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singalana 's review for:
Doomsday Book
by Connie Willis
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When I started listening to this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy a time travel book.
The beginning of the book sounded interesting: a young student is sent back in time to the middle ages. However, something goes wrong when one of the techs falls ill, and the reader is left wondering whether something came through from the middle ages.
However, the pace of the book slows down so much and feels so repetitive. Around halfway through it feels like it's a story about babysitting and administrative tasks. The author has a tendency to repeat words and phrases almost back to back and it slows the narration down even more.
When the story finally picks up, it's quite gruesome with graphic details. Too bad that I didn't feel connected with the characters, so their fates weren't as impactful as they could have been, with a few exceptions.
I thought the main character (Kivrin) was too naive, and I didn't like her very much. A few characters grew on me as the story went on.
The bit with Gawyn could have done with rethinking, because the whole character felt a bit pointless.
After the dragging middle, the ending was surprisingly impactful. However, I think this book could have done with editing and rethinking parts of the plot.
The beginning of the book sounded interesting: a young student is sent back in time to the middle ages. However, something goes wrong when one of the techs falls ill, and the reader is left wondering whether something came through from the middle ages.
However, the pace of the book slows down so much and feels so repetitive. Around halfway through it feels like it's a story about babysitting and administrative tasks. The author has a tendency to repeat words and phrases almost back to back and it slows the narration down even more.
When the story finally picks up, it's quite gruesome with graphic details. Too bad that I didn't feel connected with the characters, so their fates weren't as impactful as they could have been, with a few exceptions.
I thought the main character (Kivrin) was too naive, and I didn't like her very much. A few characters grew on me as the story went on.
The bit with Gawyn could have done with rethinking, because the whole character felt a bit pointless.
After the dragging middle, the ending was surprisingly impactful. However, I think this book could have done with editing and rethinking parts of the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail