Reviews

Singer Distance by Ethan Chatagnier

aimeeinfinity's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

kaylagossett13's review

5.0

This was a beautiful exploration of loneliness through the lense of science fiction and mathmatics.

herliterarylife's review

4.0

This was not at all what I was expecting. I thought there would be more adventure and that there would be more Martians in it than there were, lol. I found this to be more about human relationships and had a touch of a literary fiction feel. It was written beautifully and I put a bunch of tabs in my book because there were a lot of quotes I wanted to remember.

There were also some interesting science-y topics that I hadn’t really come across our thought about before, one being entropy. I found the character’s discussions centering around topics like this one to be interesting and it actually made me want to look into some science non-fiction books (that a non-scientist could comprehend lol).

alexbednar's review

hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was another slow start for me but, but once I got to

the aftermath of them lighting the equation for the martians, I really started to like it, and after Rhea was introduced,

I started to love it. I felt like Rick didn’t have much of a personality, but it also seems like that was a little bit the point.

al_dente's review

5.0

Magnificent. All the futuristic wonder of a space-centered SciFi tinged with the shimmering melancholy of 1960s nostalgia. There is plenty of science and math for true blue SciFi fans AND beautiful prose and complex characters for literary and speculative fiction fans. The ending was beautiful, unexpected, absolute perfection. This book is a unicorn, and I already want to read it again.

dunbaerrito's review

5.0

Absolutely love the premise of this book and I wish I could read it again for the first time! There's so much to think about and I know it's one I'm gonna re-read!

kerstincullen's review

5.0

Gorgeous, whimsical and heartfelt. I would have loved more math, but the book isn't really about that.

kybrz's review

5.0

A strange, melancholic dissertation on loneliness, obsession, and the unknown. Five friends, mathematics graduate students, solve the biggest mystery the Earth has known and then go their separate ways. The book follows the next 13 years of the life of Rick, and his longing for Crystal Singer, the true visionary and his girlfriend at the time of their initial desert excursion.

Crystal is heart of the book, even though we see her quest and obsessiveness only in flashes. The reasons she has beguiled Rick are apparent and even though her journey leads her to be, frankly, awful to those she loves, the stakes feel large enough that is feels earned if not entirely forgivable.

The book marries elements of [b:Equilateral|15793638|Equilateral|Ken Kalfus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1350952851l/15793638._SY75_.jpg|21515612] and [b:Story of Your Life|48749235|Story of Your Life|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636499955l/48749235._SY75_.jpg|91852347] into a book that is as beautiful and tragic as those.

walden2ite's review

4.0

Odd but interesting.

kvltprincess's review

5.0

I suck at math, like, I am the absolute worst at it, and I really enjoyed this book even though a lot of it was about math. The hope and excitement of the first half of it kept a smile on my face, and though I started to find it a little sad in the second half, the ending just absolutely made me tear up. The characters are fallible, and that is okay.

Just hopeful sci-fi and a reminder to keep looking at the stars.