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bookmarkhoarder's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
slow-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
3.0
olivetales's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-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
4.5
dawnwich's review against another edition
4.0
One of the wonderful and somewhat frustrating things about this author is that all of her books are completely different. Personally, I think this is because she is truly creative and has integrity. But it does make picking up one of her books an adventure because you do not know if you will love it as much as the last one.
In this case, after Among Others and My Real Children, I would read her grocery lists. However after those books, this book was disappointing to me. It's thoughtful, geeky, and interesting just like her other books, but something about it is not sitting right with me. Is it putting too much modern morality into the past? Is it turning Apollo into a very modern character with a hint of a Mary Sue character going on? Or is it just that I haven't read enough Plato to be in the book's target audience? At any rate, I enjoyed this book and happily read it, but as soon as I put it down I started trying to figure out why I didn't like it more than I did. But I have to give it four stars, just for the wonderful Socratic (literally!) dialogues and because I love Athena. Not sure if I will read the other books in this series. I do have some curiosity about where she is going with the plot and an interest where good ole' Mary Sue will wind up.
In this case, after Among Others and My Real Children, I would read her grocery lists. However after those books, this book was disappointing to me. It's thoughtful, geeky, and interesting just like her other books, but something about it is not sitting right with me. Is it putting too much modern morality into the past? Is it turning Apollo into a very modern character with a hint of a Mary Sue character going on? Or is it just that I haven't read enough Plato to be in the book's target audience? At any rate, I enjoyed this book and happily read it, but as soon as I put it down I started trying to figure out why I didn't like it more than I did. But I have to give it four stars, just for the wonderful Socratic (literally!) dialogues and because I love Athena. Not sure if I will read the other books in this series. I do have some curiosity about where she is going with the plot and an interest where good ole' Mary Sue will wind up.
harmonictempest's review against another edition
5.0
Don’t *you* want to read about how Greek gods use time travel and future robots to see how well Plato’s ideal city (from The Republic) will work?
Jo Walton is an excellent writer with crisp characters voices and a lovely style that is remarkably clear and simple without feeling childish. It serves her well here because she has multiple characters who are either very innocent or very naive and their viewpoints allow treating gently some difficult topics like trauma and prejudice and rape. It’s also pretty bold to believe that you can believably write Socrates, but the author pulls it off smoothly.
The ideas themselves are geeky and fun, and you don’t really need to have read Plato to enjoy the book, though you do need to be game for characters debating in the Socratic style about all kinds of things.
Jo Walton is an excellent writer with crisp characters voices and a lovely style that is remarkably clear and simple without feeling childish. It serves her well here because she has multiple characters who are either very innocent or very naive and their viewpoints allow treating gently some difficult topics like trauma and prejudice and rape. It’s also pretty bold to believe that you can believably write Socrates, but the author pulls it off smoothly.
The ideas themselves are geeky and fun, and you don’t really need to have read Plato to enjoy the book, though you do need to be game for characters debating in the Socratic style about all kinds of things.
lauralibraia's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
craicerjack's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-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? No
3.5
Really interesting read but its not a page turner. And it only seemed to get going when the first book ended.
bookountant's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
macthekat's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
4.0
The Just City' is very much a novel about freedom, choise and what a good life is. It's about having the power to choose 4 life for other people. - letting other people's choices be of equal significanty. The novel explores different kinds of love and of abuse of power. It explores what room a socity makes for Women and for those who does the labor nobody feels a vocation for. It is definatly on the litterary side of fantasy and on the litterary side of what I enjoy. I expected the novel to be quite wanky and it somehow was not. In many ways it reminds. me of 'To like the Lightning! The ending annoys me