rtebow999999's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
I never thought I'd actually say I liked a Heinlein book! A long while ago I started reading Stranger in a Strange Land, and really couldn't get into it because he wrote women as stupid idiots, and...well...meh. I also couldn't get into the story.
This book, however, was amusing. I loved the way time-travel was dealt with, and I was tickled by the main character's love of his cate Pete. Pete was probably the most defined character in the book, besides Belle. I didn't really like how the main character, Daniel, dropped all feeling of ill will towards the people who wronged him. Because of the way the time travel worked, the story could really have benefitted from subtle and satisfactory screwing with the baddies, but days after being wronged, Daniel just shrugs it off. Oh well. Revenge opportunity of story wasted.
END OF BOOK SPOILER: I found it super creepy that he came back to meet his little preteen (unrelated by blood) niece at girl scout camp just to propose to her for when she got older and met him in the future. Couldn't he have proposed to her after he'e met her as an adult? Eew and objectification.
This book, however, was amusing. I loved the way time-travel was dealt with, and I was tickled by the main character's love of his cate Pete. Pete was probably the most defined character in the book, besides Belle. I didn't really like how the main character, Daniel, dropped all feeling of ill will towards the people who wronged him. Because of the way the time travel worked, the story could really have benefitted from subtle and satisfactory screwing with the baddies, but days after being wronged, Daniel just shrugs it off. Oh well. Revenge opportunity of story wasted.
END OF BOOK SPOILER: I found it super creepy that he came back to meet his little preteen (unrelated by blood) niece at girl scout camp just to propose to her for when she got older and met him in the future. Couldn't he have proposed to her after he'e met her as an adult? Eew and objectification.
kandicez's review against another edition
3.0
Heinlein is a standard for old sci-fi. I think I may have read this before, but the reread was still enjoyable. Until the end. I always really get a kick out of vintage sci-fi where the author makes predictions for the future. It's especially fun when some of those predictions are almost correct. Heinlein foretells debit cards, for instance, even though he describes them in a cumbersome way.
What kept me from giving this little gem the five stars I feel the writing itself actually deserves is the "Ricky" story line. That aspect gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Dan goes back in time, convinces 11 year old Ricky to take the cold sleep when she turns 21 and then leave orders for her to be woken up when Dan will wake up... in 2001. He'll be 33, or thereabouts. She does as ordered and they end up married and living happily ever after.
I felt slimy just reading it. She was 11 for cripes sake when Dan convinced her to follow this plan. I would have felt less weird about it if Dan had met Frederica in 2001 as a 41 year old woman and fallen in love with her there, but that is not what happens! He only knows her as a child! She only knows him as an 11 year old girl and she still agrees to, and follows through with, his plan. Yuck!
If you take the Ricky portion of the story out, it was really amusing. Dan has a cat, Pete, that crops up here and there and offers great comedic relief. Pete is more like a person in a small fur-suit than a cat. He has a great personality, Dan treats him like a fellow man, and he laps up ginger ale! I got such a hoot out of Pete's character. When Dan arranged it so that he and Pete get more time together I was thrilled.
The inventions described in the tale were right in line with Heinlein's appeal to me. He may not have been as accurate as [a:Jules Verne|696805|Jules Verne|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1322911579p2/696805.jpg], but he is every bit as entertaining. I just have a hard time getting over the inappropriateness of the relationship with Ricky. Heinlein had a habit of inserting the love of his life into his stories, and I'm okay with that, but in this instance I feel he just took that a little too far to be acceptable. It pulled down the rest of the story.
What kept me from giving this little gem the five stars I feel the writing itself actually deserves is the "Ricky" story line. That aspect gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Spoiler
Dan's an engineer in the 70's and has a business partner, Miles, who has a step-daughter, Frederica. "Ricky", as she is called, is only 11 and the apple of Dan's eye. Okay so far, but towards the end of the novel this becomes creepy. Miles is tricked into screwing Dan over by Dan's fiance. Long story short, Dan takes the "Cold Sleep" for thirty years and ends up waking up in 2001 penniless, despite falling asleep a millionaire.Dan goes back in time, convinces 11 year old Ricky to take the cold sleep when she turns 21 and then leave orders for her to be woken up when Dan will wake up... in 2001. He'll be 33, or thereabouts. She does as ordered and they end up married and living happily ever after.
