Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - To Be Taught, If Fortunate

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

93 reviews

richy_qu33r_readzz's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective medium-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? No

4.5

So happy I finally got into it. It’s a cute and wondering novella about life, existence, home, and exploration. Love the trans, aroace, and polyam representation. As always, Chambers does not disappoint.

I thought it might connect a bit more to the Wayfinders and I hope Chambers writes more novellas to string together the progression from To Be Taught, If Fortunate to The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet. Would love to read more of their imaginings of how space life develops!

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nina_rae_131's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“If you read nothing else we’ve sent home, please at least read this.”

To Be Taught, If Fortunate is written to an Earth who has forgotten the four astronauts they sent into deep space decades prior. It is accessible to people from all backgrounds. The scientific concepts are explained. They avoid jargon and don’t dive too deeply into the specifics. In some parts, it was overexplained to the point that I found myself skimming, but I have a background in ecology and evolution.

Ariadne, our narrator, is not a scientist but an engineer. She is a jack of all trades, master of none, and helps all three of her co-astronauts across three exoplanets and a moon. The author explores how conditions on these planets vary from Earth and the changes humans have to endure to survive there. She writes about the joy of discovery through the new animals and plants she describes. She explores the responsibility humans have to leave no trace (exploration, not colonization). She also looks at the effects of isolation and how the world moved on after the astronauts started their journey.

It feels like nonfiction, which I enjoyed, but may not be for everybody. There were lots of descriptions about the planets’ ecology, along with the research the astronauts did. There is not a lot of action. It also focuses on the relationships between the characters, the love and friendship, the strain of isolation, etc.

I would recommend this book to people who want to know the unknown. To the people who look up into the stars or deep into the ocean and wonder what is hiding in the dark.

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avacadosocks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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anneklein's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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latelygrace's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Thought-provoking and rich narrative. Becky Chambers is a power house. I totally get the point of leaving it open ended. I understand the narrative function of that and the implications of the ask, but I am a sucker for a neat ending and would have loved even a little choose your own adventure moment. Still, her thorough research and ability to create something so engaging and air-tight at the same time astounds me. I love how subtlety weaves into something greater with her writing. Overall, recommend!

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lharp_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful 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

4.0

This is a sweet, or perhaps bittersweet, exploration of ideas about the possible future of space exploration. I enjoyed the altruistic vision of a future human society that considers the ethics and impact of colonisation. The world building is fun too!

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lemilysnikda's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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goldfinches's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It was a tense read, but I couldn’t put it down. It strikes the right balance of hope and sadness that made it feel right, though not warm and cozy like many of her other books.

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mythian's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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