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A review by sheilajenn
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
4.0
This book surprised me. It's not like anything else of Bujold's I've read. Normally, she seems to take delight in torturing her characters-in this book, nothing bad really happened or was at risk of happening at any point. There wasn't an action or external plot at all- it's just a romance and personal plot for Jole. Miles is hardly in it at all. Everyone is their best self all the time, nobody makes any terrible mistakes.
That added up to being, in one sense, a bit of a snooze, not exciting like every other Bujold book I've read. But on the other, it was sort of a relief. Nothing bad happening to the Vorkosigans for once! I think maybe she wrote it to give herself and her poor characters a well-deserved break. And I found it restful too. So it still gets four stars from me, though if you're looking for action or you're not already deeply attached to Bujold's characters, you might not like it.
That added up to being, in one sense, a bit of a snooze, not exciting like every other Bujold book I've read. But on the other, it was sort of a relief. Nothing bad happening to the Vorkosigans for once! I think maybe she wrote it to give herself and her poor characters a well-deserved break. And I found it restful too. So it still gets four stars from me, though if you're looking for action or you're not already deeply attached to Bujold's characters, you might not like it.