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x0pherl's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting exploration of what the introduction of human-appearing-artificial-intelligence might be like, for some reason set in an alternate-past-80s London (in addition to the speed-up of technology, due partly to Alan Turing not committing suicide the failed defense of the Faukland Islands is happening during the story).
The story was enough to pull me along although not what I would call “suspenseful”, but the book was thought provoking for sure.
The story was enough to pull me along although not what I would call “suspenseful”, but the book was thought provoking for sure.
francesca_2906's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amyrhoda's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a fine book. It's about a guy in his early 30s who is kind of aimless. When he gets a big inheritance, he decides to spend it on one of the first twenty-five models of a lifelike robot. He decides to involve his cute upstairs neighbour in the setup process for the robot, as a way to get closer to her. Things get weirder from there as the three of them negotiate their lives together.
The book is set in an alternate version of the 80s. Alan Turing is still alive and technology is more advanced than it is in this timeline's present, but politics are still a shitshow. I will be honest, I don't know enough about 80s UK politics to know what in this book is a digression from reality — people who know more will probably understand the implications of the differences a lot better than I did.
The author does yeoman's work explaining machine learning, the P versus NP problem, and other computer science concepts. They were a good refresher for me, but I don't know what this book would be like if you didn't already have some understanding of them. Probably fine, I guess; you can skim over the technical stuff and still understand the implications.
I think this would be a good book for a discussion group — I think there are lots of ideas in the book that would be interesting to chew over together. And not just ideas about technology, but literary stuff: metaphors and allusions and whatnot. (I read the book when I was recovering from some infection so my brain only registered that there might be something interesting there, it didn't go any further.)
I powered through this book in a couple of days and it kept drawing me back in, but it didn't particularly move me or make me think. It would likely have been a more thought-provoking read if I hadn't been so out of it.
The book is set in an alternate version of the 80s. Alan Turing is still alive and technology is more advanced than it is in this timeline's present, but politics are still a shitshow. I will be honest, I don't know enough about 80s UK politics to know what in this book is a digression from reality — people who know more will probably understand the implications of the differences a lot better than I did.
The author does yeoman's work explaining machine learning, the P versus NP problem, and other computer science concepts. They were a good refresher for me, but I don't know what this book would be like if you didn't already have some understanding of them. Probably fine, I guess; you can skim over the technical stuff and still understand the implications.
I think this would be a good book for a discussion group — I think there are lots of ideas in the book that would be interesting to chew over together. And not just ideas about technology, but literary stuff: metaphors and allusions and whatnot. (I read the book when I was recovering from some infection so my brain only registered that there might be something interesting there, it didn't go any further.)
I powered through this book in a couple of days and it kept drawing me back in, but it didn't particularly move me or make me think. It would likely have been a more thought-provoking read if I hadn't been so out of it.
hscoop_'s review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It was okay. A brilliant concept, but boring execution.
emleemay's review against another edition
3.0
Three days before, she had asked a mysterious question. We were mid-embrace, in the conventional position. She drew my face towards hers. Her look was serious.
She whispered, "Tell me something. Are you real?"
I didn’t reply.
A few days ago, my sister introduced me to the bizarre world of soap cutting on Instagram. For some reason I have been unable to fathom, we spent an unreasonable amount of time being mesmerized by these videos. "What are we doing?" I wondered, as I clicked to the next one. At one point I laughed and said aloud: "When the aliens arrive and study us, they'll decide we're out of our minds based on things like this."
Because humans are not particularly rational beings. Sure, we have certain capabilities that make us more able to rationalize than other animals, but we are deeply motivated by irrational emotions and impulses. We want things that are bad for us. We contradict ourselves. We love. Rationality has no place in the human heart.
In [b:Machines Like Me|42086795|Machines Like Me|Ian McEwan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1552757135s/42086795.jpg|65638827], this becomes the core dilemma: what happens when a humanoid artificial intelligence, built on logic, rationality and absolutes, lives among completely irrational, impulsive, contradictory humans? What does a logical machine do when faced with illogical problems like:
Millions dying of diseases we know how to cure. Millions living in poverty when there’s enough to go around. We degrade the biosphere when we know it’s our only home. We threaten each other with nuclear weapons when we know where it could lead. We love living things but we permit a mass extinction of species.
