Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

55 reviews

tallulahlucy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I don’t understand this being marked medium paced - it’s slow. Don’t go in expecting anything else and you won’t be disappointed. Think of it as a documentary about the fictional Fleet rather than a single story. 
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solenekeleroux's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

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lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.0

Through the grief, this book is still wonderfully hopeful. It was really hard for me at first to keep all the narratives straight, but it got easier as I got to know the characters better. It was beautiful how they all intersected with each other and with the first book in the series. 
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annamorgan27's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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strange_little_ranger's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful reflective medium-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

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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.25

Plot: 3.75★
Prose: 3★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 4★/4★
Characters: 3.25★
Worldbuilding: 4.5★
Ending: 3.25★
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eleanora's review against another edition

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

4.25

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eni_iilorak's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.5

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athryn's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

A really fascinating read, these almost slice of life stories that Chambers does, but they just work their way in to you. Reminds me a little bit of the Emily St. John Mandel books I read earlier this year.
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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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

4.0

Becky Chambers does it again, folks.

Record of a Spaceborn Few is the third book in her Wayfarers series, and her writing style is filled with compassion and enthusiasm for the intricate world - or in this case, galaxy - she has created.

These books are not for those who like their plots fast-paced. Indeed, for the first two-thirds of Record, there is hardly any plot at all.

I would normally count myself among those who prefer a fast pace, but for Becky Chambers I've learned to make an exception. Her books are slow, for sure, but for me, I find the worldbuilding to be incredibly detailed and endlessly fascinating, so I don't get too bored.

Such was the case - yet again - for Record. It took time for me to readjust to the pace, the terminology used in this series, but once I did, I found myself intrigued and absorbed.

Chambers uses Record to explore the concept of something with which we are all familiar: what makes us human.  And here's the genius thing: she does this from the point of view of the descendants of the original humans who abandoned earth when it became uninhabitable, and built giant space ships to live in.  The characters here are largely human, with a few notable exceptions which I won't spoil here.

I've read criticism that the vision of  society depicted in Record is too idealistic to be believable, and I agree that argument has some merit. But for me personally, I'm willing to accept this idealised view, mostly because in the world we live in now, I like to be able to imagine a society where people work and live in harmony with one another. It's a fantasy, sure, but in my opinion we all need a little escapism from time to time.

To sum up, this book shows us Becky Chambers in peak form, and I look forward to reading the final book in the Wayfarers series, The Galaxy and the Ground Within.
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