherwise, she is diagnosed with a rare, mysterious condition called pseudocyesis. This is where her body shows she is pregnant, she feels pregnant but is not pregnant. It is hard for Amanda to go through this, and she is unable to connect with her husband who recently found God starts believing they are having a faith pregnancy. Amanda turns to a neuroscientist Patrick for help with her condition….. but maybe Patrick is a little too helpful.
Patrick recently went through a traumatic experience and so did his wife, Marissa. Marissa is a brilliant mathematician who is throwing herself into her work, her goal- to use maths to help people speak with the dead… yeah… wild.
What happens when Patrick and Amanda gets too close? Will Marissa solve for X?
Y’all, let me say this book is WILD A.F in some areas but what I will say is that it started out strong. The author has a way of drawing you in that you must find out what happens next. He does a great job with telling a strong that keeps you engaged and it is only when you are half way through that you think, “WAIT… WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?”
I definitely think the premise was solid, but I felt the ending was entirely all over the place- this book would have benefitted from a strong editor who is able to expertly pull all the strings together. I am not saying I wanted a neatly tied up story but this was just just… too all over the place.
Do I recommend this one… I do… I think it was an enjoyable read, just the ending fell flat.
Good plot, if a bit convoluted. It took some time to keep the large cast of characters straight.
loved it!! the drama,,, the mystery,, the Shocking Revelations,,,,,,,
also meredith is the BEST
"she liked to believe that math existed in the universe, independent of discovery by her or any other mathematician. but if so, what were they discovering? truth. that was the simple answer. but that truth had to be packaged in language. and that language was mathematics. and when the math came, she felt as if she were scooping it from unvisitable regions of the cosmos, like water from the sea. she could drink and drink and never be sated. the magic was in the intangibility of it. the magic, patrick would say, is in the unconscious processing. you are your brain, and yet, so much of what it does happens beyond your awareness. it does its work unbeknownst to you and then passes you the fruits of its labor. that's magic."
"his own memory of the eclipse had been darkened by disillusionment. the celestial display had triggered something akin to a spiritual experience in him. for a moment, he'd believed that marissa's goals transcended the bargaining of grief. he would be exercising his own form of denial to believe that the sight of the eclipse had gifted him with insight. spirituality, he knew, was mediated by the temporal lobe. no divinity required. epilepsy could lead to hallucinations that were experienced as holy."
also meredith is the BEST
"she liked to believe that math existed in the universe, independent of discovery by her or any other mathematician. but if so, what were they discovering? truth. that was the simple answer. but that truth had to be packaged in language. and that language was mathematics. and when the math came, she felt as if she were scooping it from unvisitable regions of the cosmos, like water from the sea. she could drink and drink and never be sated. the magic was in the intangibility of it. the magic, patrick would say, is in the unconscious processing. you are your brain, and yet, so much of what it does happens beyond your awareness. it does its work unbeknownst to you and then passes you the fruits of its labor. that's magic."
"his own memory of the eclipse had been darkened by disillusionment. the celestial display had triggered something akin to a spiritual experience in him. for a moment, he'd believed that marissa's goals transcended the bargaining of grief. he would be exercising his own form of denial to believe that the sight of the eclipse had gifted him with insight. spirituality, he knew, was mediated by the temporal lobe. no divinity required. epilepsy could lead to hallucinations that were experienced as holy."
After finishing this book, I'm still not sure what to think of it. I liked it, yes, but it also took a long time to get through. It is very character-driven, rather than action-driver or even plot-driven. We learn a lot about Amanda and Patrick (and Marissa). Amanda is married to Derrick (we don't get a lot about him), and they kept trying to have a baby. She got pregnant when she had an affair and then miscarried. However, her body still looks pregnant, she knows in her head that she is not pregnant, but she still feels all the pregnancy symptoms.
For this, she seeks the help of Patrick, a neuroscientist married to Marissa, a mathmetician. Patrick and Marissa have experienced their own trauma and are growing apart as they each try to deal with it.
This isn't a story of torrid love affairs but marriages that are struggling to stay together and what it means to be there for someone the way they need you to be - rather than the way you need to be. There is a difference and for me, this book explored that.
For this, she seeks the help of Patrick, a neuroscientist married to Marissa, a mathmetician. Patrick and Marissa have experienced their own trauma and are growing apart as they each try to deal with it.
This isn't a story of torrid love affairs but marriages that are struggling to stay together and what it means to be there for someone the way they need you to be - rather than the way you need to be. There is a difference and for me, this book explored that.
