benwarmuth's review against another edition
5.0
A very slow book, but a very good book. Apparently, I've heard that this book and its predecessor, Quicksilver, is all a lead-up to The System of the World, which is where the real story begins. I hope that's true.
ashtardeza's review against another edition
4.0
A bit long in the tooth here and there, and I found it pretty hard to answer the simple question "What's it about?"
I still enjoyed following the characters and it offers a really interesting view in the late 17th / early 18th century. It gives the impression of being very thoroughly researched and since I share Stephenson's geeky obsession with science it kept me coming back.
I still enjoyed following the characters and it offers a really interesting view in the late 17th / early 18th century. It gives the impression of being very thoroughly researched and since I share Stephenson's geeky obsession with science it kept me coming back.
ajmaybe's review against another edition
4.0
I find that I can't really review The Confusion separately from the rest of Baroque Cycle. This was even more the case for The Confusion than it was for Quicksilver, because it is very difficult to imagine how it would be for a reader who has not read that first book of the three. The best I can do is give it a four-star rating, meaning that I really enjoyed this thousand-page book alone, and is interesting and probably worth reading, but alone, it may or may not permanently alter your brain and enrich your perceptions and experiences of the world. In contrast, the three-book Baroque Cycle is definitely worth reading and, if you can get through it, *will* permanently alter your brain and enrich your perceptions and experiences of the world (that's my primary criterion for a five-star rating).
elsie_n's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lilaudio's review against another edition
3.0
Such a good plot, and fantastic characters. Particularly Eliza - a headstrong, determined, and strategic woman that navigates an (almost) impossible time in history, coming out strong above the rest. Although, not without a fair bit of trauma and understandable bitterness.
But, it really was so dense in descriptions and wandering rambles that many parts were a slog. That being said, the slog itself certainly conveys the slower pace and pervasive ritual related to etiquette of the elitist 1700s. Perhaps that is exactly what was needed to transport the reader back in time, becoming as immersed as possible in the times that The Confusion was set.
But, it really was so dense in descriptions and wandering rambles that many parts were a slog. That being said, the slog itself certainly conveys the slower pace and pervasive ritual related to etiquette of the elitist 1700s. Perhaps that is exactly what was needed to transport the reader back in time, becoming as immersed as possible in the times that The Confusion was set.
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
4.0
Long-winded, but still really entertaining. I get the feeling that Stephenson has buried in encryption an entire other story underneath these three novels which might explain some of the more overly described passages, but I'm not smart enough nor do I have enough time to figure it out, and I'm not obsessed enough to do a Google search and fall down any rabbit holes to see if anyone else has done any digging into it. Maybe next reread. I think the key to it was laid out in Quicksilver by Eliza, but again, I'm too lazy to check right now, and I'm honestly probably not smart enough to figure it out anyhow, so I'll leave it to the bigger brains of the world to decrypt and enjoy. It really would make the indulgent attention to detail make more sense than just being lackadaisically edited, though.
maitrey_d's review against another edition
5.0
This is nothing short of one of the best fiction works I've read.
I thought it would be difficult to beat Quicksilver, but Stephenson pulls it off yet again with The Confusion.
The frenetic pace set by Jack Shaftoe and his pirate band through their voyages in the Mediterranean, or in Hindustan, or in the Pacific is some of the most enjoyable didactic literature I've ever read. I'm also slightly partisan when Stephenson describes the outlandish designs created by the South Asian edged-weapons industry or the smelting of wootz steel, this book touches on favourite topics of mine.
The stories of Daniel Waterhouse and Eliza take a backseat, though Eliza does have some moments of awesome, especially in the supposed invasion of England.
Bottomline: Read this book if you like pirates, elephants with Damascus steel tusks and badass samurai on the loose in Cairo.
I thought it would be difficult to beat Quicksilver, but Stephenson pulls it off yet again with The Confusion.
The frenetic pace set by Jack Shaftoe and his pirate band through their voyages in the Mediterranean, or in Hindustan, or in the Pacific is some of the most enjoyable didactic literature I've ever read. I'm also slightly partisan when Stephenson describes the outlandish designs created by the South Asian edged-weapons industry or the smelting of wootz steel, this book touches on favourite topics of mine.
The stories of Daniel Waterhouse and Eliza take a backseat, though Eliza does have some moments of awesome, especially in the supposed invasion of England.
Bottomline: Read this book if you like pirates, elephants with Damascus steel tusks and badass samurai on the loose in Cairo.
elasalisbury's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
markmtz's review against another edition
5.0
Volume two of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson is another mesmerizing tale, and there is no confusion about that statement. Eliza’s dealmaking and Jack’s round-the-world odyssey are remarkable. Read it. Volume three goes on sale late Sep 2004.
Published in hardcover by William Morrow.
Published in hardcover by William Morrow.
jupiterjens666's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big Stephenson fan, even though his politics are childish and he seems too big a seller for editors to edit him anymore, despite his tendency to pages-long regressions on mathematics or numismatics or what Isaac Newton thought of alchemy, or perhaps because of. Like, I made the decision to read a book with a major theme of the changing science of coinage in the late 17th century. I'm here for it. I'm not as into it as Neal, but you know what, it's important to him how the Mint of England got its silver in 1705, so, buddy, please feel free to talk about it for 815 pages. There's also lots of generally excellent swordfighting and epic battle scenes. He still does that thing where he introduces new characters (and there are HUNDREDS - you like characters, there are characters here) anyway he introduces new characters in scenes as if we're supposed to know who they are because if he took the time to tell us who the hell every new person was, the book would be 8150 long - and I'd still read it - because it's no small feat to make a book this long, this sprawling, and keep it genuinely entertaining, even provocative, for such a great clobbering mass of pages. I exclaimed aloud no fewer than four times while reading this, something I hardly ever do while reading. (I am known for my equipoise.) It surprised, it engaged! He talks for about four thousand words about the origin of Damascus steel and I was riveted! The many many characters were interesting, the book is mad, but it is accomplished, it is an accomplishment. I am exhausted. I can't believe I read that. I am delighted to see that the next one is 840 pages.