This aspect, like a few other aspects of the book, is interesting. McEwan has once more written a character-driven exploration of a people and culture. The problem is - and this does seem to be something McEwan indulges in often - the extensive amount of waffling and seemingly extraneous information.
I still feel unconvinced about the decision to set this book in an alternate Thatcher-era Britain. I cannot wrap my mind around why this seemed like a good choice, as opposed to our current time. It was almost gimmicky. In this alternate 1980s, Alan Turing is still very much alive and leading the developments in artificial intelligence, Thatcher is fighting a losing battle in the Falklands War, and Tony Benn is the leader of the opposition. Why any of this is the case remains a bit of a mystery to me.
In this world, citizens who can afford the hefty price tag can purchase an Adam or Eve, specify certain characteristics, and live with their very own humanoid robot. Charlie Friend does just that, bringing Adam into his home and introducing him to his younger girlfriend, Miranda. It doesn't take Adam long to fall in love with Miranda, have a brief physical affair with her, disable his shutdown switch, and then proceed to compose thousands of haiku for his beloved.
These are minor details in the exploration of the interactions between the characters. Some of the ethics of technology issues are fascinating, though hardly groundbreaking, but the book is at its strongest when looking at the clash of the rationality of machines with the irrational subjectivity of human nature. At times, it can be hard to know who is the human - Adam or Charlie - but Adam's inability to deviate from certain precepts is the ultimate tell.
But other parts are far less interesting, going into seemingly superfluous detail. The subplot of the secrets from Miranda's past, the couples' endeavours to adopt a young boy, the explanation of the P versus NP problem, and the eye-glazing textbook descriptions of the fictional history and technology in this world seem to add pages to the book, but little else.
I am not sure why McEwan decided to turn this speculative piece on artificial intelligence into a critique of the political landscape of 1980s Britain. The interactions between human and machine were compelling, but the sweeping overviews of years of fictional history were far less so.
Warning for graphic sexual violence.
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deanna_c's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
houyhnhnm64's review against another edition
3.0
I left it too long writing up my thoughts about this book, so I cannot and will not be too detailed. I have mixed feelings about Machines like me, as I have about most recent novels by McEwan. It is a very clever book, the plot is intricate and well thought-out, it touches on politics, it is also intriguing and relevant: artificial intelligence is all around us and in rapid development, with many scientists warning us that we humans are creating our own undoing. So when Adam, the robot that the novel's male protagonist Charlie has bought, befriends and beds his girlfriend (and neighbour) Miranda, well, there you have it, robots beat us in every department!
But for all its cleverness, the book failed to emotionally engage me, as many earlier novels by McEwan succeeded in doing. The political context feels a little as if it has been dragged in because surely some sort of political engagement is required, the scientific episodes feel as if someone who has just before going onstage collected the necessary information is giving a lecture. And these political and scientific digressions come at the cost of leaving less room for developing the interplay between the characters. If I think back to Black Dogs for instance, the political issues are very relevant to the story, and the characters come to life in a much more compelling way. Scientific digressions are absent. A more focused, and therefore, to my mind, better book. Maybe I will pick up one of these earlier McEwans for a reread...
But for all its cleverness, the book failed to emotionally engage me, as many earlier novels by McEwan succeeded in doing. The political context feels a little as if it has been dragged in because surely some sort of political engagement is required, the scientific episodes feel as if someone who has just before going onstage collected the necessary information is giving a lecture. And these political and scientific digressions come at the cost of leaving less room for developing the interplay between the characters. If I think back to Black Dogs for instance, the political issues are very relevant to the story, and the characters come to life in a much more compelling way. Scientific digressions are absent. A more focused, and therefore, to my mind, better book. Maybe I will pick up one of these earlier McEwans for a reread...
jjouzephine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
alicemiranda00's review against another edition
2.0
Waste of time but I didn’t bring any other books away with me. Didn’t like any of the characters and they deserved the ending they got. What was the point of all the political stuff it was boring didn’t get it
anaurrutia's review against another edition
4.0
Buen libro, con rica reflexión sobre las inteligencias artificiales, su sentido y su diferencia con la humana, me gustó mucho. Las partes con la especulación de cómo se movería la política según los supuestos que plantea me aburrieron un poco, pero lo demás, con muchas cosas para subrayar y compartir. Gran lectura, la disfruté.