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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
A story of research into near-death-experiences, this book was a combination of helter-skelter panic and rushing, and an almost-mystery story taken on by the lead researchers.
The premise is intriguing. The characters are definitely people you root for (unless you're not supposed to).
But a large part of the story seems to be the symbolic presence of an unplanned building layout in the researcher's hospital. Getting from one place to another in this hospital is a chore beyond annoying, and Willis spends far too much time describing how awful the layout actually is. It *does* seem to be symbolic of the chaos in a dying mind, but egad. Too many words describe it.
The book took a long time to finish. Partially this was my own holiday schedule interfering, but it would have been nice to see it tidied up more quickly. It took a lot more words to complete than it really should have.
Even so. I liked it. 4 of 5 stars.
The premise is intriguing. The characters are definitely people you root for (unless you're not supposed to).
But a large part of the story seems to be the symbolic presence of an unplanned building layout in the researcher's hospital. Getting from one place to another in this hospital is a chore beyond annoying, and Willis spends far too much time describing how awful the layout actually is. It *does* seem to be symbolic of the chaos in a dying mind, but egad. Too many words describe it.
The book took a long time to finish. Partially this was my own holiday schedule interfering, but it would have been nice to see it tidied up more quickly. It took a lot more words to complete than it really should have.
Even so. I liked it. 4 of 5 stars.
The length of this book daunted me. There are 594 pages in the edition I’d picked up from the library. And this was my first book by Willis. Was I being too ambitious? Shouldn’t I have just picked up a shorter one? I suppose that’s why I left it to the end.
But in the end, my question was, why hadn’t I picked up anything by Connie Willis sooner? Passage was such an absorbing read. Every time I put it down, it was with such reluctance.
Let’s start with the synopsis, shall we? It’s a book about NDEs or near-death experiences. Joanna Lander is a researcher investigating these NDEs at Mercy General. Dr Lander is talked into working with Dr Richard Wright, a neurologist, on a project that puts volunteers under to map their brain scans. It isn’t easy finding volunteers who haven’t already been ‘contaminated’ by Maurice Mandrake, who writes popular books about the afterlife and tends to influence his interviewees. I don’t really want to say more about the plot though, as that might spoil your fun.
Hmm…. now that doesn’t sound like a very exciting synopsis does it? But I found it quite fascinating, like piecing together a puzzle. You know that feeling that you might get sometimes when something feels familiar, it might be an object, or someone’s words, a smell… it’s familiar, you know it, but you can’t put your finger on it. That’s kind of what Joanna is trying to chase down. She draws on her memories, from what knowledge she can remember. And this was further illustrated by Willis’ use of the hospital’s maze of corridors, walkways, stairways, which Dr Wright and Joanna are always ducking into and hiding out at to avoid the annoying (but amusing) Mandrake, and getting lost and being uncontactable.
Willis has definitely created a set of very compelling characters here. Joanna, Dr Wright, and especially young Maisie, who is a hospital regular thanks to a heart condition, and is fascinated with disasters like the Hindenberg. However, I did feel like some scenes were used to prolong the suspense, although they were still very effectively written.
In the end, Passage was a completely satisfying read. There were multiple storylines, characters to like, characters to detest, all sorts of fascinating information both scientific and historical to pick up on… the pages whizzed by faster than I expected them to. It was… it was…
But in the end, my question was, why hadn’t I picked up anything by Connie Willis sooner? Passage was such an absorbing read. Every time I put it down, it was with such reluctance.
Let’s start with the synopsis, shall we? It’s a book about NDEs or near-death experiences. Joanna Lander is a researcher investigating these NDEs at Mercy General. Dr Lander is talked into working with Dr Richard Wright, a neurologist, on a project that puts volunteers under to map their brain scans. It isn’t easy finding volunteers who haven’t already been ‘contaminated’ by Maurice Mandrake, who writes popular books about the afterlife and tends to influence his interviewees. I don’t really want to say more about the plot though, as that might spoil your fun.
Hmm…. now that doesn’t sound like a very exciting synopsis does it? But I found it quite fascinating, like piecing together a puzzle. You know that feeling that you might get sometimes when something feels familiar, it might be an object, or someone’s words, a smell… it’s familiar, you know it, but you can’t put your finger on it. That’s kind of what Joanna is trying to chase down. She draws on her memories, from what knowledge she can remember. And this was further illustrated by Willis’ use of the hospital’s maze of corridors, walkways, stairways, which Dr Wright and Joanna are always ducking into and hiding out at to avoid the annoying (but amusing) Mandrake, and getting lost and being uncontactable.
