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motherofladybirds's review against another edition
1.0
Nature versus nurture exploring happiness specifically. I found the premise intriguing, but the execution confusing. The narrator breaking the fourth wall was distracting and I did not feel it contributed much. There was also a side plot exploring fiction and fact truth and reality which was a little bit too existential for me.
profpeaton's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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
sairz's review
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-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
meghan111's review against another edition
4.0
Powers writes fiction about ideas and science. This is about a woman who is uncommonly happy, even with a difficult background involving war and loss. Is it her genes?
tensy's review against another edition
3.0
I would have given this book a 3.5, mainly because I listened to this book on audio and feel I may have enjoyed it more if I had read it slowly and taken the time to digest portions of it over time, rather than in one fell swoop listening to it in the car!Powers is a writer whose novels make you think. In this case, a woman who is unnaturaly happy meets a professor in a writing class who basically outs her to the world. It is what we humans do when presented with something beautiful, unique and precious that drives the plot. There is much discussion about genetic engineering and the power of literature. I found the insertion of the unnamed narrator annoying and if I were to spend more time discussing this novel in a class I might learn more about his purpose in the story, but while listening to the novel, his commentary detracted from the plot. I have read more extensive reviews and they have enlightened me about certain parts of the novel. This is one I may have to put on a list to read again.
kmatthe2's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as The Echo Maker. It is engaging when it abandons the metafictional strand. That part of the text is more clunky and reads like a failed experiment. The other threads of the text, however, are significantly more dynamic. This text is less poetic than other works, but equally engaging in its character development.
dllh's review against another edition
1.0
I really want to like Powers, but just about every book winds up falling flat for me. As far as I recall, The Time of our Singing is the only one (of the half dozen or so that I've read) that really knocked my socks off, and the rest have been sort of a bad mashup of mediocre genre fiction and attempted (failed) literary fiction -- and have disappointed at both ends.
Generosity read to me like something written by an alien who had access to Earth's culture, science, technology, and social interactions only via a few outdated television programs. There's not an authentic feeling moment in the book. I can forgive so-so character development if there's interesting science fiction. I can forgive so-so science fiction and character development if the style is great (I can forgive almost anything if the style is great or the approach novel). But this book is at the very best so-so on all counts.
Powers tries to blend science writing with literary fiction and happens to do neither particularly well. I wish he'd commit to one or the other and do it well. The subtitle of the book was, for me, a misnomer. Had it been named as I ultimately received it (Generosity: A Disappointment), I might have saved myself some frustration.
Generosity read to me like something written by an alien who had access to Earth's culture, science, technology, and social interactions only via a few outdated television programs. There's not an authentic feeling moment in the book. I can forgive so-so character development if there's interesting science fiction. I can forgive so-so science fiction and character development if the style is great (I can forgive almost anything if the style is great or the approach novel). But this book is at the very best so-so on all counts.
Powers tries to blend science writing with literary fiction and happens to do neither particularly well. I wish he'd commit to one or the other and do it well. The subtitle of the book was, for me, a misnomer. Had it been named as I ultimately received it (Generosity: A Disappointment), I might have saved myself some frustration.
isabelrstev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
5.0
nonlinearpaolo's review
challenging
reflective
fast-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
4.75
cindypager's review against another edition
4.0
Another amazing story from Richard Powers... Genetic engineering meets the search for the "happiness gene."