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A review by traitorjoe
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Whenever I recommend books to people, I try to keep why I like it as succinct as possible because I do not want to accidentally let slip a spoiler. And generally I feel that I do a decent job of it. But I am not sure I can do that for Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility.
I shall try.
The less you know about this book, the better the impact. In my case, I had only read Station Eleven previously, so I had an idea of Mandel’s style. Sea of Tranquility takes it up a notch. She just has this way of melding beautiful prose with a seemingly disconnected story, and then suddenly you find yourself with a sense of subtle clarity.
That’s likely the best way for me to describe it, that she tricks you into looking at a tree till you find yourself breathing in the forest.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a bit of a struggle finding the beginning of the narrative compelling. It took me some time, but then there was a remarkable moment where I whispered recognition as an audible “Ohhhh.” Then I was captivated.
My main criticism of Station Eleven was how it ended, but I was thoroughly satisfied when I turned the last page. This is a true five star read for me, and I cannot sing its praises enough.
In short, I can’t believe they made Marienbad real.
I shall try.
The less you know about this book, the better the impact. In my case, I had only read Station Eleven previously, so I had an idea of Mandel’s style. Sea of Tranquility takes it up a notch. She just has this way of melding beautiful prose with a seemingly disconnected story, and then suddenly you find yourself with a sense of subtle clarity.
That’s likely the best way for me to describe it, that she tricks you into looking at a tree till you find yourself breathing in the forest.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a bit of a struggle finding the beginning of the narrative compelling. It took me some time, but then there was a remarkable moment where I whispered recognition as an audible “Ohhhh.” Then I was captivated.
My main criticism of Station Eleven was how it ended, but I was thoroughly satisfied when I turned the last page. This is a true five star read for me, and I cannot sing its praises enough.
In short, I can’t believe they made Marienbad real.