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A review by betweenbookends
The Heavens by Sandra Newman
3.0
3.5/5
I really liked this literary, historical, time travel mishmash of a novel despite some of its gaping flaws. It opens in the year 2000 in a slightly utopic version of New York. Kate and Ben meet at this boho-chic uptown party and have this electric attraction for each other and they hit-it-off right away. You soon come to realize that Kate has these intensely realistic dreams where she finds herself in Elizabethan England leading a parallel life as a mistress to an English noble, a character speculated to be ‘the Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare's more bawdy sonnets. Every time she wakes up, she finds small details of her life as Kate altered, while every now and then, visions of a burning city plague her. Kate increasingly begins to believe her actions in the past, however inconsequential, torpedo to have far-reaching consequences in the present. As the novel progresses, both timelines increasingly coalesce and Kate’s mental stability gradually deteriorates.
Newman’s novel is a fascinating meditation on the Great Man Theory, a few men of profound significance altering the course of history, as well as the butterfly effect, small acts having far-reaching consequences. These concepts though are slightly heavy-handed. To the extent, that Kate actually mentions them in the initial few pages of the novel. A little subtlety and trust that her readers would understand would have helped? While these ideas are incredibly interesting, the execution is not near as perfect. The historical timeline initially bored me. The logical loopholes seemed too large to ignore, even with some suspension of belief. The character development also felt a little lazy. I didn’t particularly care for any of these characters. But the story was compelling enough to keep me interested. Despite my criticisms, it’s definitely one I’d recommend. A well written, whacky, joy-ride of a novel that keeps you guessing till the end.
I really liked this literary, historical, time travel mishmash of a novel despite some of its gaping flaws. It opens in the year 2000 in a slightly utopic version of New York. Kate and Ben meet at this boho-chic uptown party and have this electric attraction for each other and they hit-it-off right away. You soon come to realize that Kate has these intensely realistic dreams where she finds herself in Elizabethan England leading a parallel life as a mistress to an English noble, a character speculated to be ‘the Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare's more bawdy sonnets. Every time she wakes up, she finds small details of her life as Kate altered, while every now and then, visions of a burning city plague her. Kate increasingly begins to believe her actions in the past, however inconsequential, torpedo to have far-reaching consequences in the present. As the novel progresses, both timelines increasingly coalesce and Kate’s mental stability gradually deteriorates.
Newman’s novel is a fascinating meditation on the Great Man Theory, a few men of profound significance altering the course of history, as well as the butterfly effect, small acts having far-reaching consequences. These concepts though are slightly heavy-handed. To the extent, that Kate actually mentions them in the initial few pages of the novel. A little subtlety and trust that her readers would understand would have helped? While these ideas are incredibly interesting, the execution is not near as perfect. The historical timeline initially bored me. The logical loopholes seemed too large to ignore, even with some suspension of belief. The character development also felt a little lazy. I didn’t particularly care for any of these characters. But the story was compelling enough to keep me interested. Despite my criticisms, it’s definitely one I’d recommend. A well written, whacky, joy-ride of a novel that keeps you guessing till the end.