I felt slimy just reading it. She was 11 for cripes sake when Dan convinced her to follow this plan. I would have felt less weird about it if Dan had met Frederica in 2001 as a 41 year old woman and fallen in love with her there, but that is not what happens! He only knows her as a child! She only knows him as an 11 year old girl and she still agrees to, and follows through with, his plan. Yuck!
If you take the Ricky portion of the story out, it was really amusing. Dan has a cat, Pete, that crops up here and there and offers great comedic relief. Pete is more like a person in a small fur-suit than a cat. He has a great personality, Dan treats him like a fellow man, and he laps up ginger ale! I got such a hoot out of Pete's character. When Dan arranged it so that he and Pete get more time together I was thrilled.
The inventions described in the tale were right in line with Heinlein's appeal to me. He may not have been as accurate as [a:Jules Verne|696805|Jules Verne|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1322911579p2/696805.jpg], but he is every bit as entertaining. I just have a hard time getting over the inappropriateness of the relationship with Ricky. Heinlein had a habit of inserting the love of his life into his stories, and I'm okay with that, but in this instance I feel he just took that a little too far to be acceptable. It pulled down the rest of the story.
abrswf's review against another edition
4.0
What an interesting book. I listened to it and really enjoyed the excellent narration.. Standing ovation for the cat noises alone! Although a sci-fi book, it pretty much misses the boat completely on predicting our actual 21st century world — books, newspapers, documents, snail mail and notarized signatures aren’t really what we’re about any more. And our advances have greatly surpassed improving cleaning and housework. Most dated of all is Heinlein’s confidence that human ingenuity always produces better results. And his sexism of course. But the plot is still great, a marvelous mix of crime story, time travel, and cleverly plotted revenge. Plus a cat. And lots of interesting legal maneuvering. Good stuff.
soulpopped's review
5.0
it really all comes together at the end. after coming highly recommended from a friend, it started out well but a little slow. by the end of the book, though, all of the plot points tend to come together, which allows you to look back and think, "oh, so that's why that happened."
heinlein does an interesting job of throwing plot points out there, which made me think he was trying to just make things stick. however, after all is said and done, it's really cool to look back and see that everything fell into place.
heinlein does an interesting job of throwing plot points out there, which made me think he was trying to just make things stick. however, after all is said and done, it's really cool to look back and see that everything fell into place.
sammilittlejohns's review against another edition
3.0
this is one of my dads favourite books so I just had to read it! It's a sweet little story that I find isn't too 'happy' or everything is just magically okay, where quite a lot happens in such a short time and with interesting characters (and cats). It's also interesting to read a novel from the 50's set in the 70's and 00's and how different they expected the world to be!! A good little read all in all.
aidaniamb's review against another edition
4.0
A solid enjoyable read. A little slow in a couple spots. I wish Heinlein would have spent more time on the character's relationships and motives. Even now I'm not sure exactly why the protagonist, Davis, did everything he did, but I sure enjoyed the ride.
It also had a really fun happy postmillenial, and almost ethical-judicial end to it. It's good to have some hope for the future. Never stop looking for that door to summer.
It also had a really fun happy postmillenial, and almost ethical-judicial end to it. It's good to have some hope for the future. Never stop looking for that door to summer.
mattrabpc's review against another edition
3.0
This is the best Heinlein book I've read so far, but I'm not without objections. The concept is interesting with the long sleep, and the cat is a very endearing character. The sci-fi predictions are interesting, and it works beyond sci-fi as a revenge story of self-sustenance that signposts a lot of Heinlein's libertarian beliefs. The only problem I had with it was with Ricky, The main character's niece which read as pretty uncomfortable to me. It is ignorable for most of the story but it was a bad taste to end off this pretty okay book.
Spoiler
who after getting into the future and they are both of age end up getting marriedpfiorentino10's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.5