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A review by spaghettireads
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.25
I started this immediately after finishing The Glass Hotel, and I think that this was a great companion novel. While you don't have to have read Station Eleven and/or The Glass Hotel to read Sea of Tranquility, I think that most of my enjoyment came from the themes and plot that are a continuation of TGH especially. So while the writing style of SoT is much more straightforward and has a different feel to TGH, I would recommend reading that one first to appreciate SoT to the fullest.
This was a pretty quick read and I liked all the different timelines and perspectives. They were each quite short so the story moved on fast. As someone who doesn't read a lot of SFF I liked that while there were aspects of SFF that are important to the plot, there was no time spent explaining any mechanics.
I liked how St. John Mandel included a perspective that seemed to self referential. Without giving spoilers, I really liked how she was able to discuss dystopian fiction as a genre, and the experience of being a popular dystopian fiction writer.
A 4 star read instead of a 5 star read because I wanted just a bit more from the book. It is quite short and in some ways I didn't feel like the back half fully lived up to the front half.
I would definitely recommend this, even if The Glass Hotel wasn't for you. This one is a bit easier to understand what is going on, but still has really cool connections and a lot to think about! Be warned though that there is a significant amount of pandemic content!
This was a pretty quick read and I liked all the different timelines and perspectives. They were each quite short so the story moved on fast. As someone who doesn't read a lot of SFF I liked that while there were aspects of SFF that are important to the plot, there was no time spent explaining any mechanics.
I liked how St. John Mandel included a perspective that seemed to self referential. Without giving spoilers, I really liked how she was able to discuss dystopian fiction as a genre, and the experience of being a popular dystopian fiction writer.
A 4 star read instead of a 5 star read because I wanted just a bit more from the book. It is quite short and in some ways I didn't feel like the back half fully lived up to the front half.
I would definitely recommend this, even if The Glass Hotel wasn't for you. This one is a bit easier to understand what is going on, but still has really cool connections and a lot to think about! Be warned though that there is a significant amount of pandemic content!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death
Minor: Murder