coltonchase_'s review against another edition
5.0
Matt Haig did something so beautiful here.
It is satire that will make you laugh and cry simultaneously. It’s narrator is an alien from a planet very, very far away. They’re on a mission to halt human progression. They know humans inside and out — they are mean, and violent, and money-obsessed.
But our narrator, while learning hands-on among the humans of Earth, experiences something else entirely. They experience the best of humanity. Love. And grief. And romance. Laughing and crying.
Haig embodied an outside so well through writing from the perspective of something not human experiencing humanity for the first time. Such great revelations here, too, about what we think matters and what actually matters. Here is just a snippet of Haig’s poetry: “she was a human. She knew one day her husband would die and yet she still dared to love him. That was an amazing thing.”
I was so shocked to discover that this book was written almost a decade ago. The hype isn’t there, but it should be.
It is satire that will make you laugh and cry simultaneously. It’s narrator is an alien from a planet very, very far away. They’re on a mission to halt human progression. They know humans inside and out — they are mean, and violent, and money-obsessed.
But our narrator, while learning hands-on among the humans of Earth, experiences something else entirely. They experience the best of humanity. Love. And grief. And romance. Laughing and crying.
Haig embodied an outside so well through writing from the perspective of something not human experiencing humanity for the first time. Such great revelations here, too, about what we think matters and what actually matters. Here is just a snippet of Haig’s poetry: “she was a human. She knew one day her husband would die and yet she still dared to love him. That was an amazing thing.”
I was so shocked to discover that this book was written almost a decade ago. The hype isn’t there, but it should be.
readervibez13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
ploptart1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
hannahmarkezich's review against another edition
5.0
I love a funny book. I love funny books that also have heartfelt moments even more. This book delivered exactly that.
The Humans follows an alien who has been sent to earth to inhabit a mathematician's body and destroy all traces of this man's accomplishments - his notes, his emails, his friends and family. Our poor alien friend is dropped on earth, inside his new human body, naked, in the middle of street. He doesn't understand clothes or cars or traffic lights or cultural rules. I laughed aloud in many parts of this novel, from the protagonist's bumbling around the human world, not understanding why we act as we do to his witty observations of human customs that when you think about it...are really bizarre. This is honestly a huge compliment coming from me because I find that humor in books is rarely funny to me. I'll get the intention (oh...the author tried to make a joke there), but it's rarely ever actually funny.
As the alien gets his bearings on earth, he begins to learn what makes humans good and special and also what makes us awful. I loved the journey that I went on with him as he learned about this new planet and what it means to make mistakes, to love others, and to be human.
I highly recommend this if you need a good laugh but are also prepared to shed a couple of tears.
The Humans follows an alien who has been sent to earth to inhabit a mathematician's body and destroy all traces of this man's accomplishments - his notes, his emails, his friends and family. Our poor alien friend is dropped on earth, inside his new human body, naked, in the middle of street. He doesn't understand clothes or cars or traffic lights or cultural rules. I laughed aloud in many parts of this novel, from the protagonist's bumbling around the human world, not understanding why we act as we do to his witty observations of human customs that when you think about it...are really bizarre. This is honestly a huge compliment coming from me because I find that humor in books is rarely funny to me. I'll get the intention (oh...the author tried to make a joke there), but it's rarely ever actually funny.
As the alien gets his bearings on earth, he begins to learn what makes humans good and special and also what makes us awful. I loved the journey that I went on with him as he learned about this new planet and what it means to make mistakes, to love others, and to be human.
I highly recommend this if you need a good laugh but are also prepared to shed a couple of tears.
auntblh's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun story about an alien who is sent to Earth to replace a mathematician who solved a mathematical problem and destroy any evidence of the solution. As the alien learns about the humans he comes into contact, he also learns about himself.
j_hall85's review against another edition
5.0
Reflections, musings, and idiocies surrounding what it means to be human wrapped in a dramatic sci-fi story of an alien living among us. This was a surprisingly emotional read!
fadoua_05's review against another edition
4.0
This got my heart beat, move i dont know, do all sort of things ! Can I say this is so romantic ? I dont know. What I know is that i really reallly enjoyed it !
I love anything alien related and I love me some alien like this one. My new fictional crush is an alien whose name we don't know from a planet far far far far.... Far away ! Yey my life !
I love anything alien related and I love me some alien like this one. My new fictional crush is an alien whose name we don't know from a planet far far far far.... Far away ! Yey my life !