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caebrown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Colonisation
theebster's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: War and Injury/Injury detail
pacifickat's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Grief
Minor: Mental illness and Alcohol
Child neglect, memory problems, hallucinations, difficulty discerning realitymaeverose's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t want to say too much, I think it’s better to go into it not knowing much. If you like sci fi stories that involve a mystery but mainly focus on characters, their relationships, and mundane aspects of people’s lives, I would recommend. I found the writing style very easy to read as well, not confusing or difficult as sci-fi books can be for me sometimes, especially with my adhd brain.
The main content warning I would give for this, in the least spoilery way possible: it involves questioning reality. I didn’t personally feel like it was done in a triggering way. It doesn’t dwell on it too much. But if that’s an especially triggering topic for you then that’s something to keep in mind. The spoiler version:
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Vomit, and Alcohol
Ptsd flashback involving dismembered bodies - not described in graphic detail. Questioning of reality:brekaboujie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I raced through this book, it was very fast paced. I was a bit concerned at the beginning that the structure would put me off, as sometimes jumping from so many perspectives or plot lines can leave me a bit detatched or impatient to get back to my favourite bits, but this wasn't like that at all. There was a constant thread that went through the whole book, which I wasnt expecting as I'd completely forgotten the blurb by the time I'd picked it up. Relevant side note, would definitely recommend jumping straight in without knowing the plot by the way, it was fun.
I also have to admit, I got a violent sense of dread by the time I was half way and the first plot twist came in. Generally the book seemed like just an interesting exploration through time to start but that middle section and the way it pulled everything together was really chilling to me. It gave me Piranesi (by Susanna Clark) vibes - I found that book pretty intense and unsettling at times, and this matched that. It was a really cool take on this kind of storyline.
Only thing to note I guess was that there was loads left out plot wise.
Overall, found it super pacey, interesting premise, loved the twists (oh my god I haven't even talked about the end i LOVED the end), and a very unique feeling to a book, I've not really read anything like it l!! Which is always exciting.
Moderate: Death and Pandemic/Epidemic
potentially spoilers so I'll hide it butwithlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’m not sure if I’ll ever really enjoy a pandemic novel (which this book briefly becomes - I lived through it and I don’t fancy experiencing it again thanks), and I do think that the pacing was a little all over the place (the beginning, for example, is extremely slow and leans more into historical fiction than sci-fi) but the ending is more than worth the wait.
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Cursing and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Gun violence, Vomit, Alcohol, and War
dforestgamble's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
maddie_can_read's review against another edition
- 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
The writing and the characterization is so good that even though you're only with each of the initial characters for a short period of time (time both in terms of chapters, and time in terms of a very short period of their lives), you care for them and get a sense of who they are. Loved the writing style. Loved how everything came together at the end.
The only thing I want from this book is more
Graphic: War and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Death, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
dinipandareads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
The synopsis is vague and for good reason. There's not much I can say about this that won't give the plot away entirely but I thoroughly enjoyed this "cosy-esque" science fiction about time travel. Despite my initial confusion around halfway through, this was a relatively accessible SF story that doesn't get overly technical about the physics or mechanics of time travel as a concept, which I appreciated. This was (somehow) my first book by Emily St. John Mandel but I can say that it won't be the last. Her writing has a dreamy and hypnotizing quality to it that, at times, makes you question what's real and what's not, but it's entirely captivating and I was easily swept along for what turned out to be a wonderfully thought-provoking ride! I found the images played out like a movie in my head and even though each character's chapters weren't long, I found myself fully immersed in their settings and stories and I felt emotionally connected to all of them.
Overall, I think this is going to be a story that sticks with me for a while after I finish reading it. As it is, I'm still thinking about how brilliantly St. John Mandel wove everything together for that ending. I loved it and I would definitely recommend it if you're curious, enjoy science fiction or would like to dip your toe into a genre that you're not entirely comfortable with.
Minor: Death, Suicide, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic