Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

72 reviews

1010sheehy's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A gentle, reflective sf. The story rolls easily from the 1800s to present day to the near(ish) future. At first, there doesn't seem to be much of a plot, but I didn't mind. It was mostly peaceful, with little unnerving details starting to trickle in. Little bits of mystery start popping up. All is wrapped up in a satisfying, mellow way.
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sramac's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.25

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caroisreading's review against another edition

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

4.0

This is a series of individual stories from different timelines that start out unrelated, but end up beautifully and neatly interwoven. The ending leaves you with that "ah ha" moment that's so satisfying. 

The build-up is slow, so don't give up on it. There are unconventional chapter setups and changes of POV that you adjust to. 

I have mixed feelings on how time travel and the future are illustrated in this story. I caught myself being too picky about realism and tiny details (like, why is there an overpopulation problem when that clearly is not where we're trending?) -- but appreciated the focus on pandemics, very clearly inspired by COVID. It's like we progress, but our nature stays the same. 

There's a moment where a character muses in front of an audience why we are so focused on pandemic literature. Our inherent narcissism is brought up, but dismissed quickly. I think that's so funny, given how this story is tied up.

You'll enjoy this if you normally like time travel / futuristic stories, pensive reads.
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quinnyquinnquinn's review against another edition

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

5.0

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miraleighv's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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novella42's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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pearlisarobot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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jpw's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Contact meets Piranesi in this fascinating puzzle box of speculative science fiction. It's a joy to watch the layers revealed as it unfolds across different eras
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clairedevo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

I would give this book 10/5 if I could. It’s so beautifully written that “perfect” is the best way to describe it. This is science fiction that is so deeply based on reality that it is 100% believable. This could be our future. This might *need* to be our future. It was a little confusing at the start, because we spend only a little time with each character, but by the half way point I was enthralled. I loved how all the characters tied in together and the ending was *chef’s kiss*. 

I will definitely be reading more of Emily St John Mandel. 
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