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alexangraf's review against another edition
4.0
really made me think of COVID times honestly when everything was so chaotic. interesting to read every character’s perspective and cool to see stories ~come together~ at the end. took me forever to read but that is bcuz of work :( tis the season! prob would of been more into it if i got to read more than once a week. 3.75/5
katka_11's review against another edition
3.5
I enjoyed the story and how all the characters connected together in the end but the pacing was off and I feel the style was a bit inconsistent in places, turning very lofty and serious all of the sudden.
srutiramesh's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
leona_isbookcrazy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thebalancedbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
This was a book club read and I probably would have DNFd it if it wasn’t. I went into this book expecting more a of sci-fi read and this was a lot more realistic or fiction based than I was thinking. The book mainly focuses on all of the social and political implications of the boxes/strings and not so much where they came from or how. While I’m sure this is similar to how it would play out, that wasn’t something I thought I’d be reading about.
Right away I could tell that this book was heavily influenced by Covid. The early chapters all echo the uncertainty we felt, the bombardment of the news and how you couldn’t escape it. Even the fact that the boxes come in March couldn’t have been a clearer connection to me. I think that while the concept is great it relies to heavily on the themes of the aftermath of the pandemic. In the beginning it felt very focused on the extensional crisis and what would you do with your life. Then it moves more towards the social and political fallout that happens. For me that’s not something I gravitate towards.
I do think the author did a good job going into detail about what would and could potential happen in this situation but I just wasn’t interesting for me to read about. I was more interested in finding out where these boxes came from and why, and we never get any of those answers. It was strange to me how little time was put into focusing on how the boxes came to be. With all the research and data that is talked about in other areas I would have liked a little more detail on that. I think another downfall of this book is the amount of perspectives. I think that because of all the different point of views time moves quicker in some aspects but slower in others. It glosses over some aspects that could have gone into more detail but then dragged down with others such as all the campaign information.
Even though I struggled a lot through this book there were some really beautiful moments that brought me to tears. A lot of full circle instances where I could understand the reason why the author added in so many peoples perspectives in this book. I just don’t think this book was for me and I went into it with a different mindset than was needed for reading it.
emugo's review against another edition
emotional
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
janiebee's review against another edition
4.0
While not a perfect book, this was incredibly thought provoking and engaging. I remember watching the Meryl Streep and Robert Redford film Out of Africa when I was a teenager. In it there was a line that has stuck with me all this time: "The world is round so we can never see too far ahead." This novel turns that idea on its head allowing everyone to see exactly when they will die (if they choose to look in their box). Naturally, chaos ensues. I've been thinking about the moral questions this book stirred up for me ever since I finished it.
ladystarlight's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0