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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
Marking as read for future reference. The synopsis for this newer version or different cover of the book really doesn't convey what the story will actually be about at all and I'm so very, very bored.. So I've decided to def this book (I mean, it's huge. How many hours of my life am I supposed to invest in a story about an ungrateful teenager who's like "well yeah, my planet provides us with everything we need and all my friends are here and happy but on earth, where literally everyone I know is too poor to buy basic necessities or live in an actual house, teenagers can drink and party, so how great is my planet really?"). I'm actually kinda pissed they changed the synopsis that much because everything that's mentioned in there happened before the start of the book... Do better?!
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At the start I enjoyed the philosophical ponderings on society, and the comparisons between the Mars and Earth ways of life. But as the book went on, not enough actual plot happened to keep my interest and I grew more and more bored, and started to read it slower and slower. I DNF’ed this book at 60%.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Some beautiful descriptions but, for my taste far too meandering and plodding for the length of the book.
The setting is largely there as a backdrop for pondering on the nature of freedom, what it is to lead a good life, and how to arrange society.
The plot largely happens around the main character - which to be fair is a bugbear of mine, I much prefer to read about characters with agency. In this case she had a barrel of self doubt and time to mope about artistically draped in windows.
The lack of queer rep, and the extremely traditional gender roles was jarring and in an at least one point led to me reading aloud, horrified, to my partner. Only one older woman is represented that I remember, all of the authority figures are male. Several male figures are portrayed as geniuses with varying degrees of mental anguish, while the three female characters are two dancers and a clothes designer. Oh and one figure, seen only from afar; described only as a 'mental patient', slams into walls, wails, and eventually commits suicide because "he could no longer stand being praised". Bleuch.
The setting is largely there as a backdrop for pondering on the nature of freedom, what it is to lead a good life, and how to arrange society.
The plot largely happens around the main character - which to be fair is a bugbear of mine, I much prefer to read about characters with agency. In this case she had a barrel of self doubt and time to mope about artistically draped in windows.
The lack of queer rep, and the extremely traditional gender roles was jarring and in an at least one point led to me reading aloud, horrified, to my partner. Only one older woman is represented that I remember, all of the authority figures are male. Several male figures are portrayed as geniuses with varying degrees of mental anguish, while the three female characters are two dancers and a clothes designer. Oh and one figure, seen only from afar; described only as a 'mental patient', slams into walls, wails, and eventually commits suicide because "he could no longer stand being praised". Bleuch.
This book meanders for an age, then in the last 100 pages it crushes you like a meteor of ice crashing to a desert planet, melting into a cascading river of feels.
This will not be a book for everyone, but I loved this book so much. Not quite a full 5 stars though because there was just no reason for this book to be 600 pages. It's hard for me to review this book properly because in all honesty, there's very little plot - it's mostly a 600 page exploration of human identity, society, and what it means to be someone who exists in between worlds. The book definitely goes off on philosophical tangents at times, and while I personally enjoy that kind of thing, I can definitely see a lot of people hating it. Ultimately though, the experiences of our main group of characters, especially Luoying, resonated with me so deeply, and despite its flaws, this book just felt so deeply personal to me. I'd recommend this book more so to fans of literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on philosophical discussions on society and humanity, rather than hard sci-fi fans.
another one from 2020 to file as DNF because I don't think I will ever really continue it.
first tried the audiobook, then stopped because i didn't like the narration, then read the actual book until up to 20%, but neither plot (although the idea of it sounds really good) or characters gripped me. that being said, i don't think this is a bad book, just wasn't for me.
first tried the audiobook, then stopped because i didn't like the narration, then read the actual book until up to 20%, but neither plot (although the idea of it sounds really good) or characters gripped me. that being said, i don't think this is a bad book, just wasn't for me.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes