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3.02 AVERAGE
3.02 AVERAGE
Hmm. I liked this up to the last chapter. What about the apartment??
A thrilling, dark, futuristic, realistic (I know - contradictory!) read. This is unlike de Rosnay's other historical fiction novels and she excels here - I hope to see more books like this from her. I was really impressed how she blended a dystopian future with a very grounded present. Clarissa the main character was someone I immediately felt attached. There was a lot of content to cover in this book - AI, robots, art, climate change, relationships. I do wish there wish the book closed the loop on Jim and Adelka (the neighbors) a little better, and even Andy, though this is a minor wish. I was completed enthralled with this book and will definitely highly recommend.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I found this book very interesting in some ways, but overall there were just too many problems...global warming, international terrorism, lack of privacy, and overreaching AI to name a few. I think it would have been better to focus and the last two.
Tatiana de Rosnay's novel are usually historical fiction however Flowers of Darkness is a cli-fi novel set in the near future. The story revolves around writer Clarissa who leaves her husband and gets a place in a new artist housing building but it comes with some requirements. Over the course of several weeks Clarissa becomes suspicious of the group running the housing but with all of the turmoil in her life recently will anyone believe her or just think she is losing it.
While I was not expecting a future cli-fi novel from de Rosnay I will say that I enjoyed it greatly. It is a blend of cli-fi, thriller, mystery, Paris-based fiction. It has something for everyone and is familiar enough while having some scary events that shape the world Clarissa lives in.
While I was not expecting a future cli-fi novel from de Rosnay I will say that I enjoyed it greatly. It is a blend of cli-fi, thriller, mystery, Paris-based fiction. It has something for everyone and is familiar enough while having some scary events that shape the world Clarissa lives in.
I picked this book because I LOVED Sarah's key - it was beautifully written realistic with wonderful characters. This book is a definite meh. The most interesting part, to me, was the condition of the world in the not distant future. The characters were ok and the main premise was kind of dumb and was left somewhat unresolved at the end of the book.
Honestly, I v. much enjoyed this. It was definitely a trip, but I don't really understand the poor Goodreads score. I can see what people say that not all the threads were tied up, but threads aren't tied up in pretty little bows in life either. I don't know y'all. I don't think de Rosnay could write a bad book if she TRIED.
This was an okay book. Not great, but not terrible, about an amalgamation of present and futuristic AI elements. It was a look at relationships, commentary on art and the process of making art, and commentary on the nature of surveillance culture via AI, technology, and health applications. It was about a lot and not a lot at the same time, taking part much of the time in the mind and in thought.
Some things that didn't entirely work for me: I could not understand how the 14 year old granddaughter was constantly talking/behaving like a 30 year old woman. I found her dialog completely unbelievable and unlikely and odd. I also didn't really understand the use of "missy" for the granddaughter - not capitalized like a nickname, but as the end of a question, like "What are you doing, missy?" but it was used so often and in weird, stilted dialog places. There were also a million exclamation points - who needs that many exclamation points? Who speaks with such exclamation all the time? So I suppose the author's written dialog and style of writing was not for me.
On the whole, the attempt to cover so many things at once made the book feel very disjointed and not really about any one thing. The nature of the apartment and what was going on there ended up feeling secondary, in a way, when I think the book would have been better had that been the main focus of all the author's energy.
Some things that didn't entirely work for me: I could not understand how the 14 year old granddaughter was constantly talking/behaving like a 30 year old woman. I found her dialog completely unbelievable and unlikely and odd. I also didn't really understand the use of "missy" for the granddaughter - not capitalized like a nickname, but as the end of a question, like "What are you doing, missy?" but it was used so often and in weird, stilted dialog places. There were also a million exclamation points - who needs that many exclamation points? Who speaks with such exclamation all the time? So I suppose the author's written dialog and style of writing was not for me.
On the whole, the attempt to cover so many things at once made the book feel very disjointed and not really about any one thing. The nature of the apartment and what was going on there ended up feeling secondary, in a way, when I think the book would have been better had that been the main focus of all the author's energy.
I have to admit, I went in to this one a little blind. I'd pre-ordered it so long ago, I couldn't remember what it was about when I got it so I just...dug right in.
And it's a little slow to start. Clarissa is looking for a new place to live because she's splitting with her longtime husband and she's struggling to find a new place. She's a writer and looking forward to work on her latest story in the comfort of a home.
At first, I completely embraced her technology. It's not too different than what I have now (yelling Alexa and running my Rumba) but slowly Mrs. Dalloway's details are disclosed and you realize just how much more she has (loved the email projection!). I was a little envious at times, as I thought some of the new technology was cool
But then things started happening and I really struggled to decide what it all was. I was pretty wrapped up in this quick little read and I enjoyed it, although I wish the ending had given us a bit more.
And it's a little slow to start. Clarissa is looking for a new place to live because she's splitting with her longtime husband and she's struggling to find a new place. She's a writer and looking forward to work on her latest story in the comfort of a home.
At first, I completely embraced her technology. It's not too different than what I have now (yelling Alexa and running my Rumba) but slowly Mrs. Dalloway's details are disclosed and you realize just how much more she has (loved the email projection!). I was a little envious at times, as I thought some of the new technology was cool
But then things started happening and I really struggled to decide what it all was. I was pretty wrapped up in this quick little read and I enjoyed it, although I wish the ending had given us a bit more.
WOW! WOW! I literally JUST finished reading this and am wide eyed and shaking my head in astonishment, with a big smile on my face! This was such a fantastic book! It was so clever and brilliant and entirely different than I expected, or from anything I have ever read. I do believe that though most of this may seem farfetched and unlikely to some, or even most, I truly believe it is the future. I do not want to give away ANYTHING, as that is how I ventured in and I want others to be as unbiased and unknowing as I was, in hopes that they will be as blown away as I was. As I AM. It was compelling, fascinating, exciting! I took so many notes and highlighted so many quotes that I loved as I was reading, with intent to share on my review, but have decided not to for the reasons listed above. Read this book, please! I can’t wait to hear what others say about it!
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
I really liked the story, interesting topics, but at the end it kind of fell flat for me.