Reviews

Contact by Carl Sagan

oliviachii's review against another edition

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hopeful slow-paced

3.5

sealreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

aalvizo's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A

4.0

scott_op_ks's review against another edition

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adventurous informative inspiring 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

5.0

Better than the movie, obviously. Interesting ideas. 

connor1736's review against another edition

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3.0

Carl Sagan is an imaginative writer, and I loved the overall story that he told. I really liked how the book addresses some important themes and issues through his book (e.g. nationalism/globalism and sexism). He describes a world that still has many flaws but has a more optimistic future. The end of the book was exceptional and leaves a lot for the reader to think about. There are a lot of fun details that I think appeal to readers with a science/math background.

I have a few criticisms of the actual writing of the book. One issue was pacing. There were some sections that I felt were far longer than necessary. The start of one chapter takes a page and a half to essentially say "Ellie changed the TV channel." In other parts, important plot points are quickly passed over with little time to discuss their implications. Sometimes Sagan would detail the characters' reaction to some event before actually telling the reader what the event was. This sometimes left me confused and unsatisfied.

I thought the discussion of science vs religion was interesting, though at times overdone.

Overall though, it was a very worthwhile read.

buttcord's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

abbeyhar103's review against another edition

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5.0

"She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love." A great last sentence - the most compelling work of fiction I've read in a long time.

jacksontibet's review against another edition

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4.0

I love the movie and the book is great. It's fun to watch hard scientists try to figure out how to understand emotions; the struggle is evident on the page but there is so much compassion for the characters it comes across as charming. And, of course, the science is full of wonder and quite numinous indeed.

ihoneymustard's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective 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? No

4.0

yiddish_anarchist's review against another edition

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5.0

Despite some mathematical and other factual errors, this book was deeply engaging. I forgive the slightly flat characters; the plot makes up for that. The ability of the work to capture the sheer beauty of mathematics and the universe is astounding. I'll be digesting this for weeks, if not months. Like Ellie, I've come away changed on a fundamental level.