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kmsander4's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
Masterfully written, The Measure gets you trapped in your own head and keeps you there until the very last page.
After having just come through our very own unprecedented times, it was difficult to read about these characters that you come to care deeply for navigate their way through life's greatest trials and tribulations.
Erlick does a beautiful job weaving a complex, high-concept idea with characters exploding with heart. You find yourself both lost in the story but also making greater connections to the world we actually live in.
Not an easy, light read if that's what you want, but deeply thought-provoking and one you won't quickly forget when you reach the end.
After having just come through our very own unprecedented times, it was difficult to read about these characters that you come to care deeply for navigate their way through life's greatest trials and tribulations.
Erlick does a beautiful job weaving a complex, high-concept idea with characters exploding with heart. You find yourself both lost in the story but also making greater connections to the world we actually live in.
Not an easy, light read if that's what you want, but deeply thought-provoking and one you won't quickly forget when you reach the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Murder, Gun violence, and Violence
kibbles15's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Animal death
Minor: Medical trauma, Cursing, Terminal illness, Outing, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Hate crime, Pregnancy, and Bullying
kcarney86's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Bullying, Death, War, Mass/school shootings, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: War, Classism, Outing, Pregnancy, and Violence
znvisser's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
Last year I read The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier and while I absolutely loved its premise, the book didn't work for me. It was all too much for my liking: too many characters and too many ideas explored. This book was similar in many ways: its starting point is an inexplicable mysterious shift in the universe that changes life as we know it, on both a societal and personal level. Furthermore, this book also followed many characters while exploring philosophical and political ideas that resulted from the shift. The reason why I feel it did work this time, is because the plot actually acted as a supporting character, successfully tying people, ideas and events together. The result is a beautiful novel that succeeds in being thought-provoking as well. The way things played out around the country felt very real; even when it shifted to a more hopeful approach, it never crossed the line to becoming unrealistic. Enjoyed this one, and I am curious to see what future work this author will bring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, War, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Outing
Minor: Car accident and Cancer
themomwithabook's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death and Death of parent
sophs_mood_reading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
One morning the whole world changes. Everyone 22 years and older wakes to find a box at their front door holding a string. This string is the measure of their life. And so ensues a new way to segregate humans. Those with short strings and those with long. With this comes the propaganda of the reckless and dangerous short stringers who should be restricted from holding positions of power and denied jobs, loans and other privileges for those long stringers.
We follow the stories of 8 (don’t test me on that number) characters and their decisions around their strings and what they mean. Of course as many multiple point of view novels as we wind our way though the first year of “having the strings” their lives all slowly and subtly intertwine.
I enjoyed the social justice aspects of the novel and seeing again how easily the human race can be pitted against each other in fear of differences. I did find some of the book predictable and even in the most dramatic moments the book was too calm. I wanted more tension, more angst.
Overall a really good story of human relationships fighting diversity.
We follow the stories of 8 (don’t test me on that number) characters and their decisions around their strings and what they mean. Of course as many multiple point of view novels as we wind our way though the first year of “having the strings” their lives all slowly and subtly intertwine.
I enjoyed the social justice aspects of the novel and seeing again how easily the human race can be pitted against each other in fear of differences. I did find some of the book predictable and even in the most dramatic moments the book was too calm. I wanted more tension, more angst.
Overall a really good story of human relationships fighting diversity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence, Mass/school shootings, Grief, and Gun violence
Minor: Hate crime, Car accident, War, Outing, and Death of parent
karyan1's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
emily_koopmann's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Mass/school shootings, and Death
leebeeloves's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Cursing, Death of parent, Outing, Pregnancy, War, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
tctimlin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I loved the premise: what would happen if suddenly everyone knew how much longer they had to live? The author explores this question through the lives of several initially unrelated New Yorkers - weaving in the political responses of various governments, the role of the media, themes of discrimination, and the effect on interpersonal relationships. Yes - the characters all read as if they are upper-middle-class white, even when they are not. Yes - the author ties up all the connections in a too neat bow at the end. But I liked the way she played around with the question and I liked the ultimate resolution. My work book club, with whom I read and discussed this, were much more harsh in their critiques.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Pregnancy, Grief, and War