Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - To Be Taught, If Fortunate

Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

99 reviews

jboulter11's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I very much enjoyed the slightly more raw emotional experience of this book compared to others. The scene involving the airlock really hit me as what a human mind can feel under stress, even after overcoming impossible circumstances and being _out_ of danger.

I thought the ending was interesting but not particularly compelling. It didn't shock me or twist anything, it was just very straightforward and did definitely make me think about what space exploration means for humanity, in fact what all scientific exploration and study means to humanity.

In general, it was yet another good book by Becky Chambers and I was not disappointed, even if the plot was not particularly exciting. The characters were pretty good, but without enough time to really get to know them. 4/5 rating, solid B.

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apevi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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wickedgrumpy's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Listened to this as an audiobook during a road trip and it kept me engaged the entire time. I don't think that this will be enjoyed by all since for a sci-fi it focuses more on the crew and slice-of-life moments, rather than the planets they explore, and the discoveries they make.

It does bring up the topic that there is a lot to be said about the ethics of science and experimentation. I think it all can be boiled down into something along the lines of having good intentions does not inherently guarantee that anyone/thing remains unharmed in the end or even in the midst of the process. This is true for the scientists themselves and/or their subjects.

Becky Chambers has done an excellent job of making distinct and memorable characters that feel real because the book runs the gamut of human emotions. There's quite a bit of existential dread, and it can be rather heavy at times, but it also has it's moments of fun, enchantment, excitement, joy, and happiness.

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thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If you told me you hate Becky Chambers’ books because you found them boring I’d probably just say “fair enough.” This is essentially slice-of-life sci-fi, and I suspect (know, really) that that is not going to work for a lot of people. However, I personally absolutely love the way Chambers crafts characters and builds worlds. Something about her books just feels so comforting and cozy to me. They feel familiar even though I’ve never read them before, and I can’t help but love them. This book in particular I didn't like quite as much as The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, but I chalk that up mostly to this being a novella and me not having as much time with the characters. Effectively ,this is not a book for everyone (it's kind of slow, and it's much more concerned with theme than with plot), but it is very much for me.

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abookwormspov's review

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adventurous challenging emotional 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

5.0

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rockyjreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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twistykris's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

A very thought-provoking novella from Becky Chambers! There is curiosity, joy, fear, hope, despair, grief, and introspection. It it not filled with excitement and adventures through space; it's the day-to-day, week-to-week studies of extraterrestrial life and the mission to "catalogue, not to colonise."

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, as it truly felt like listening to Ari's field notes and recordings.

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