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bobpony's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
I breezed through this book, it was a joy to read. I'd stumbled upon the movie based on this novel a few weeks ago, it's on Netflix and stars Adam Sandler. And it's terrific. Sweet, reflective, and while on the slow side, it's concise. It's just perfectly put together. Go watch it (it's called 'Spaceman').
The book is very similar, but it is definitely different. The movie is really just the first half of the book. And while the movie focuses on the protagonist's marriage, the book largely focuses on his childhood. You do get a lot more detail in the book, answering questions like 'Why Czechoslovakia?' and 'Really, isn't he too old to be an astronaut?'. The book rambles a bit more, it's not quite as sweet, but the lessons are more or less the same. I enjoyed it quite a lot, but I'd recommend the movie over the book. It's just a more straightforward story, and it spends it's time on the more exciting parts of this world. Still, the book is well worth seeking out!
I've read, and been told, that this book bears a lot of similarity to 'The Hail Mary Project'. Which makes me want to put off reading that one (it's sitting here on the shelf). We'll see...
The book is very similar, but it is definitely different. The movie is really just the first half of the book. And while the movie focuses on the protagonist's marriage, the book largely focuses on his childhood. You do get a lot more detail in the book, answering questions like 'Why Czechoslovakia?' and 'Really, isn't he too old to be an astronaut?'. The book rambles a bit more, it's not quite as sweet, but the lessons are more or less the same. I enjoyed it quite a lot, but I'd recommend the movie over the book. It's just a more straightforward story, and it spends it's time on the more exciting parts of this world. Still, the book is well worth seeking out!
I've read, and been told, that this book bears a lot of similarity to 'The Hail Mary Project'. Which makes me want to put off reading that one (it's sitting here on the shelf). We'll see...
kateofmind's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Don't watch the movie. Do read this. If you like audio books, this is one of the best!
zoebill96's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
rhizzywhizzy's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
enzoisprettycool's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lhodgson26's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book covered so much and is difficult to digest and put into one picture. The story of Jakub's adventure into space was against the backdrop of his childhood in the post war world of Czech Republic in the political troubles and his own family struggles. The love for his wife Lenka kept him going until the heartbreak of losing her without knowing why. Then the mystery hallucination of the disformed alien amongst the purple Chopra with his death imminent. Yet the story of his rescue and the journey back to his childhood home was more about the discovery of losing and slowly reminding himself of who he was also echoed how precious and extraordinary humanity is.
laurataylor's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
rebeckaet's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
jasoncfish's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5