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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Where Willis's Doomsday Book (1992) was bleaker than bleak (because of the Back Death), this sort-of sequel (with mostly different characters) is lighter than air and often very amusing. It's a little bit of a mystery story, set mostly in Victorian England, with all kinds of fun observations about manners and customs of the time. (Camping on the riverbanks of the Thames, for example. And the work of butlers.) Time-travel problems beset a team of Oxford historians after one of them inadvertently returns to home base in 2057 with a live cat from 1888. Does a cat matter in the space-time continuum? Of course, it turns out that she does — but maybe not in the way you would expect. The central character, Ned, is time-lagged from making too many jumps as part of a privately funded project by an eccentric, and together with a fellow time-traveler named Verity Kindle, he has to figure out what happened to an obscure artifact that seems to have vanished from the Coventry cathedral that was bombed to bits in World War II. Capping off the hilarity are the personalities of a delightful bulldog named Cyril and the affectionate cat, named Princess Arjumand.
connie willis has this density to her writing that i can't quite explain but that reminds me of the way dreams can be a bit a blur but also so full of detail. it takes a little while and a little close reading to get engaged but then it is a familiar place. (i find jane austen to be the same way.)
i love this book. it is funny and a mystery and a love story. the characters are simply trying to figure their world out, sometimes by along bumbling, sometimes by being brilliant. the author loves books and research, and like jasper fford fills her world with these references, so that the book tells a story but reading it is also like talking to a friend about good books.
i've read it before and will probably read it again as it take the author such a long time to produce her books and i will miss the world in the meantime.
p.s. bellwether is actually my most favorite book by her. this is a close second, partly due to the lack of sheep.
i love this book. it is funny and a mystery and a love story. the characters are simply trying to figure their world out, sometimes by along bumbling, sometimes by being brilliant. the author loves books and research, and like jasper fford fills her world with these references, so that the book tells a story but reading it is also like talking to a friend about good books.
i've read it before and will probably read it again as it take the author such a long time to produce her books and i will miss the world in the meantime.
p.s. bellwether is actually my most favorite book by her. this is a close second, partly due to the lack of sheep.
medium-paced
Only Connie Willis would examine the notion of the Grand Design using a cat, an ugly vase and the Battle of Britain. I absolutely love all her works, she takes on a lot of very complex ideas and then used the mundane to illustrate them. Not to mention her situational humor which often borders on Austen like.
I forever recommend Connie Willis, she’s one of my favorite authors.
I forever recommend Connie Willis, she’s one of my favorite authors.
Spoiler
Very meh. A big downgrade from the first book of the Oxford time travel series. The story is less interesting, poorly paced and its location is just kinda boring. 'Doomsday Book' was a fantastic mystery but its sequel is unnecessary. The first half of this book is a slog to get through. The following mid-to-late chapters after the first twist are better but still less interesting than 'Doomsday Book', and the ending is meek.Gonna read 'Blackout' next with the hope its more like the first book than this sequel. If it continues on this trajectory though, there's zero chance that I'll read 'All-Clear'. Fingers crossed it's a return to form.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
I can't remember who recommended To Say Nothing of the Dog to me, but he or she knows my tastes well! It was a little slow starting - lots of characters and setting up the plot - but once Cyril (the bulldog) entered the picture, it was a great ride. Part mystery, part comedy, part romance, part satire, all wrapped up in a delightful time travelling bundle. And much of it set in Oxford! Both a cat and a dog are main characters in the plot.
The book both waxes poetic about and makes fun of the Victorian age (p. 125):
"It's a swan," I said unnecessarily. A swan. One of the ancient beauties of the Thames, floating serenely along the banks with their snowy feathers and their long graceful necks. "I've always wanted to see one," I said to Cyril.
He wasn't there.
"Squaww-w-w-k!" the swan said and unfolded its wings to an impressive width, obviously irritated at being awakened.
"Sorry," I said, backing away. "I thought you were a cat."
"Hiss-s-s-s!" it said, and started for me at a run.
Nothing in all those "O swan" poems had ever mentioned that they hissed. Or resented being mistaken for felines. Or bit.
I could quote many passages, but I won't. If you like quirky funny thought-provoking time travel, you might want to read To Say Nothing of the Dog.
The book both waxes poetic about and makes fun of the Victorian age (p. 125):
"It's a swan," I said unnecessarily. A swan. One of the ancient beauties of the Thames, floating serenely along the banks with their snowy feathers and their long graceful necks. "I've always wanted to see one," I said to Cyril.
He wasn't there.
"Squaww-w-w-k!" the swan said and unfolded its wings to an impressive width, obviously irritated at being awakened.
"Sorry," I said, backing away. "I thought you were a cat."
"Hiss-s-s-s!" it said, and started for me at a run.
Nothing in all those "O swan" poems had ever mentioned that they hissed. Or resented being mistaken for felines. Or bit.
I could quote many passages, but I won't. If you like quirky funny thought-provoking time travel, you might want to read To Say Nothing of the Dog.
A fun read, definitely, but at the end, after going through so much trouble to find a certain object, no one seemed to really care. Disappointed in that.