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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This ia almost like a period drama, and gives a interesting first-person perspective to the age of scientific exploration and enlightenment from the late 1700s to mid 1800s. However the personal story of the main characters became quite tedious very quickly.
I am speechless... I loved this book so much. This is not a book I would normally pick up... i have heard of eat pray love of course and could not be less interested in that genre. I have little interest in the 19th century and absolutely no interest in botany... and yet. What a magnificent, well researched piece of work. The characters are so beautifully drawn... the prose is just exquisite and what an original piece of work.... this is without a doubt my book of the year so far.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was drawn into the beginning of this book, grew tired and wanted to dnf it in the middle, then was almost upset by how it managed to partly redeem itself at the very end. I'm not sure that made up for drudging through the vast majority of it, but I do think this is one I'll be thinking about for some time. I do wish it had involved more active adventuring around the world looking for plants, which is how I understood it when I first heard Elizabeth Gilbert explain it, but discovered there was significantly more stagnation than I expected.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I greatly enjoyed this blend of art and science, life and botany, sex and the mind.
Could not get into it. Took too long for either the adventure or the love part to get going. Just wasn't in the mood. Might be better for someone more patient.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Just such a good novel! So fun to read. It's not a modern vibe-y literary fiction-style book that feels complex and intelligent and slightly opaque. It was more like a 19th century novel to me (which was fitting given the setting). Things happened! and even when the characters technically weren't doing much, the whole story felt like one grand adventure after another. It reminds of a grown-up version of the kind of books I read as a kid. A deeply satisfying read! Interesting characters who were by turns exceptional and inspired and then very human and flawed. Fun to read a story that took us across the globe and through time at such an interesting moment in human history. I feel such fondness for Alma and Ambrose and Prudene and Retta and George and Hanneke and Sister Manu and Uncle Dees and Roger the dog...I could go on! (But mostly Alma) I loved it and would recommend it for anyone looking for a good human-centered adventure story.
I liked this very much. The final part in this book - it just about did me in. Sometimes a novel holds much wisdom about what is beyond us.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No