Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Spare Man

I really enjoyed this book. I believe it's a standalone, but I would absolutely read more novels with these compelling characters.

Nearly all the characters introduce themselves with their preferred pronouns, and those that don't are considered exceptionally rude. It's both a little jarring and exactly how you hope it will be in the future. It also makes me wonder if readers in the future will find all the books where people don't do that equally jarring. Insults that are gendered are called out in way I don't typically see, or think about.

The books also deals with socioeconomic class and people who are comfortable who grew up with wealth and people who didn't that reminded me of that line Mad Men's Betty Draper says about Don not understanding money.

I'm not a drinker, but I liked the drink recipes that start each chapter, and Gimlet, is of course, a delight.

Definitely read all of the author's notes at the end.

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katievh's review

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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laurareads87's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I liked The Spare Man, but not as much as the author's Lady Astronaut books which I *really* like. What worked for me was the setting - a multiple-ringed luxury cruise spaceship! - and the way it creates a 'locked room' around the murder mystery. I also liked how Kowal represented a future where sharing pronouns is normalized (and using gender neutral pronouns and honorifics when unknown is the default). I appreciated the representation of disability. What didn't entirely work for me were the characters - many felt rather flat. I thought there was some effective misdirection and a few great twists in the plot, but a few too many brand new elements, some of them rather cliche, were introduced right at the very end to make the mystery work.

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crownoflaurel's review

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mysterious tense slow-paced

3.0

Everything I loved about this book wasn't necessarily the actual plot and writing....

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athryn's review

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adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I buzzsawed through this in 2 days. Really fun, inspired by 1930s screwball comedies (you can tell from the title) about a murder mystery on a Space Cruise Ship on the way to Mars. I will say that I found the main character to be a little grating with her pile of issues, but I still enjoyed it and the rest of the characters (especially Gimlet!) to be great. Plus, there's a cocktail recipe at the start of each chapter.

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katjonzz's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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kiaras's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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