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snukes's review against another edition
5.0
You would never expect to claim that a book which starts with an extinction-level meteorite strike is a slow starter - and this one is not - but it turned into a slow start for me because the overwhelming nature of the calamity in the book did nothing to help me manage the rather overwhelming stress levels in my real life at the time when I started reading. I had to put it aside for awhile in favor of something stupid to read instead.
My life a little more under control, I returned to this book and gobbled it up in almost no time. Aside from being a fascinating story, I feel like there is just about no issue the book didn't tackle.
1. The alteration of history, starting just after World War 2, was beautifully and convincingly done. Imagining how the push to enter space might have looked different if it had started fifteen(?) years earlier and if it were motivated by the potential upcoming destruction of the human race was fascinating to follow, and I never felt like Kowal was infusing either her characters or the agencies with superhuman powers to accomplish things just because she needed them to get accomplished in order to move the plot along. (This is also responsible for a little of the slow pacing in the second half of the book, but it never bogged me down.)
2. Strong women living in a world still dominated by men who can't fathom a woman's role as anything other than the wife and mom at home is a tricky picture to paint. So many times, female characters placed in such a scenario seems somehow able to overwhelm their male antagonists with the sheer force of their personalities and inexplicably exceptional skills. Our protagonist, Dr. Elma York (double PhD, highly skilled pilot out of the WW2 WASP program), while obviously being exceptionally skilled, has to fight for every single inch she gains in this world. You know she earned her skills, and the way she conducts herself - both fighting and retreating - in the world of men is hugely relatable and often cheerworthy.
3. Race relations are a central issue in today's society, but Kowal considers them during a part of history that hasn't even started to consider real integration. The way Elma participates in the fight for equal consideration of her qualified coworkers of all ethnicities toward the end of the story was nice, but what I really appreciated was how, in the beginning of the book, we see her struggle to even notice the problem. Over and over again her black hosts point out to her something which seems obvious but which she never even considered before having someone to do the pointing for her. Gradually, she starts learning to see the inequalities for herself, but it is a process and not an anachronistic superpower somehow bestowed upon her from the future.
4. Mental health is not a topic that's been given much of a public spotlight until very recently. I've always considered myself an advocate for it, but in the beginning of this book, I behaved exactly like the people whose minds I wish I could change. Elma suffers a crippling fear of public speaking. I've never had this particular anxiety, so I can't directly relate. Early in the book, I found myself feeling frustrated with the choices she made to avoid having to speak in front of other people (particularly men - I knew she was a badass, why wouldn't she just start acting like one?!). I would have been a bad friend like Betty was, I would not have been the Nicole I think I am. It never even crossed my mind until Nicole brought up the idea of counseling and the doctor prescribed anti-anxiety medication that a person could really feel as overwhelmed as Elma did by something that doesn't affect me at all. I hope this speaks more to my own current state of mental disorientation than to my natural levels of compassion. Blah. In any case, ultimately the message this book delivers about the role of mental health is good and important and a really helpful reminder.
5. Science and math in a pre-computer world! So very interesting and cool. There were moments when the pacing of the second half of the book suffered a little for the depth of details, but you could never accuse this telling of not being scientifically rigorous. There's a romanticism in this story, but it isn't achieved by skimping on realism.
6. The relationships between the characters were solid and realistic. Each had its own unique dimensions, so that the antagonist was given moments of empathy and the protagonists had moments of weakness. An impressively strong marriage (maybe the most rose-colored aspect of the whole novel), strong friendships, redeemed family bonds.
7. The author's post-script. I was stunned to learn that Kowal has no first-hand knowledge of almost any of the topics in this book. She has no special exposure to the space program, to aviation, to WW2 history, or even to math and science. She did boatloads of research and referred to professionals to help get the details right. I LOVED reading this, because I've recently started to question whether it is okay to write about things you don't know, or kinds of people you are not. I know this is a debate that's been ongoing for a long time, but it's gotten really hot lately. Writing fiction, like acting in a stage play, is a way to explore being someone you are not living experiences that aren't yours. There are ways to do this well, to do this respectfully, and ways to do it wrong. Kowal nails it (as far as I can tell), making me feel a little bit better about my own prospects of taking any kind of position in this debate.
Lotta ramble in this review. Have a nice day!
My life a little more under control, I returned to this book and gobbled it up in almost no time. Aside from being a fascinating story, I feel like there is just about no issue the book didn't tackle.
1. The alteration of history, starting just after World War 2, was beautifully and convincingly done. Imagining how the push to enter space might have looked different if it had started fifteen(?) years earlier and if it were motivated by the potential upcoming destruction of the human race was fascinating to follow, and I never felt like Kowal was infusing either her characters or the agencies with superhuman powers to accomplish things just because she needed them to get accomplished in order to move the plot along. (This is also responsible for a little of the slow pacing in the second half of the book, but it never bogged me down.)
2. Strong women living in a world still dominated by men who can't fathom a woman's role as anything other than the wife and mom at home is a tricky picture to paint. So many times, female characters placed in such a scenario seems somehow able to overwhelm their male antagonists with the sheer force of their personalities and inexplicably exceptional skills. Our protagonist, Dr. Elma York (double PhD, highly skilled pilot out of the WW2 WASP program), while obviously being exceptionally skilled, has to fight for every single inch she gains in this world. You know she earned her skills, and the way she conducts herself - both fighting and retreating - in the world of men is hugely relatable and often cheerworthy.
3. Race relations are a central issue in today's society, but Kowal considers them during a part of history that hasn't even started to consider real integration. The way Elma participates in the fight for equal consideration of her qualified coworkers of all ethnicities toward the end of the story was nice, but what I really appreciated was how, in the beginning of the book, we see her struggle to even notice the problem. Over and over again her black hosts point out to her something which seems obvious but which she never even considered before having someone to do the pointing for her. Gradually, she starts learning to see the inequalities for herself, but it is a process and not an anachronistic superpower somehow bestowed upon her from the future.
4. Mental health is not a topic that's been given much of a public spotlight until very recently. I've always considered myself an advocate for it, but in the beginning of this book, I behaved exactly like the people whose minds I wish I could change. Elma suffers a crippling fear of public speaking. I've never had this particular anxiety, so I can't directly relate. Early in the book, I found myself feeling frustrated with the choices she made to avoid having to speak in front of other people (particularly men - I knew she was a badass, why wouldn't she just start acting like one?!). I would have been a bad friend like Betty was, I would not have been the Nicole I think I am. It never even crossed my mind until Nicole brought up the idea of counseling and the doctor prescribed anti-anxiety medication that a person could really feel as overwhelmed as Elma did by something that doesn't affect me at all. I hope this speaks more to my own current state of mental disorientation than to my natural levels of compassion. Blah. In any case, ultimately the message this book delivers about the role of mental health is good and important and a really helpful reminder.
5. Science and math in a pre-computer world! So very interesting and cool. There were moments when the pacing of the second half of the book suffered a little for the depth of details, but you could never accuse this telling of not being scientifically rigorous. There's a romanticism in this story, but it isn't achieved by skimping on realism.
6. The relationships between the characters were solid and realistic. Each had its own unique dimensions, so that the antagonist was given moments of empathy and the protagonists had moments of weakness. An impressively strong marriage (maybe the most rose-colored aspect of the whole novel), strong friendships, redeemed family bonds.
