julykus's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
kindlereads's review against another edition
4.0
I would have liked it better if they hadn't killed all the characters. I might have liked it more and given it more starts but they killed EVERYONE! In the beginning the "modern day" story line was boring and uninspiring by the end the "medieval" story line was so depressing and held no hope that I was glad for the "modern day" storyline. There was a lot to like about this book, the writing was great, the storyline compelling, the characters were well rounded. But for the fact that they killed everyone it would have be just fine and dandy. And as Collin would have said, "apocalyptic!"
minchowski's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
interrowhimper's review against another edition
4.0
Entertaining and in line with all the other Oxford time travel books in her series. The dialog is good and the characters are interesting. Every one of these books feels a bit like a stress dream- you just need to do this one really important thing, but somehow you never can. Stuff just keeps getting in the way. The whole vibe is a little anxiety inducing, and throw in two parallel pandemics and…I’m not sure it is the best-timed read for the present moment.
kelbi's review against another edition
2.0
I gave up after listening for a couple of hours. The historical bits were not well researched (do Squirrels make sounds?) and I lost faith in the author who drew everything out at great length. When I looked at the reviews many of them said the same. Pity as I love time travel novels if they are well done. She has won awards for this and other time travel novels but they are not for me
crasscasualty's review against another edition
3.0
You know that movie that seems to come out every few years or so? The one about the brilliant historian who goes back in time to study the middle ages (why is it always the middle ages)? Then there is a little history but a lot of sword fights and glistening muscles some guy named Derek or Chet accidently becoming King of England (why is it always England)? Imagine that movie, except there are no swords or muscles or kings. Instead, there is history and plague and actual emotional investment. Also it isn't a movie. It is Doomsday Book.
Aside from the hackneyed premise, it’s a decent read. The protagonist is likable and I genuinely cared about what happened to her and the people she met in the 14th century (hint: lots of bad things). A common folly with the historian-going-back-in-time trope is that all the characters except the time-travelers feel like cardboard cutouts. This is something Willis deftly avoids; in fact, I think the strongest thing about this book is that it really drives home the humanity of… well, humans. For us, it is easy to dismiss horrific events, like the Black Death, without actually considering the lives they affected. Doomsday Book seems dedicated to helping the reader view history through an empathetic lens.
On the negative side, some portions of the book really draggggg. The sections that take place in the Oxford of the future feel like an especially boring episode of Inspector Lewis. The prose is not terrible but left me cold. The premise, as I said, has been done a trillion times. Though I like it was done more maturely here, it really didn't complicate the trope enough to really make me interested. The “science” behind the time travel was pretty much ~QUANTUM MAGIC~
Aside from the hackneyed premise, it’s a decent read. The protagonist is likable and I genuinely cared about what happened to her and the people she met in the 14th century (hint: lots of bad things). A common folly with the historian-going-back-in-time trope is that all the characters except the time-travelers feel like cardboard cutouts. This is something Willis deftly avoids; in fact, I think the strongest thing about this book is that it really drives home the humanity of… well, humans. For us, it is easy to dismiss horrific events, like the Black Death, without actually considering the lives they affected. Doomsday Book seems dedicated to helping the reader view history through an empathetic lens.
On the negative side, some portions of the book really draggggg. The sections that take place in the Oxford of the future feel like an especially boring episode of Inspector Lewis. The prose is not terrible but left me cold. The premise, as I said, has been done a trillion times. Though I like it was done more maturely here, it really didn't complicate the trope enough to really make me interested. The “science” behind the time travel was pretty much ~QUANTUM MAGIC~
swirls's review against another edition
2.0
I genuinely wanted to like this book. The initial worldbuilding was very interesting and it's an appropriate read during a pandemic. But... it's just so sloooow. I found all the characters so flat and uninteresting. I ended up skipping to the end at chapter 12 just to see if everyone would finally die already.
I won't count it for my year's read.
I won't count it for my year's read.
tree_life_1239's review against another edition
dark
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
2.0
sarag19's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this book. There is some interesting parallels between what is going on way back in the 1340 and the modern time. That despite how modern we are and our more complex understanding of things like disease the way we respond to them doesn't always change.
ouroredux's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0