A review by deedireads
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I'll do a full review of the series when I finish all three, but thoughts on book 1:

  • Creative, emotional premise (alternate history in which a meteor destroyed DC and the East Coast in the early 1950s, triggering an extinction event like the dinosaurs, with a female mathematician MC who decides to fight to be the first woman in space)
  • Not super fast paced, but still a pretty quick read
  • Love the Jewish rep, especially in SFF and in the 50s
  • Great commentary on the stigmatization of mental health challenges and treatment
  • Occasionally cheesy or bumpy writing but could be worse for sure
  • I like that the main characters (white) are progressive but not unrealistically so for their time; they make mistakes (especially about race and feminism) and try to learn from them
  • Elma and Nethaniel are OTP and their cheesy fade-to-black bedroom scenes make me smile

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