dbonilla0's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
abrswf's review against another edition
5.0
A truly fascinating novel about love, friendship,
and the meaning of near death experiences. It felt aimless, almost absurdist, until about the half way point, when many seemingly disparate elements suddenly snapped into place and the book became absolutely gripping. It’s also delightfully literary, with many references to poetry, classic novels, and films, and a focus on words and metaphor. It’s utterly perfect that chapter begins with a different set of last words and final messages. And a final bonus is that you will learn more, much more than you expected about Titanic and some other famous disasters.
and the meaning of near death experiences. It felt aimless, almost absurdist, until about the half way point, when many seemingly disparate elements suddenly snapped into place and the book became absolutely gripping. It’s also delightfully literary, with many references to poetry, classic novels, and films, and a focus on words and metaphor. It’s utterly perfect that chapter begins with a different set of last words and final messages. And a final bonus is that you will learn more, much more than you expected about Titanic and some other famous disasters.
rachelenna's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pelerin's review
4.0
Holy shit, it's as good as I remembered it. Sad and beautiful and eerily plausible... and there is a section at the beginning of a chapter in the 30s that is the most haunting, poetic, incredible bits of writing I've ever read in my damn life.
No, you're not allowed to skip ahead. You have to earn it.
No, you're not allowed to skip ahead. You have to earn it.
velvetsreader's review
5.0
I loved everything about this book. The characters, the writing, even the medical jargon. Passage was an easy 700 plus page book to read and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
rachelb36's review
4.0
In this science fiction mystery, the main character, Joanna, is a scientist studying near death experiences. A colleague has found a way to manufacture them, and so she "goes under" to experience them for herself.
Despite it being 780 pages, Willis kept me interested and wanting to find out what happened enough to finish the book. I often abandon fiction - even short works - so this is saying something.
The book undoubtedly has flaws: It is too long, contains some profanity, portrays Christians very negatively, and there is one instance of a character's sudden shift in personality that really annoyed me.
But overall, I really liked it!
Despite it being 780 pages, Willis kept me interested and wanting to find out what happened enough to finish the book. I often abandon fiction - even short works - so this is saying something.
The book undoubtedly has flaws: It is too long, contains some profanity, portrays Christians very negatively, and there is one instance of a character's sudden shift in personality that really annoyed me.
But overall, I really liked it!
falseprophet's review
5.0
loved this interpretation of death
literally read this in 24 hours. such a banger
only complaint is that I don't think the last like 50 pages were needed. for me at least idk
also maisie is the most realistic child I've ever read
literally read this in 24 hours. such a banger
only complaint is that I don't think the last like 50 pages were needed. for me at least idk
also maisie is the most realistic child I've ever read
circularcubes's review
1.0
I really, really wanted to like this book based on the premise, but, I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand it. I wanted to quit about a fourth of the way in but I stubbornly kept at it. This book could have a third of its content trimmed and it would still feel too long. Willis repeats herself over and over and over and over ad nauseam. I get it, already. The hospital is difficult to get around, the cafeteria is never open, Mr. Mandrake is a self-righteous bully about near-death experiences, that one patient in the study always calls to reschedule, the World War Two vet is overly chatty and repeats the same stories, and both of the protagonists are forever trying to get out of conversations and avoid people. These details are hammered into the reader every ten pages - I'm surprised there was room for a plot, in-between all the endless scenes of characters getting directions and getting lost and talking about the cafeteria being closed. The book is 780 pages - and about 300 of them were the same details being repeated without much furthering the plot.
I also really disliked the characters. The two narrators are incredibly bland (the only distinction I can make between their narrative voices is that Joanna hates leading questions and Richard doesn't notice them) and the secondary characters are almost all one-dimensional tropes.
I had wanted to read some of Willis's other books, but a thorough look at the reviews of those shows me that a lot of them run into the same problems I have with Passage: a lot of trivial details taking up pages and pages of overly-long books, and problems cropping up that could be solved by simply having the characters talk to each other. No thank you. Reading Passage was enough of an ordeal for me.
I also really disliked the characters. The two narrators are incredibly bland (the only distinction I can make between their narrative voices is that Joanna hates leading questions and Richard doesn't notice them) and the secondary characters are almost all one-dimensional tropes.
Spoiler
I also didn't find Joanna believable as a researcher - once she goes through a longer NDE and starts exploring the Titanic, she becomes obsessed with "proving" that she's on the Titanic. I mean, if you're seeing a doomed ship from 1912 when you're supposed to be having a near death experience, does it really matter that there was a specific restaurant on the ship with green chairs and carpeting? Is that really what you're going to focus on, of all things - proving that you've time traveled to the Titanic while you're ostensibly having a near death experience? Why, as a researcher, wouldn't you be more interested in figuring out why your brain is showing you specific images? She spends the first half of the book rolling her eyes every time a subject describes their NDE's as being "real," but that skepticism that is core to her being goes away after two minutes of giving it a go herself? I didn't buy her immediate shift to belief and her consuming need to prove the historical accuracy of her near death experience.I had wanted to read some of Willis's other books, but a thorough look at the reviews of those shows me that a lot of them run into the same problems I have with Passage: a lot of trivial details taking up pages and pages of overly-long books, and problems cropping up that could be solved by simply having the characters talk to each other. No thank you. Reading Passage was enough of an ordeal for me.
cawhite's review
5.0
loved the book, but I listened to the audio version, and felt that the narration was uneven, and some of the words mispronounced. But it was a fun read in spite of that.