Reviews

Sum: Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman

procrasreader's review against another edition

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challenging funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

mbenzz's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 Stars...

I'm a little obsessed with the afterlife and what happens once we die. I love fiction books set in the afterlife ([b:Elsewhere|359410|Elsewhere|Gabrielle Zevin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442686280l/359410._SX50_.jpg|349532] being my absolute favorite), and this little book of stories was a neat addition to my list.

Each story is only a couple of pages long and a very brief explanation of that particular afterlife. Some afterlives are better than others, but overall, it wasn't a terrible way to pass a freezing cold afternoon!

helenburak's review against another edition

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5.0

Delightful and thought provoking. Haven't stopped thinking about some of these stories since.

knowleska's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved it! Quirky and fun. Thought provoking. It helped me think creatively during the never ending COVID lockdowns.

n1y4d's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

jayevans's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A

4.5

clarat18's review against another edition

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4.0

I can’t tell if this book is fantastic or it’s just the memorable stories that are fantastic. As I got further into the 40 stories there were clear repeating themes, repeating ideas, etc. Yes, some of these stories are incredible and yes, I would recommend it, but at a certain point it seemed better for some to be more fleshed out and some to just be cut.

ganzfeldstate's review against another edition

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4.0

Sometimes I felt like it was a bit too knowingly clever but in general I loved this series of very short descriptions of afterlives that could exist.

tophat8855's review against another edition

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5.0

This is 5 starts for being a thinky book. It makes you think. If you're not into a thinky book, then it's 4 stars for you.

Pros: short stories, easy to read in small bits, very quick. Also thinky. And that's fun.

Also, I really liked reading the 2nd person perspective. I remember learning about 1st and 3rd person writing in school and trying to write in 2nd person, but it's so easy to do that poorly. It's nice to have an example of a good use of 2nd person.

fraser_c's review

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Whilst the collection of famous movie stars and poets sounds like a good way to make a collection of essays on death fun, in practice it doesn’t.
The stories are brilliant and thought provoking, but a lot of the audio is badly recorded, and the different voices differentiates the essays in a way that hinders flow and immersion.