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sleightoffeet's review
3.0
This book, in a way, reads like poetry. It has a definite style which took me a few chapters to get used to.
I must admit, I was unaware of what happened at Los Alamos (I just knew it happened "somewhere"), and I never actually thought about how it affected the wives. This book gives a really different perspective on that.
I must admit, I was unaware of what happened at Los Alamos (I just knew it happened "somewhere"), and I never actually thought about how it affected the wives. This book gives a really different perspective on that.
readingwithhippos's review
4.0
If you are looking for the definitive historical text on the Los Alamos, New Mexico site where nuclear physicists famously built the first atomic bomb, stay on the bus because this is not your stop. TaraShea Nesbit's novel about the wives of the Manhattan Project scientists is a lot of things, but factually informative isn't one of them.
That doesn't mean it's not worth reading—it is, as long as you don't go in expecting it to be something it's not.
First of all, it's a novel, meaning fiction. Thus, the book is more an artistic interpretation of a strange and unprecedented time in people's lives than it is a factual recounting of history. Nesbit writes in the first-person plural, a choice that seems a little gimmicky at first, but it allows her to evoke the unique experiences of each woman while demonstrating how unified the wives were in their isolation and curiosity despite their vast differences. It took a little time to get used to the plural voice, though I found my distraction faded by about page 30.
Even though she consciously chooses to fictionalize the wives' stories, Nesbit's description of their troubles and travails has the ring of authenticity. She describes the minutiae of their daily lives, from doing laundry without machines to cooking with coal-fired stoves to raising children virtually alone while their husbands worked. Their letters home were heavily censored, and even if they hadn't been, most of the women had no idea what their husbands were working on in the lab. Their lives were simultaneously crushingly mundane and cloaked in secrecy.
Nesbit has clearly done a lot of research, and if you're already familiar with the basics of the history of the Project, you'll recognize details as she weaves them in. However, if you don't have much context, those allusions will likely glide right over your head. This book will be most enjoyable to those who already have a working knowledge of the Project and its key players.
For this reason, I highly recommend pairing this book with [b:The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II|15801668|The Girls of Atomic City The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II|Denise Kiernan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352912866s/15801668.jpg|21525054], which I wrote about here. Both are supremely engaging, and they complement each other perfectly with their contrasting formats. You might, like me, find yourself so absorbed in the ethical ambiguity and complex science of atomic history that you seek out other books on the topic. ([b:The Age of Radiance: The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era|18144088|The Age of Radiance The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era|Craig Nelson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395629642s/18144088.jpg|25491415] recently caught my eye.)
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
That doesn't mean it's not worth reading—it is, as long as you don't go in expecting it to be something it's not.
First of all, it's a novel, meaning fiction. Thus, the book is more an artistic interpretation of a strange and unprecedented time in people's lives than it is a factual recounting of history. Nesbit writes in the first-person plural, a choice that seems a little gimmicky at first, but it allows her to evoke the unique experiences of each woman while demonstrating how unified the wives were in their isolation and curiosity despite their vast differences. It took a little time to get used to the plural voice, though I found my distraction faded by about page 30.
Even though she consciously chooses to fictionalize the wives' stories, Nesbit's description of their troubles and travails has the ring of authenticity. She describes the minutiae of their daily lives, from doing laundry without machines to cooking with coal-fired stoves to raising children virtually alone while their husbands worked. Their letters home were heavily censored, and even if they hadn't been, most of the women had no idea what their husbands were working on in the lab. Their lives were simultaneously crushingly mundane and cloaked in secrecy.
Nesbit has clearly done a lot of research, and if you're already familiar with the basics of the history of the Project, you'll recognize details as she weaves them in. However, if you don't have much context, those allusions will likely glide right over your head. This book will be most enjoyable to those who already have a working knowledge of the Project and its key players.
For this reason, I highly recommend pairing this book with [b:The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II|15801668|The Girls of Atomic City The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II|Denise Kiernan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352912866s/15801668.jpg|21525054], which I wrote about here. Both are supremely engaging, and they complement each other perfectly with their contrasting formats. You might, like me, find yourself so absorbed in the ethical ambiguity and complex science of atomic history that you seek out other books on the topic. ([b:The Age of Radiance: The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era|18144088|The Age of Radiance The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era|Craig Nelson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395629642s/18144088.jpg|25491415] recently caught my eye.)
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
mg_libros's review against another edition
2.0
Me ha perdido completamente con la voz "de la colmena", me he sentido alejadísima de la historia y he perdido todo el interés por el libro.
fionab_16's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
author_d_r_oestreicher's review
5.0
The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit is a beautiful prose-poem written in the first-person plural covering the development of the atomic bomb during the years 1943-1945…from the perspective of the wives. “We married men just like our fathers, or nothing like them, or only the best parts.”
An evocative story of life at Los Alamos during World War II. Not an introduction to the development of the atomic bomb, but a beautiful supplement.
For my expanded notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-wives-of-los-alamos-by-tarashea.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
An evocative story of life at Los Alamos during World War II. Not an introduction to the development of the atomic bomb, but a beautiful supplement.
For my expanded notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-wives-of-los-alamos-by-tarashea.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
kbranfield's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
The Wives of Los Alamos is an interesting look into the lives of the scientists and families who lived in Los Alamos during the development of the atomic bomb. Using a very unique storytelling technique, TaraShea Nesbit describes the hardships and frustrations the wives experienced while living in seclusion as their husbands carried out their work in secrecy.