Willis has definitely created a set of very compelling characters here. Joanna, Dr Wright, and especially young Maisie, who is a hospital regular thanks to a heart condition, and is fascinated with disasters like the Hindenberg. However, I did feel like some scenes were used to prolong the suspense, although they were still very effectively written.
In the end, Passage was a completely satisfying read. There were multiple storylines, characters to like, characters to detest, all sorts of fascinating information both scientific and historical to pick up on… the pages whizzed by faster than I expected them to. It was… it was…
I read only about 90 pages of this book before it was due back at the library, and, sadly, it didn't seem worth renewing. Maybe it picks up more later on, but those first 90 pages or so were all about some rather tedious details of selecting participants for the NDE study. Maybe if I were more interested in NDE's themselves I might have found this more intriguing. I think I'll stick with Willis's time travel books, though. Those are ever so much fun.
On the one hand, interesting concept that kept me reading to see what would happen next.
On the other hand, could have used a lot of editing, and I was depressed for a few days after finishing the book because it focused so much on what it would be like to die; I am not particulary phobic of the topic of death, but find it sad to envision my own dying in such detail.
On the other hand, could have used a lot of editing, and I was depressed for a few days after finishing the book because it focused so much on what it would be like to die; I am not particulary phobic of the topic of death, but find it sad to envision my own dying in such detail.
This book was incredible and it's been years since a book has made me cry this much. But it also made me laugh and sputter in anger and think and wonder. And it introduced me to one of the best kids in fiction: Maisie Nellis. LONG LIVE MAISIE!
This book is about two doctors who are researching near death experiences. I love that the doctors are researching it from a scientific standpoint rather than a spiritual one. And I love what they discovered about near death experiences. Also, I find the Titanic highly interesting, and since the book talked about the Titanic so much (as well as other disasters), it was even more enjoyable for me.
I really love Connie Willis, but this wasn't my favorite of her books. The Doomsday Book was just about one of my favorite books ever, and Blackout/All Clear were fantastic too - both of those about time travel. This book was about NDE's (near death experiences), which turned out to be kind of a time travel book because the character saw the Titanic in her NDE and you learn a ton about that event. She's amazing the way that she weaves historical accuracy into a fast paced entertaining storyline. I was pretty offended in this book at the way she characterizes the Christian mindset, though -- as if we are fundamentally incapable of respecting science, and we are all Bible thumping lunatics. I'm sure if you are science minded, you've run into a lot of those, but still. Despite this, I still liked the book, and would recommend Connie Willis to anyone. But read The Doomsday Book first!
Eerie, disorienting, and strangely addicting in a way that mirrors the main character's exploration of the near death experience. I felt compelled and repelled at the same time, and I'm still trying to figure out if I really liked this book or not.
I love Connie Willis. I would have rated this book higher (deservedly) but I'm just too uncomfortable with the story line. I guess happy endings are too absurdly important for me. I only read this book once when it first came out, and it's lingered strongly in my mind for years. So that impact is itself praise.
Like all good science fiction, Passage has an interesting premise supported by diligent research and a compelling narrative. The characters are developed enough to serve the story and at moments truly shine, but most of the people we meet succumb to jargony exposition. I would have given this only 3 stars if not for one bold narrative stroke late in the book.
The book is much too long due largely to a repetitive beginning and, to a lesser extent, a repetitive ending. The constant milling about of characters feels like reading the narration of rats in a maze, and however relevant to the story this notion is (and it is), the conceit throws off the pacing of the story. The novel's ending is much too tidy and almost betrays the hard-won tension established early on for nothing more than a Pollyanna ending.
The distilled version of Passage that I suspect will live in my memory is a powerful exploration of the human search for meaning in death.
The book is much too long due largely to a repetitive beginning and, to a lesser extent, a repetitive ending. The constant milling about of characters feels like reading the narration of rats in a maze, and however relevant to the story this notion is (and it is), the conceit throws off the pacing of the story. The novel's ending is much too tidy and almost betrays the hard-won tension established early on for nothing more than a Pollyanna ending.
The distilled version of Passage that I suspect will live in my memory is a powerful exploration of the human search for meaning in death.