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A review by happentobeshort
Starglass by Phoebe North
4.0
SECULAR JEWS IN SPACE!!! WHY DIDN'T THIS BOOK EXIST WHEN I WAS 13!??!??
[Also: I kept thinking about this skit from Mel Brooks'History of the World Part 1 film, JEWS IN SPACE]
This was SUCH an entertaining read! Everyone is suspicious! Trust no-one!! BELIEVE NOTHING! I was pulled in from the very first page, where it's a letter from a mother, who was part of the group of colonists to join the Asherah to leave Earth, and her reasons for joining the ship. I wanted to know more! What compelled her to write this letter? Why did it feel like the story just didn't end there? What happened????
I loved all the Yiddish and Hebrew words thrown in and how everyone on the ship was Jewish but not in a religious way. They were Jewish because it was their culture, it was their way of life and ideals and morals that made them Jews. Which is really the core of being Jewish, in my opinion.
It was quite interesting for me as well because halfway through reading this, I went to the Bat Mitzvah of 2 girls that I remember playing with as toddlers at my Reform Jewish community here in Singapore. I kept thinking about this book and how I wish I read it when I was about their age. The book made me feel like my way of being Jewish wasn't wrong and that I can be an Atheist and still identify as a Jew, I don't have to pretend I'm Agnostic or even "Full Jew" in the slightest.
That being said, the characters in this story are all very grey. Like there is no black and white. Everyone is good and also bad. It's really fascinating and what good SciFi should be like. There are a lot of moments when you side 100% with Terra and then where you flip completely and think she's being childish or not seeing things properly, but it's good because it makes you stop and think for a moment. Which to be honest, I don't often do when I'm reading Fiction!! I just get so lost in the book that I only stop to think about my own perception of the story after I've read it!
My reason for not going with a 5 and a 4 instead is because I felt the book at times was a bit rushed. Like the pacing was off and there was a lot going on. It wasn't bad, I just felt it could have either been spaced out a bit more or even slimmed down a bit. Also the ending felt super abrupt!! She just kinda said something to herself and then everything faded to black and that was it. Maybe it's just me but I wish there was something a bit more concrete at the end to give me some closure. Then again, I found out recently that there is a sequel and despite how I feel about how Starglass ended, I don't think I want to read it!! I'm content with the book as it is and would rather acknowledge it as a stand alone.
I do want to read more of Phoebe North's work though! So I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for more of her work in the future.
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com
[Also: I kept thinking about this skit from Mel Brooks'History of the World Part 1 film, JEWS IN SPACE]
This was SUCH an entertaining read! Everyone is suspicious! Trust no-one!! BELIEVE NOTHING! I was pulled in from the very first page, where it's a letter from a mother, who was part of the group of colonists to join the Asherah to leave Earth, and her reasons for joining the ship. I wanted to know more! What compelled her to write this letter? Why did it feel like the story just didn't end there? What happened????
I loved all the Yiddish and Hebrew words thrown in and how everyone on the ship was Jewish but not in a religious way. They were Jewish because it was their culture, it was their way of life and ideals and morals that made them Jews. Which is really the core of being Jewish, in my opinion.
It was quite interesting for me as well because halfway through reading this, I went to the Bat Mitzvah of 2 girls that I remember playing with as toddlers at my Reform Jewish community here in Singapore. I kept thinking about this book and how I wish I read it when I was about their age. The book made me feel like my way of being Jewish wasn't wrong and that I can be an Atheist and still identify as a Jew, I don't have to pretend I'm Agnostic or even "Full Jew" in the slightest.
That being said, the characters in this story are all very grey. Like there is no black and white. Everyone is good and also bad. It's really fascinating and what good SciFi should be like. There are a lot of moments when you side 100% with Terra and then where you flip completely and think she's being childish or not seeing things properly, but it's good because it makes you stop and think for a moment. Which to be honest, I don't often do when I'm reading Fiction!! I just get so lost in the book that I only stop to think about my own perception of the story after I've read it!
My reason for not going with a 5 and a 4 instead is because I felt the book at times was a bit rushed. Like the pacing was off and there was a lot going on. It wasn't bad, I just felt it could have either been spaced out a bit more or even slimmed down a bit. Also the ending felt super abrupt!! She just kinda said something to herself and then everything faded to black and that was it. Maybe it's just me but I wish there was something a bit more concrete at the end to give me some closure. Then again, I found out recently that there is a sequel and despite how I feel about how Starglass ended, I don't think I want to read it!! I'm content with the book as it is and would rather acknowledge it as a stand alone.
I do want to read more of Phoebe North's work though! So I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for more of her work in the future.
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com