7. The author's post-script. I was stunned to learn that Kowal has no first-hand knowledge of almost any of the topics in this book. She has no special exposure to the space program, to aviation, to WW2 history, or even to math and science. She did boatloads of research and referred to professionals to help get the details right. I LOVED reading this, because I've recently started to question whether it is okay to write about things you don't know, or kinds of people you are not. I know this is a debate that's been ongoing for a long time, but it's gotten really hot lately. Writing fiction, like acting in a stage play, is a way to explore being someone you are not living experiences that aren't yours. There are ways to do this well, to do this respectfully, and ways to do it wrong. Kowal nails it (as far as I can tell), making me feel a little bit better about my own prospects of taking any kind of position in this debate.
Lotta ramble in this review. Have a nice day!
bornholm's review against another edition
4.0
What a terrific little journey. I bought into the story from the first page and simply enjoyed it all the way through. I look forward to the next book.
lauramclain's review against another edition
5.0
This book is SO good. You should read it if you like sci-fi, alternate history, good writing, science, mass extinction events, or space exploration; if you're a woman or person of color in STEM; or if you're a white man who doesn't see your privilege in STEM.
balise's review against another edition
5.0
That's a tough "five stars" to give. On the one hand, there's two points I do have an issue with:
* I'm not sure I'm buying the premises (of "moving the hell out of here" vs "finding a way to make things work on Earth" - because in any case the environment on the Moon or on Mars is not going to be much better, is it?)
* I'm not often bothered by sex scenes, but I was in this book. They feel kind of awkward, too numerous, and either too long or too short (but then that would probably be marketed differently ;) ).
Buuuuuuuuuuut. On some aspects I do want to give that book more than five stars ;) First, it was VERY, VERY hard to put down, and that's a major factor. Second, it made me audibly chuckle AND drop a few tears here and there, and I'm a sucker for emotional reaction. Third - the anxiety depiction is so fucking spot on I can't even, and I couldn't help rooting for Elma - more than I would for myself ;) - so it's kind of therapeutic, in a way.
So all in all, despite what I'd consider to be "things that would not make me give five stars to a book", it has more than enough redeeming qualities to qualify.
* I'm not sure I'm buying the premises (of "moving the hell out of here" vs "finding a way to make things work on Earth" - because in any case the environment on the Moon or on Mars is not going to be much better, is it?)
* I'm not often bothered by sex scenes, but I was in this book. They feel kind of awkward, too numerous, and either too long or too short (but then that would probably be marketed differently ;) ).
Buuuuuuuuuuut. On some aspects I do want to give that book more than five stars ;) First, it was VERY, VERY hard to put down, and that's a major factor. Second, it made me audibly chuckle AND drop a few tears here and there, and I'm a sucker for emotional reaction. Third - the anxiety depiction is so fucking spot on I can't even, and I couldn't help rooting for Elma - more than I would for myself ;) - so it's kind of therapeutic, in a way.
So all in all, despite what I'd consider to be "things that would not make me give five stars to a book", it has more than enough redeeming qualities to qualify.
sellsbooksformoney's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.25
gcrunnels's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable read. I breezed through it. Looking forward to the sequel!
zamackic's review against another edition
5.0
Great book. Not only author described social issues adequate for the era, but also issues with mental illness and stigma. To top it off, she wasn’t far off in describing human stupidity in face of global catastrophe.
I liked every sentence of this work. It really made me think.
I liked every sentence of this work. It really made me think.
squid_vicious's review against another edition
5.0
Earlier this year, I read "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22057102-the-lady-astronaut-of-mars) and fell in love with Elma York really hard. That tiny little story packed such a huge punch about love, grief, passion and space: it took me a few days to recover... and it was less than 50 pages! When I heard there would be two upcoming Lady Astronaut novels, I actually screamed. And dropped everything else I was reading almost as soon as my copy was delivered.
In spring of 1952, a meteorite hits the Atlantic ocean just off the east coast of the United-States, and destroys Washington D.C. But this impact has more dire consequences than the flooding of the cities on the coast: the cataclysm triggers an extinction event not unlike that which lead to the extinction of the dinosaurs. If humanity is to survive, they need to find a way to get off the planet. Fast.
