Reviews

The Evolution of Love by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

audlengsyne's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

janus's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

doallsn's review

3.0

An interesting novel about love and the power of community set within the backdrop of a natural disaster. Bledsoe's writing and pacing are fantastic, she doles out the details and elements of the story at an engaging rhythm and there is hardly a dull moment. I felt some of her characters were a little underdeveloped, or overdeveloped and then underused.

I'm not sure how realistic the natural diaster elements of the story were, it felt weird how the rest of the country wasn't affected at all? and because literally right outside of Berkeley and Oakland, and even pockets of those areas, were still fully functioning it made it harder to believe that everyone would be so committed to staying in the disaster zone? But I think that plays into the themes of the story, of the power of community, and the possibility of societies built around altruism and love. At some points, I did find the repetitive hammering of love and the bonobos kind of annoying - like I get it the bonobos are better than humans... you don't have to constantly remind me...