Scan barcode
A review by acreech
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
3.0
I haven't read all of the books in the series, though there is enough context to follow the references. I picked this one up because I had enjoyed the others and it was only one that my libraries had on audiobook that I hadn't listened to yet. This book...is not like the others.
It has many of the characters from the other books, and is set in the same universe, but at a much later date than any of the books I had read. It's also lacking any of the action, intrigue, rapier wit, and getting out of one scrape after another that you might expect from a Miles Vorkosigan story. Though Miles is in the book, it's not his story, so that might explain how Bujold could write in this universe and not have peril around every corner.
This book is an exploration of middle age, parenthood, and what it means to be family. Though there are references to non-heterosexual relationships, it's a very heternormative story as well. That made it hard for me to connect with, particularly since I have never had any sort of interest in children or having any of my own. It's a testament to Bujold's writing -- or perhaps my boredom and unwillingness to find something else to read -- that I finished the book anyway.
It has many of the characters from the other books, and is set in the same universe, but at a much later date than any of the books I had read. It's also lacking any of the action, intrigue, rapier wit, and getting out of one scrape after another that you might expect from a Miles Vorkosigan story. Though Miles is in the book, it's not his story, so that might explain how Bujold could write in this universe and not have peril around every corner.
This book is an exploration of middle age, parenthood, and what it means to be family. Though there are references to non-heterosexual relationships, it's a very heternormative story as well. That made it hard for me to connect with, particularly since I have never had any sort of interest in children or having any of my own. It's a testament to Bujold's writing -- or perhaps my boredom and unwillingness to find something else to read -- that I finished the book anyway.