Elma York is a former WASP pilot and a brilliant mathematician. She and her husband Nathaniel work for the NACA - NASA's ancestor agency. Her calculations and discovery earn her a place on the team put in charge of figuring out how to put a man on the Moon, and eventually colonize it to save humanity. She soon decides that she wants to be more than a computer: she wants to become an astronaut. But a few things stand in her way, mostly the simple fact that she is a woman...
If you've seen (or read) "Hidden Bodies" and enjoyed it, you'll love this story of incredibly brilliant women working their asses off to be recognized for their work, and not just as someone's wife or daughter. Not unlike the tiny short story that lead me to this book, I went through it wondering how Kowal managed to talk about so much in so few pages: feminism, civil rights, science, politics, mental health! Each issue is approached with realism and compassion, doing what the best science-fiction books do: make you understand what being human really means while appearing to tell you a story about space exploration.
Elam's character is strongly built, and as you read her story, you share her love of her work, her anxiety about public-speaking, her anger at the way women in the program are being treated by the men in charge, her frustration and powerlessness in the face of other discrimination and prejudices. Her relationship with her wonderful and supportive husband Nathaniel is sweet - perhaps a touch too sweet, really - but it's heartwarming to see her partner treating her like an equal as she has to fight tooth and nails to prove that she is just as qualified as the men she works with. I enjoyed the ever-shifting rapport with her nemesis, the horrid Stetson Parker: they hate each other, but begrudgingly respect each other at the same time, which makes their interaction fascinating. I also appreciate that Elma has some prejudices of her won she has to confront and overcome, showing that we can all do better.
Kowal might have written an alternate history novel set in the 50's, but her commentaries are quite relevant to current events: the real world is still full of people who feel that women and black people can't do certain things or should be treated differently, not to mention people who don't believe that science is real... Speaking of which, she clearly did her homework with scientific and technological research: I don't know if her aviation and engineering jargon is accurate, but the way the scientists talk and behave feels absolutely authentic.
If you like good sci-fi, strong and well-realized female leads, alternate history and excellent writing, do yourself a favor and read this book! I can't wait for "The Fated Sky" later this summer!
In spring of 1952, a meteorite hits the Atlantic ocean just off the east coast of the United-States, and destroys Washington D.C. But this impact has more dire consequences than the flooding of the cities on the coast: the cataclysm triggers an extinction event not unlike that which lead to the extinction of the dinosaurs. If humanity is to survive, they need to find a way to get off the planet. Fast.
Elma York is a former WASP pilot and a brilliant mathematician. She and her husband Nathaniel work for the NACA - NASA's ancestor agency. Her calculations and discovery earn her a place on the team put in charge of figuring out how to put a man on the Moon, and eventually colonize it to save humanity. She soon decides that she wants to be more than a computer: she wants to become an astronaut. But a few things stand in her way, mostly the simple fact that she is a woman...
If you've seen (or read) "Hidden Bodies" and enjoyed it, you'll love this story of incredibly brilliant women working their asses off to be recognized for their work, and not just as someone's wife or daughter. Not unlike the tiny short story that lead me to this book, I went through it wondering how Kowal managed to talk about so much in so few pages: feminism, civil rights, science, politics, mental health! Each issue is approached with realism and compassion, doing what the best science-fiction books do: make you understand what being human really means while appearing to tell you a story about space exploration.
Elam's character is strongly built, and as you read her story, you share her love of her work, her anxiety about public-speaking, her anger at the way women in the program are being treated by the men in charge, her frustration and powerlessness in the face of other discrimination and prejudices. Her relationship with her wonderful and supportive husband Nathaniel is sweet - perhaps a touch too sweet, really - but it's heartwarming to see her partner treating her like an equal as she has to fight tooth and nails to prove that she is just as qualified as the men she works with. I enjoyed the ever-shifting rapport with her nemesis, the horrid Stetson Parker: they hate each other, but begrudgingly respect each other at the same time, which makes their interaction fascinating. I also appreciate that Elma has some prejudices of her won she has to confront and overcome, showing that we can all do better.
