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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
This is one of my all time favorite books. I picked it up randomly at a Goodwill and was hooked after the first page. I've since read more of Russell's books and have not been disappointed.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved the concept, but the execution didn’t really work for me
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a beautifully written and compelling journey... And absolutely gutting. It's so full of joy and deep platonic love, but you know what it's building to. And when it gets there, it just hollows you out.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
Don’t read this book. It was amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I wasn’t going to rate this book because I initially thought that my issues with it were due to my lack of experience with science fiction.
But as the book went on, I realized that the whole time, I was waiting for the end to say something like “…and it was all a farce/a hallucination/a dream.” Because the plot is so ridiculous and the characters are so unrealistic that I thought the author had to be joking. And since I don’t think she is, that reflects poorly on this book.
I read a 1-star review that says the beginning was “the start of a masterpiece” and the rest was utter crap, basically, and I agree.
But as the book went on, I realized that the whole time, I was waiting for the end to say something like “…and it was all a farce/a hallucination/a dream.” Because the plot is so ridiculous and the characters are so unrealistic that I thought the author had to be joking. And since I don’t think she is, that reflects poorly on this book.
I read a 1-star review that says the beginning was “the start of a masterpiece” and the rest was utter crap, basically, and I agree.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Because if I was led by God to love God, step by step, as it seemed, if I accept that the beauty and the rapture were real and true, then the rest of it was God’s will too, and that, gentlemen, is cause for bitterness. p489
A thorough examination of the nature of belief that was exceptionally interesting to read and beautifully written. I do not believe this book comes to any real conclusions about God—and is all the better for it—but it poses the questions repeatedly in different lights and circumstances in a way I rarely encounter. Is this God's will, it asks, at a meeting of friends; at a revolutionary discovery; at a tragic accident; at a dream realized; at the brutalization of a true believer. If this is not God's will, it asks, then what is it?
The framing struck me the most while reading. We are aware from the moment we begin that something awful is going to happen, and as such, we wait for it in every line, cringing at every joy and worry expressed by the characters. How can I truly feel their joy when I know, without doubt, that it will end in tragedy? The effect this conflict has on the reading experience cannot be underestimated and is the masterstroke of this narrative.