The point of view in The Wives of Los Alamos is not from a specific individual. Instead, it is written in first person plural ("we") which makes for a very unusual reading experience. I think I understand why Ms. Nesbit chose this particular viewpoint-the wives were pretty much stripped of their identity upon their arrival, making everyone indistinguishable from the others. But it also makes for a frustrating reading experience when coupled with the attempts to show individuality from a group perspective. Every possibility for every situation is included in the narrative and the delivery is so impersonal it is virtually impossible to connect with any of the characters.
While the POV was frustrating, their overall experience is quite fascinating. The entire project is shrouded in secrecy right from the beginning and the majority of the wives had no idea what their husbands were working on. The living conditions were austere and harsh. Mail was heavily censored and there were no phone calls in or out. No visits from extended family were allowed and in fact, once most families arrived, they did not leave except for the occasional day trip to Santa Fe. Many of the wives are highly educated, but their skills are sadly underutilized. Surprisingly a few of the wives did take jobs, but their wages were practically non-existent.
TaraShea Nesbit's The Wives of Los Alamos provides an intriguing look into the lives of the people who were involved with a huge moment in American history. While the collective "we" takes getting used to, in the end, it is the most effective way to tell this incredible story.
The Wives of Los Alamos is an interesting look into the lives of the scientists and families who lived in Los Alamos during the development of the atomic bomb. Using a very unique storytelling technique, TaraShea Nesbit describes the hardships and frustrations the wives experienced while living in seclusion as their husbands carried out their work in secrecy.
The point of view in The Wives of Los Alamos is not from a specific individual. Instead, it is written in first person plural ("we") which makes for a very unusual reading experience. I think I understand why Ms. Nesbit chose this particular viewpoint-the wives were pretty much stripped of their identity upon their arrival, making everyone indistinguishable from the others. But it also makes for a frustrating reading experience when coupled with the attempts to show individuality from a group perspective. Every possibility for every situation is included in the narrative and the delivery is so impersonal it is virtually impossible to connect with any of the characters.
While the POV was frustrating, their overall experience is quite fascinating. The entire project is shrouded in secrecy right from the beginning and the majority of the wives had no idea what their husbands were working on. The living conditions were austere and harsh. Mail was heavily censored and there were no phone calls in or out. No visits from extended family were allowed and in fact, once most families arrived, they did not leave except for the occasional day trip to Santa Fe. Many of the wives are highly educated, but their skills are sadly underutilized. Surprisingly a few of the wives did take jobs, but their wages were practically non-existent.
TaraShea Nesbit's The Wives of Los Alamos provides an intriguing look into the lives of the people who were involved with a huge moment in American history. While the collective "we" takes getting used to, in the end, it is the most effective way to tell this incredible story.
lornarei's review
3.0
It was definitely not what I was expecting, the first person plural narrative as opposed to a "story". It took some time, but I grew to enjoy the style. And the style makes the point that just because these women were all thrown together in the same place for a time, they were not all alike or all different. Just like "real life".
yasmine_w's review
2.0
Well, the first person plural thing is definitely not my cup of tea. If I had known that before I started reading this book, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. I can appreciate what Nesbit was trying to do by writing in that style (making the experience seem more universal and all that jazz). On the other hand, this style made it really hard to connect with any of the characters. Even when she threw in tragic anecdotes, it was hard to care since none of the characters seemed real.
teriboop's review against another edition
1.0
Either this book was a genius piece of work or it was an epic fail. I'm going with the latter. TaraShea Nesbit wrote this book in first person plural which employs writing techniques like "Our husbands did this or they did that". I thought at first that The Wives of Los Alamos was a book about polygamists. I expect the word "or" was used more in this book than the f-bomb was used in The Wolf of Wall Street (569 times, in case you're wondering). This is suppose to be the story of the wives of the men sent to Los Alamos in the 40s to build the a-bomb. You would expect to learn about the lives of the individual women, their families and the heartaches of living in a secretive world during WWII. What you end up with are snippets of the lives of some women, most of whom are unnamed. The reader is offered the different scenarios that happened..."We called our friends from the phone booth and they met us at the train station or at our house with a loaf of bread, or a chicken casserole and a flask." (from the chapter titled "West") These statements are attached to nameless people, giving the reader a chaotic, confused look into their lives. Imagine a scene in a movie where someone's life is flashed before their eyes, you see all these short scenes of their life that are going through their heads. That's what it felt like reading this book, that you were seeing that type of image without any prior knowledge of the people involved.
If the author was out to make you feel as secretive, uncomfortable, and confused at the residents of Los Alamos, then she did her job. However, I never felt connected to or understood anything solid about these people. Names were occasionally dropped but because you never got to know them as individual people, you never knew how anyone felt, how they truly lived and how they were affected by the secret lives they were forced to endure. My feeling toward this book is described in two words: Disconnected rubbish.
If the author was out to make you feel as secretive, uncomfortable, and confused at the residents of Los Alamos, then she did her job. However, I never felt connected to or understood anything solid about these people. Names were occasionally dropped but because you never got to know them as individual people, you never knew how anyone felt, how they truly lived and how they were affected by the secret lives they were forced to endure. My feeling toward this book is described in two words: Disconnected rubbish.
april0686's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It felt like there were a lot of gaps and the characters were difficult to near impossible to follow and keep track of, likely because there was no continuity in discussing them. While the idea is interesting and the writing developed a backdrop and an overall emotional sense, it left me with the feeling of wanting more information about the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War