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caroisreading's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.0
This is a series of individual stories from different timelines that start out unrelated, but end up beautifully and neatly interwoven. The ending leaves you with that "ah ha" moment that's so satisfying.
The build-up is slow, so don't give up on it. There are unconventional chapter setups and changes of POV that you adjust to.
I have mixed feelings on how time travel and the future are illustrated in this story. I caught myself being too picky about realism and tiny details (like, why is there an overpopulation problem when that clearly is not where we're trending?) -- but appreciated the focus on pandemics, very clearly inspired by COVID. It's like we progress, but our nature stays the same.
There's a moment where a character muses in front of an audience why we are so focused on pandemic literature. Our inherent narcissism is brought up, but dismissed quickly. I think that's so funny, given how this story is tied up.
You'll enjoy this if you normally like time travel / futuristic stories, pensive reads.
The build-up is slow, so don't give up on it. There are unconventional chapter setups and changes of POV that you adjust to.
I have mixed feelings on how time travel and the future are illustrated in this story. I caught myself being too picky about realism and tiny details (like, why is there an overpopulation problem when that clearly is not where we're trending?) -- but appreciated the focus on pandemics, very clearly inspired by COVID. It's like we progress, but our nature stays the same.
There's a moment where a character muses in front of an audience why we are so focused on pandemic literature. Our inherent narcissism is brought up, but dismissed quickly. I think that's so funny, given how this story is tied up.
You'll enjoy this if you normally like time travel / futuristic stories, pensive reads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Minor: Alcoholism
summerb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic and Colonisation
Minor: Chronic illness, Excrement, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit, Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide
mccluskyn's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
starrysteph's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
3.25
I'm a little torn on this one. I enjoy stories about time travel – and I enjoy stories about time travel with lyrical, dream-like writing and complex questions. But some of the actual content fell flat.
We cross huge spans of time in this novel, but the writing style stays the same. I wanted more differentiation between the voices of characters in 1912 and 2020 and far into the future. I also felt that there was a lack of creativity or perhaps "realism" when we go far into the future. Why are things EXACTLY the same as they are in 2020? Yes, people live on the moon, but there isn't any nuance here.
I also felt some frustration at the recklessness and thoughtlessness of Gaspery's decisions. It's hard to explain without spoilers, but the choices he made and the shifting of timelines felt too simplistic and didn't make sense. And in general, I didn't find myself making deep emotional connections to any of the characters. (And there was some content around Olive as a writer of pandemic stories that felt like a clear self-insert and was a little silly.)
Overall, I enjoyed the concept. I enjoyed the weaving together of the stories (though it became a little cliche by the end). I enjoyed the writing style. But once I zoomed in and thought a bit more critically about the material, I found myself disappointed.
CW: chronic illness, confinement, death, colonisation, murder, gun violence, suicide, war, alcohol, pandemic, sexism
We cross huge spans of time in this novel, but the writing style stays the same. I wanted more differentiation between the voices of characters in 1912 and 2020 and far into the future. I also felt that there was a lack of creativity or perhaps "realism" when we go far into the future. Why are things EXACTLY the same as they are in 2020? Yes, people live on the moon, but there isn't any nuance here.
I also felt some frustration at the recklessness and thoughtlessness of Gaspery's decisions. It's hard to explain without spoilers, but the choices he made and the shifting of timelines felt too simplistic and didn't make sense. And in general, I didn't find myself making deep emotional connections to any of the characters. (And there was some content around Olive as a writer of pandemic stories that felt like a clear self-insert and was a little silly.)
Overall, I enjoyed the concept. I enjoyed the weaving together of the stories (though it became a little cliche by the end). I enjoyed the writing style. But once I zoomed in and thought a bit more critically about the material, I found myself disappointed.
CW: chronic illness, confinement, death, colonisation, murder, gun violence, suicide, war, alcohol, pandemic, sexism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Medical content, and War
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Car accident, Gun violence, Sexism, and Suicide
oceanwriter's review
adventurous
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? Yes
4.25
I went into this book blindly. I saw the name and the cover and was sold. I never even looked at the description. Fortunately, this was a successful case of judging a book by its cover.
After the first time jump, I was disappointed to see we wouldn't be following Edwin through the entire story but I quickly got into the rhythm of the storytelling and the different people involved. Of everyone, I enjoyed Olive's portion the most even though I found Gaspery's the most fascinating.
The book picked up a lot in the second half and became impossible to put down. I did struggle through some of it though, the characters and settings all beginning to jumble together and getting my wires crossed. In hindsight, I would have aimed to have set aside time to read this in one sitting so everything remained fresh in my mind. Still, I enjoyed the book thoroughly.
I thought reading about pandemic life would be more difficult than it was. While it was central to the plot, it was more about the individuals and the loneliness that becomes the bigger plight. The essence of that was well captured.
After the first time jump, I was disappointed to see we wouldn't be following Edwin through the entire story but I quickly got into the rhythm of the storytelling and the different people involved. Of everyone, I enjoyed Olive's portion the most even though I found Gaspery's the most fascinating.
The book picked up a lot in the second half and became impossible to put down. I did struggle through some of it though, the characters and settings all beginning to jumble together and getting my wires crossed. In hindsight, I would have aimed to have set aside time to read this in one sitting so everything remained fresh in my mind. Still, I enjoyed the book thoroughly.
I thought reading about pandemic life would be more difficult than it was. While it was central to the plot, it was more about the individuals and the loneliness that becomes the bigger plight. The essence of that was well captured.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Confinement
Moderate: Murder
amelianotthepilot's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
really interesting sci-fi book about time travel
TW: has a pandemic
TW: has a pandemic
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Chronic illness
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