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irisdagmar's review against another edition
5.0
Unreliable narrator and genre-bending and time travel? Check check check. A five because this is one of the most unusual and inventive books I have ever read. Certainly it is not a book for every reader, and I believe that is reflected in the rating and reviews. Newman delivers a reader’s experience unlike any other - in some moments even visceral - and her writer’s craft is sharply honed. Requires a reader who is willing to suspend disbelief. Exceptional and strange.
andrewacashner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, intricate, enthralling. Ultimately quite sad, but intermittently freeing. I think we are all secretly enchanted with the idea of multiple universes, multiple lives.
bellwetherdays's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
rdlevitt's review against another edition
2.0
You heard it here first, folks: The existence of William Shakespeare led to 9/11. OR DID IT????
I don't know what the hell was going on with this book. The main character jumps between her dream world and the "real" world, which is somehow influenced by her dream world, which is also the real world back in the past. Maybe. And as the dream person goes around riding horses and lacing her bodice and boning Shakespeare, things change in big or little ways in the world around her when she wakes up. So she feels responsible for the impending apocalypse.
This is yet another modern novel that brings up a really interesting idea (in this case, it's the question of "if greatness hastens the apocalypse, do we snuff out that greatness at the expense of robbing humanity?") and then walks away from it entirely. It also is like "Oh by the way, in the future we discovered time travel and you're seeing echos of it right now and it hastens/brings about an apocalyptic future but you can't do anything about it. Anywho, next scene."
All the blurbs describing this book use variations of "unique" and yes, it is indeed unique but it feels more like a draft than a solid novel.
This would make an outstanding book club book because of how weird and full of loose ends it is. So it has that going for it.
I don't know what the hell was going on with this book. The main character jumps between her dream world and the "real" world, which is somehow influenced by her dream world, which is also the real world back in the past. Maybe. And as the dream person goes around riding horses and lacing her bodice and boning Shakespeare, things change in big or little ways in the world around her when she wakes up. So she feels responsible for the impending apocalypse.
This is yet another modern novel that brings up a really interesting idea (in this case, it's the question of "if greatness hastens the apocalypse, do we snuff out that greatness at the expense of robbing humanity?") and then walks away from it entirely. It also is like "Oh by the way, in the future we discovered time travel and you're seeing echos of it right now and it hastens/brings about an apocalyptic future but you can't do anything about it. Anywho, next scene."
All the blurbs describing this book use variations of "unique" and yes, it is indeed unique but it feels more like a draft than a solid novel.
This would make an outstanding book club book because of how weird and full of loose ends it is. So it has that going for it.
amlibera's review against another edition
2.0
There's a fascinating book in here somewhere- but the puzzle and the logic at the center of it never quite makes sense (neither directly as sci-fi time travel nor as a literary metaphor.) It was very melancholy (explained a bit in the afterward) but not necessarily earned within the narrative itself.
lauraportalupi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Suicide and Child death
emmajess's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
shalane7's review against another edition
4.0
This book is trippy. It definitely pulled me in, and was hard to put down. I really felt for the characters. If you're looking for a quick read but also some good intrigue and quite an interesting premise, check this one out.
stinkbug62's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book. As soon as I finished I wanted to start it again