Kowal might have written an alternate history novel set in the 50's, but her commentaries are quite relevant to current events: the real world is still full of people who feel that women and black people can't do certain things or should be treated differently, not to mention people who don't believe that science is real... Speaking of which, she clearly did her homework with scientific and technological research: I don't know if her aviation and engineering jargon is accurate, but the way the scientists talk and behave feels absolutely authentic.
If you like good sci-fi, strong and well-realized female leads, alternate history and excellent writing, do yourself a favor and read this book! I can't wait for "The Fated Sky" later this summer!
kara_bianca_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Summary:
The Calculating Stars follows Dr Elma York, physicist and space program calculator, as she tries desperately to get women on to the mission to the moon. In this alternate history of an accelerated space race, a meteorite hits Washington DC causing death and disaster and an anticipated greenhouse effect that is likely to make Earth uninhabitable in the next 50 years. Elma and her husband Nathaniel are part of the International Aerospace Coalition (this worlds version of NASA) as they race to the moon!
Characters 5/5:
This book is told in first person narration and I found Elma such a great voice to follow. She is both quintessentially an incredibly smart Southern Jew, but also nuanced and complicated. She's suffering from anxiety and dealing with a lot of pressures particularly around medication. She's a bit famous after her attempts to promote women as potential Astronauts and her struggle with that is really compelling. Overall, I really really enjoyed her as a character, and a lot of the side characters (including her husband Nathaniel) were also really strong.
Plot 5/5:
This book seems SO realistic, and seems like it could honestly have been the space race of the 50s and 60s if things had gone differently. The scientific basis behind the events are so carefully researched and constructed, and I never once felt I was suspending my disbelief. UGh this was just so good, omg.
Setting and atmosphere 5/5:
This was so strongly 50s, I loved it. This ties into what I was saying about the research, but it really felt so clearly embedded in the settings, including the IAC facilities and the new Kansas City capitol. It was all just very real and well developed. I'm ranting at this point I can tell.
Writing style 5/5:
I honestly have literally nothing bad I can think of to say about this book. I thought the writing was very careful and nuanced. The positioning of Elma as the point of view character allows a lot of important issues to be brought up in a way which was respectful and considerate, in my opinion. We explore race, gender inequality and religion in this complicated and nuanced way, especially with the backdrop of this major inciting incident.
Overall, I just absolutely LOVED this book, so much. It absolutely absorbed me in, and I kept sweeping through the pages whenever I read it. I can't wait to read the second book in this duology!
The Calculating Stars follows Dr Elma York, physicist and space program calculator, as she tries desperately to get women on to the mission to the moon. In this alternate history of an accelerated space race, a meteorite hits Washington DC causing death and disaster and an anticipated greenhouse effect that is likely to make Earth uninhabitable in the next 50 years. Elma and her husband Nathaniel are part of the International Aerospace Coalition (this worlds version of NASA) as they race to the moon!
Characters 5/5:
This book is told in first person narration and I found Elma such a great voice to follow. She is both quintessentially an incredibly smart Southern Jew, but also nuanced and complicated. She's suffering from anxiety and dealing with a lot of pressures particularly around medication. She's a bit famous after her attempts to promote women as potential Astronauts and her struggle with that is really compelling. Overall, I really really enjoyed her as a character, and a lot of the side characters (including her husband Nathaniel) were also really strong.
Plot 5/5:
This book seems SO realistic, and seems like it could honestly have been the space race of the 50s and 60s if things had gone differently. The scientific basis behind the events are so carefully researched and constructed, and I never once felt I was suspending my disbelief. UGh this was just so good, omg.
