wetigers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
aleatorizzy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
5.0
claire_melanie's review against another edition
5.0
An utterly fantastic read. This had all the elements I like - dystopian future, strong female lead and social commentary but so so much more. What an incredible imagination and what an accomplished writer. Totally blew my mind. Loved every page.
gabrielleh8934's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
sillispike's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
WHAT THE FUCK. okay this book was generally really really good but it ended on a cliffhanger and its pissing me off. beyond that though, i'm absolutely obsessed with this writing style. it's so addictive, it makes it hard to put down. i think it's a very interesting story and one of those dystopian books where it isn't super challenging but still interesting. it was a fun read! again, the ending was mid, but i suppose it was fitting considering the start. it almost makes me think there is a sequel, but something tells me this ending was intentional.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
storytimed's review against another edition
3.0
Very pretty prose but ultimately meaningless. Plus a star because I had to think about it for a while after I read it; minus one because Fan's lack of interiority and featureless virtue weren't as compelling as Lee thought they might be.
ecruikshank's review against another edition
4.0
“A tale, like the universe ... expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is finally no telling exactly where it begins, where it ends, or where it places you now.”
On Such a Full Sea was a captivating read and spectacular book club pick. It is set in the not-too-distant, not-too-unrealistic future and tells the story of Fan, a young resident of a colony called B-mor that is organized around collectivist principles and that supplies fish and produce to the wealthier Charter villages; in exchange for accepting severe limitations on their imagination and ambition, B-mors receive stability and security. When Fan’s boyfriend is disappeared, Fan embarks on an odyssean adventure into the hostile surrounding wilderness, while B-mor residents start to chafe at restrictions they have unquestioningly embraced.
Lee’s writing is STUNNING. I don’t always enjoy meandering sentences with loads of embedded clauses, but his prose is hypnotic and lyrical. He writes from the perspective of a collective “we,” B-mor residents who comment on and speculate about Fan’s journey; I loved this narrative choice, which created an eerie, dystopian vibe and raised fascinating questions about the creation of myth and the recounting (or rewriting) of history. Though the book is set hundreds of years in the future, its themes—class conflict and capitalism’s destructive forces; immigration, racial resentment, and dehumanization of the other; environmental devastation; societal terror of aging and death; and authorship of the historical record—are strikingly timely.
I do have qualms: The pacing is uneven (long stretches where nothing happens, climatic scenes complete in just a handful of pages and never revisited). I periodically got tripped up by convoluted prose. And some of Lee’s linguistic choices seemed like silly attempts to evoke a futuristic society without filling in the technological details. But an excellent read and an even better discussion book. Possible pairings: Everything Under, for a creepy watery myth retelling, and A Children’s Bible, for the narrative “we” and climate catastrophe.
On Such a Full Sea was a captivating read and spectacular book club pick. It is set in the not-too-distant, not-too-unrealistic future and tells the story of Fan, a young resident of a colony called B-mor that is organized around collectivist principles and that supplies fish and produce to the wealthier Charter villages; in exchange for accepting severe limitations on their imagination and ambition, B-mors receive stability and security. When Fan’s boyfriend is disappeared, Fan embarks on an odyssean adventure into the hostile surrounding wilderness, while B-mor residents start to chafe at restrictions they have unquestioningly embraced.
Lee’s writing is STUNNING. I don’t always enjoy meandering sentences with loads of embedded clauses, but his prose is hypnotic and lyrical. He writes from the perspective of a collective “we,” B-mor residents who comment on and speculate about Fan’s journey; I loved this narrative choice, which created an eerie, dystopian vibe and raised fascinating questions about the creation of myth and the recounting (or rewriting) of history. Though the book is set hundreds of years in the future, its themes—class conflict and capitalism’s destructive forces; immigration, racial resentment, and dehumanization of the other; environmental devastation; societal terror of aging and death; and authorship of the historical record—are strikingly timely.
I do have qualms: The pacing is uneven (long stretches where nothing happens, climatic scenes complete in just a handful of pages and never revisited). I periodically got tripped up by convoluted prose. And some of Lee’s linguistic choices seemed like silly attempts to evoke a futuristic society without filling in the technological details. But an excellent read and an even better discussion book. Possible pairings: Everything Under, for a creepy watery myth retelling, and A Children’s Bible, for the narrative “we” and climate catastrophe.
kittthecat's review against another edition
3.0
Ugghh excuse me while I cry into my pillow. I thought I was going to love this, Lee is one of my favorite authors and I'm all about dystopian literature so I thought it was a perfect match.
Not so....
Ok self loathing session over.
I think the premise of this book is super interesting and I really wanted to follow Fan on her journey to find Reg. The main problem I had with it was the book's ability to be present. The first fifty pages I understood were kind of slow because of setup and information that the reader needs to understand the world, but even after Fan leaves B-mor there is this POV that drags us back to the viewpoint of B-not and how people perceive Fan's actions.
I couldn't do it and had to put it down; I would have much rather had the book from Fan's POV and actually been with her as she's making her way through the counties.
This was really hard for me to dnf and I'm still debating as to whether I should stick with it. I'm giving it 3 stars because I love the author and the idea behind the story, but idk.....
I will pick this back up when I'm in the right headspace and give the review what it's due.
Not so....
Ok self loathing session over.
I think the premise of this book is super interesting and I really wanted to follow Fan on her journey to find Reg. The main problem I had with it was the book's ability to be present. The first fifty pages I understood were kind of slow because of setup and information that the reader needs to understand the world, but even after Fan leaves B-mor there is this POV that drags us back to the viewpoint of B-not and how people perceive Fan's actions.
I couldn't do it and had to put it down; I would have much rather had the book from Fan's POV and actually been with her as she's making her way through the counties.
This was really hard for me to dnf and I'm still debating as to whether I should stick with it. I'm giving it 3 stars because I love the author and the idea behind the story, but idk.....
I will pick this back up when I'm in the right headspace and give the review what it's due.