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sindrehb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
skimsdmb's review against another edition
3.0
Had one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. And then one of the worst closing 100 pages I've ever read. It's fascinating; but at the same time not very enjoyable. Seems to give up on the idea of having an interesting plot (or any plot) about halfway through and reads more like a textbook. Again, an incredibly important and interesting textbook. But I just did not enjoy it as a novel by the end.
e_money_the_cat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
weedhorse69's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mjsharif's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is an absolutely fantastic book. A must-read for anyone experiencing eco-anxiety or climate dread, or has ever thought meaningfully about the climate crisis. Chillingly realistic and often times it felt like journalism (by intention, I'm sure). But also, resolutely hopeful in the way that the best people of humanity are. It has galvanized me to get back to any semblance of activism I can while existing in this exploitative economy that's not built for me. Join CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY today and help advocate for carbon pricing: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, Cancer, and Death
blackringbooks's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
linwin's review against another edition
2.0
Mixed feelings about this book. Some parts of it were great, while others felt unnecessary and tedious.
Personally, I would have skipped pretty much everything about the ministry and the character of Mary, even though I realise that is the title of the book and the main protagonist of the story.
The chapters describing the changes taking place in different areas of the world and the "testimonials" from the perspective of different characters affected personally by it all were wonderful and captivating. I wish the whole book was made out of only these. Maybe expanding on the experiences of several of the characters instead of Mary and Frank (although Frank was interesting until he only became a plot device for Mary) would have made in a better read for me.
I also found it hard to make myself believe in the fact that all of these changes could be connected so directly to the ministry and that they where such a driving force behind them (like basically inventing the new internet!) while still feeling quite incompetent for those tasks (Mary didn't even know who the defence minister/presidents of the country where she's lived for 14 years were. I mean what?).
It's a really interesting thought piece on environmental challenges and possible ways to solve them and in a way reminded me alot of some of the non fiction books from my poli-sci classes at uni. It's definitely full of interesting ideas that I would love to sit at a seminar to discuss, but I'm not sure it worked as fiction in this particular way.
Personally, I would have skipped pretty much everything about the ministry and the character of Mary, even though I realise that is the title of the book and the main protagonist of the story.
The chapters describing the changes taking place in different areas of the world and the "testimonials" from the perspective of different characters affected personally by it all were wonderful and captivating. I wish the whole book was made out of only these. Maybe expanding on the experiences of several of the characters instead of Mary and Frank (although Frank was interesting until he only became a plot device for Mary) would have made in a better read for me.
I also found it hard to make myself believe in the fact that all of these changes could be connected so directly to the ministry and that they where such a driving force behind them (like basically inventing the new internet!) while still feeling quite incompetent for those tasks (Mary didn't even know who the defence minister/presidents of the country where she's lived for 14 years were. I mean what?).
It's a really interesting thought piece on environmental challenges and possible ways to solve them and in a way reminded me alot of some of the non fiction books from my poli-sci classes at uni. It's definitely full of interesting ideas that I would love to sit at a seminar to discuss, but I'm not sure it worked as fiction in this particular way.
abarnhart's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
6_am_hotdog's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Maximilian Robespierre once said in defense of the Terror, "Citizens, do you want a revolution without a revolution?" There's an inherent understanding amoung all revolutionaries that drastic change requires drastic action - actions that are not always pretty. Any form of drastic change has a sharp backlash that implementing it always comes with an understood heavy hand to supress that backlash.
Robinson answers Robespierre's question with an emphatic "yes." The wholesale changes and obvious changes he predicts the world will need to stace off a climate crisis are met with resistance, but instead of this resistance being a significant conflict that needs to be overcome, he posits that the overwhelming threat of the world will inevitably force bad actors to change. He acknowledges that there will be acts of violence but these acts are all brushed aside with "and everyone gets on board." Most idealistic of all is his position that central banks would willingly restructure their activities away from capitalist free market policies to interventionist socialistic control without any external influence from the political wings of their governments.
I fully enjoyed and appreciated Robinson's commitment to a grounded expectation of the impacts of climate change on the lives of people - the mass deaths, the massive refugee crisis, the compounding disasters. But the political development described is fantastical and devoid of any form of power politics. It is an idealistic hope for the international order and international liberalism to solve a looming problem that liberalism has repeatedly proven incapable of solving. In that regard, it is completely unsurprising that Obama would be a supporter of this book. It agrees that the climate crisis cannot be solved within the realms of capitalism, but is too afraid to acknowledge the brutal steps that would be required to end it.
Robinson answers Robespierre's question with an emphatic "yes." The wholesale changes and obvious changes he predicts the world will need to stace off a climate crisis are met with resistance, but instead of this resistance being a significant conflict that needs to be overcome, he posits that the overwhelming threat of the world will inevitably force bad actors to change. He acknowledges that there will be acts of violence but these acts are all brushed aside with "and everyone gets on board." Most idealistic of all is his position that central banks would willingly restructure their activities away from capitalist free market policies to interventionist socialistic control without any external influence from the political wings of their governments.
I fully enjoyed and appreciated Robinson's commitment to a grounded expectation of the impacts of climate change on the lives of people - the mass deaths, the massive refugee crisis, the compounding disasters. But the political development described is fantastical and devoid of any form of power politics. It is an idealistic hope for the international order and international liberalism to solve a looming problem that liberalism has repeatedly proven incapable of solving. In that regard, it is completely unsurprising that Obama would be a supporter of this book. It agrees that the climate crisis cannot be solved within the realms of capitalism, but is too afraid to acknowledge the brutal steps that would be required to end it.