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tony_almeida's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Um livro vertiginoso, com um desenvolvimento inicial frenético, onde uma extensa lista de nomes e personagens é introduzida, o que pode desencorajar alguns leitores. Hervé Le Teller precisa de quase meio livro para preparar o leitor para clímax da história, sendo que, a partir deste momento, há uma mudança de registo, mais dramático.
Confesso que a segunda parte do livro deixou-me a sensação de que faltou alguma coisa. Sem querer desvendar qualquer aspecto do enredo do livro, esta sensação não se deve ao facto do final aberto - que na verdade, até é supreendente - mas admito que esperava um desenvolvimento mais robusto de algumas personagens. Esta sensação de "falta de sal" também não se deve à falta de explicação da anomalia, mas antes porque o autor passa quase que a enumerar alguns eventos despoletados pelo incidente do voo 006 da Air France, mas que parecem não ter (quase) consequência.
Este é um livro que pode deixar um misto de sensações no final da sua leitura e poderá mesmo desagradar alguns leitores. Não sendo um dos meus preferidos, foi, mesmo assim, uma leitura bastante interessante.
Confesso que a segunda parte do livro deixou-me a sensação de que faltou alguma coisa. Sem querer desvendar qualquer aspecto do enredo do livro, esta sensação não se deve ao facto do final aberto - que na verdade, até é supreendente - mas admito que esperava um desenvolvimento mais robusto de algumas personagens. Esta sensação de "falta de sal" também não se deve à falta de explicação da anomalia, mas antes porque o autor passa quase que a enumerar alguns eventos despoletados pelo incidente do voo 006 da Air France, mas que parecem não ter (quase) consequência.
Este é um livro que pode deixar um misto de sensações no final da sua leitura e poderá mesmo desagradar alguns leitores. Não sendo um dos meus preferidos, foi, mesmo assim, uma leitura bastante interessante.
anaizq's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
ella09's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
katty2088's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
shellbean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lucyismyname's review against another edition
2.0
I tend to avoid science fiction because usually the ideas come at the expense of character development (especially of women) and good writing. However, a science fiction book where the technological or fantasy elements are used to drive character development or showcase complex psychological or sociologically realities can be truly brilliant (I’m thinking Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, a handful of Margaret Atwood books, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy, among others).
So I was delighted to see a science-fiction book that won a literary award and from an established writer making his debut into science fiction. Plus, quite frankly, the idea is cool: during a dramatic storm, a plane and all its passengers are replicated. One plane lands on time and the other lands 4 months later, with both sets of passengers unaware of what occurred.
The book was, as promised, a ‘page turner’, but it failed on both the literary and science fiction fronts. It covered too many characters to provide enough room to effectively show how any one person would deal with such a situation. The characters themselves were narrowly painted and hollow. Two men were infatuated with women decades their junior for no reason except for the obvious, and their pursuit of them led to some pretty uncompelling reading and trite dialogue – some of this may have been satire but there was no insight nor any complexity given to the objects of their obsession.
In terms of how the book performed within its own genre, it took a fairly ingenious idea but then handled the science fiction elements unskillfully. The writing of the military and governmental handling of the incident felt like it was taken from various early-mid 90s disaster movies (the novel format left less room for any charm to be found amongst the cringe). It was both boring and detracted from what should have been the book’s only real focus: how its characters reacted to and navigated this odd situation they were thrust into.
So I was delighted to see a science-fiction book that won a literary award and from an established writer making his debut into science fiction. Plus, quite frankly, the idea is cool: during a dramatic storm, a plane and all its passengers are replicated. One plane lands on time and the other lands 4 months later, with both sets of passengers unaware of what occurred.
The book was, as promised, a ‘page turner’, but it failed on both the literary and science fiction fronts. It covered too many characters to provide enough room to effectively show how any one person would deal with such a situation. The characters themselves were narrowly painted and hollow. Two men were infatuated with women decades their junior for no reason except for the obvious, and their pursuit of them led to some pretty uncompelling reading and trite dialogue – some of this may have been satire but there was no insight nor any complexity given to the objects of their obsession.
In terms of how the book performed within its own genre, it took a fairly ingenious idea but then handled the science fiction elements unskillfully. The writing of the military and governmental handling of the incident felt like it was taken from various early-mid 90s disaster movies (the novel format left less room for any charm to be found amongst the cringe). It was both boring and detracted from what should have been the book’s only real focus: how its characters reacted to and navigated this odd situation they were thrust into.
clairegordon211's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.0
hfnuala's review against another edition
3.5
Only managed to read the English version before reading group. Feeling guilty.
More concretely, one of the things about reading books in translation is not knowing what it is in conversation with. I don't know if Herve is in conversation with French sf as don't have that context.
The middle was tough, liked start and ending.
More concretely, one of the things about reading books in translation is not knowing what it is in conversation with. I don't know if Herve is in conversation with French sf as don't have that context.
The middle was tough, liked start and ending.
paulagonzalez26's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0