Setting and atmosphere 5/5:
This was so strongly 50s, I loved it. This ties into what I was saying about the research, but it really felt so clearly embedded in the settings, including the IAC facilities and the new Kansas City capitol. It was all just very real and well developed. I'm ranting at this point I can tell.
Writing style 5/5:
I honestly have literally nothing bad I can think of to say about this book. I thought the writing was very careful and nuanced. The positioning of Elma as the point of view character allows a lot of important issues to be brought up in a way which was respectful and considerate, in my opinion. We explore race, gender inequality and religion in this complicated and nuanced way, especially with the backdrop of this major inciting incident.
Overall, I just absolutely LOVED this book, so much. It absolutely absorbed me in, and I kept sweeping through the pages whenever I read it. I can't wait to read the second book in this duology!
arkobla's review against another edition
5.0
This is a drama that might have been. It takes place in the 50's, against the backdrop of a war recently ended (WW2) and racism in America is still prevalent. Woman are not yet equals to men and prejudices against minorities (like Jews) still cause problems.
But this isn't a book about any of those things. Its merely the stage.
In the first chapter, Elma and her husband are enjoying a quite evening in the pocono's when the unthinkable happens. A meteor strikes Washington DC, triggering an extinction level event. The loss of life and destruction of an entire region of the country will be overcome, but will the impact to the climate spin out of control making life on Earth no longer an option?
The new government listens and decides they must push for a colony in space, off Earth, in order to ensure humanities survival. They are lucky, in a way, in that this apocalypse is slow moving and manageable, for now. And so, the push for space begins in earnest, years before we actually got there.
Elma's husband is naturally asked to help. He is a rocket Engineer. Elma works with him as a computer - a human calculator. Much like in the real story of Hidden Figures, woman who are adept at higher end Mathematics are a key element to Space Flight, as computers as we know them today are just coming to be invented and are largely unreliable.
Elma is an outstanding computer, but she wants more. She was a WASP pilot in WW2 (Women Airforce Service Pilot) and very good at flying. She pushes for inclusion in the new Astronaut corp and must deal with roadblocks stemming from her sex at every step. (and a few internal ones too).
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel. Its not the type of novel that has a great deal of 'action' but the author does an outstanding job of letting us watch and root for Elma (and the other woman wanting to be Astronauts) throughout the book.
Be forewarned, however, the novel ends just when key events start. View this as a long prelude to most of the space stuff. That doesn't change that it's excellent in its own right.
PS - I really liked the relationship Elma has with her husband.
But this isn't a book about any of those things. Its merely the stage.
In the first chapter, Elma and her husband are enjoying a quite evening in the pocono's when the unthinkable happens. A meteor strikes Washington DC, triggering an extinction level event. The loss of life and destruction of an entire region of the country will be overcome, but will the impact to the climate spin out of control making life on Earth no longer an option?
The new government listens and decides they must push for a colony in space, off Earth, in order to ensure humanities survival. They are lucky, in a way, in that this apocalypse is slow moving and manageable, for now. And so, the push for space begins in earnest, years before we actually got there.
Elma's husband is naturally asked to help. He is a rocket Engineer. Elma works with him as a computer - a human calculator. Much like in the real story of Hidden Figures, woman who are adept at higher end Mathematics are a key element to Space Flight, as computers as we know them today are just coming to be invented and are largely unreliable.
Elma is an outstanding computer, but she wants more. She was a WASP pilot in WW2 (Women Airforce Service Pilot) and very good at flying. She pushes for inclusion in the new Astronaut corp and must deal with roadblocks stemming from her sex at every step. (and a few internal ones too).
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel. Its not the type of novel that has a great deal of 'action' but the author does an outstanding job of letting us watch and root for Elma (and the other woman wanting to be Astronauts) throughout the book.
Be forewarned, however, the novel ends just when key events start. View this as a long prelude to most of the space stuff. That doesn't change that it's excellent in its own right.
PS - I really liked the relationship Elma has with her husband.