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souldentist's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Genre fiction written by a white dude from Oxford, for sure. The way Pears writes his women in this book is pretty gross - the mathematician character is literally mentally powered by hysteria and her motherly instincts, and the teen girl ends up just supporting a male character's redemption arc.
"What if stories were literally real life" would have been a neat 500 word prompt for a grade schooler but it's groan-worthy by the end of Arcadia.
"What if stories were literally real life" would have been a neat 500 word prompt for a grade schooler but it's groan-worthy by the end of Arcadia.
sledge_hm's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
debmeg's review against another edition
4.0
Slightly mind-bending, different to other Iain Pears novels, very very fun and entertaining.
klparmley's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this. Alternate reality vs time travel. You're not sure which it is until the end. It IS a lteele open ended. There may be a sequel.
mkhare's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars? I thoroughly enjoyed the first third of this book and let the flow of the stories (with their hint of mysteries and gentle, dry humour) carry me along.
I hit a snag in the middle third however, and found myself quite disinterested in what was happening in Anterworld, what Jack was doing, and the developing spy investigations. During this portion, I really had to force myself to continue reading. I also struggled with Rosie’s overly-competent characterisation throughout, but that is most likely just a 'me problem'.
Things did pick up and come together in the final third but I found myself generally underwhelmed overall. I think it ties in with the overall ‘circular’ nature of the book where the concepts of past and future, prophets and The Story make everything feel a bit inevitable in the end. The constant jumping between character/time/place also made it hard to feel much worry or tension. (I know there is an app that can be used to read the book a different way but it sadly unavailable to me.)
The writing was also quite sparse in its descriptions in a way that I often lost track of what was happening, most likely made worse by my wavering focus in the middle portion. For example, there is a section where Jay is brought to a tent to see Parmarchon who immediately says 'Leave us'. I was initially confused about who he was talking to as the text doesn't make a point of highlighting the fact that another person/people accompanied Jay, only that he was 'brought'. Yes, obviously someone had to do the bringing and this is quite a basic concept, but there were multiple instances like this were I had to stop reading and re-imagine the situation to try and understand what the text was trying to describe to me. Maybe this is just highlighting how much I struggled to properly sink into the book.
I hit a snag in the middle third however, and found myself quite disinterested in what was happening in Anterworld, what Jack was doing, and the developing spy investigations. During this portion, I really had to force myself to continue reading. I also struggled with Rosie’s overly-competent characterisation throughout, but that is most likely just a 'me problem'.
Things did pick up and come together in the final third but I found myself generally underwhelmed overall. I think it ties in with the overall ‘circular’ nature of the book where the concepts of past and future, prophets and The Story make everything feel a bit inevitable in the end. The constant jumping between character/time/place also made it hard to feel much worry or tension. (I know there is an app that can be used to read the book a different way but it sadly unavailable to me.)
The writing was also quite sparse in its descriptions in a way that I often lost track of what was happening, most likely made worse by my wavering focus in the middle portion. For example, there is a section where Jay is brought to a tent to see Parmarchon who immediately says 'Leave us'. I was initially confused about who he was talking to as the text doesn't make a point of highlighting the fact that another person/people accompanied Jay, only that he was 'brought'. Yes, obviously someone had to do the bringing and this is quite a basic concept, but there were multiple instances like this were I had to stop reading and re-imagine the situation to try and understand what the text was trying to describe to me. Maybe this is just highlighting how much I struggled to properly sink into the book.
laurash99's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
readingthroughthelists's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A novel that is unexpected and unexpectedly enjoyable.
Arcadia weaves together three distinct worlds--one fantasy, one science fiction/dystopia, and one historical fiction--in a way that is, well, not quite effortless, but still feasible. Much like Angela Meerson’s iron pergola time machine it just…works, even if the mechanics of how it works are not quite clear.
My only real complaint is the dialogue. Many characters talk the same (especially in Anterwold) and often it doesn’t sound quite convincing. This was especially noticeable in the early chapters, but once the pace picked up, it became less glaring.
4.5 stars.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
3.0
I've always found Iain Pears' novels somewhat ponderous--in fact, I don't think I've actually plowed through one of them. But I did make it through Arcadia. It is something else entirely.
There's a friskiness to this book, with a vast variety of characters in various time periods and in various worlds. Many get popped back and forth so it takes them awhile to get a grip on where they are and what they need to do. One of the worlds is a bucolic sort of place with a rich storytelling tradition that needs to be paid close attention to. There's a dystopian future, there's World War II, there's the 60's. If you tire of one story line, there's a new one coming up in a few pages.
I enjoyed this novel but wish it had been woven together more tightly. There's a lot of imagination at work here but one can become weary of so much of a muchness. There is much to admire in "Arcadia;" I wish that it had been more carefully structured for those delights to be completely enjoyed.
There's a friskiness to this book, with a vast variety of characters in various time periods and in various worlds. Many get popped back and forth so it takes them awhile to get a grip on where they are and what they need to do. One of the worlds is a bucolic sort of place with a rich storytelling tradition that needs to be paid close attention to. There's a dystopian future, there's World War II, there's the 60's. If you tire of one story line, there's a new one coming up in a few pages.
I enjoyed this novel but wish it had been woven together more tightly. There's a lot of imagination at work here but one can become weary of so much of a muchness. There is much to admire in "Arcadia;" I wish that it had been more carefully structured for those delights to be completely enjoyed.
noranne's review against another edition
5.0
Really had no clue what to expect with this one, just needed an audiobook to listen to and this one was available without a hold from the library. But wow, one of my favorite books I've read in a while!
There are 3 separate time periods/worlds going on, and they manage to all be interesting and connected in interesting and sometimes obvious sometimes devious ways. I enjoyed all of the characters, even the ones I didn't like, and there were enough twists and turns to keep things fun but without being pulled out of nowhere.
It's kind of like Narnia and Looper and Stranger Than Fiction all mashed up into one and some Cold War spy fiction thrown in for good measure. Very fun read. I can imagine that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it most certainly was mine!
There are 3 separate time periods/worlds going on, and they manage to all be interesting and connected in interesting and sometimes obvious sometimes devious ways. I enjoyed all of the characters, even the ones I didn't like, and there were enough twists and turns to keep things fun but without being pulled out of nowhere.
It's kind of like Narnia and Looper and Stranger Than Fiction all mashed up into one and some Cold War spy fiction thrown in for good measure. Very fun read. I can imagine that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it most certainly was mine!