dcmr's review against another edition
2.0
Sadly, and unexpectedly, contrived and tedious (and I'm a Connie Willis fan).
tzigrrl's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
To everyone who is picking up the next modern-day equivalent to "The Bridges of Madison County" or "Bridget Jones' Diary" or whatever - read this instead. I promise you it's still a romance, but it also will make you think about technology and communication, and relationships and a whole host of other topics. It will give you something to talk about on your prospective Tinder dates, rather than an unreachable fantasy to compare them to. It's smart. It's more than just escapism. It's also damn hilarious.
arwenstelter's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
3.0
chirson's review against another edition
4.0
Adorable, funny and romantic. This is only my second Connie Willis novel (although I've read Doomsday Book twice now + there are three more waiting for me on the shelf, and I've read a few short stories) but it's enough to convince me that her writing is absolutely my type of thing. The type of comedy of manners that necessitates making characters somewhat larger-than-life and thus not quite realistic (like most of protagonist's family here) can be hit-or-miss, but to me, Willis strikes the right balance here, and so I was genuinely amused by the interactions. For me, the pacing was really good and enjoyable (even in spite of me guessing some plot twists ahead of the time), and the chemistry between the characters - palpable. (So sue me, I like a good romance trope here and there.)
One quibble I've seen other readers express and that did spoil things a little, in my opinion:
That said, I really liked the family dynamics, heightened as they were, the entire group of women of all ages conspiring and plotting and putting their noses into each other's business and thus feeling oddly convincing to me. I liked the interactions between the protagonist-narrator and her love interest. I did think the antagonists could have been fleshed out a little, but the book feels complex and long enough as it was, so I'll live.
(And I've got to say I liked the book's irony about zombie everything, not being much of a fan of the genre.)
One quibble I've seen other readers express and that did spoil things a little, in my opinion:
Spoiler
I understand why the decision to make so much hinge on genetics made many readers uncomfortable and, to me, felt perhaps not quite thought-through. I don't think it needs to be interpreted as that bad (or even as proven in the world of the story, in spite of what the characters seem to think by the end of the novel - there's clearly a lot that they still don't know or understand about the phenomenon). That said, I do think there's a little too much of mumbo-jumbo science. How exactly are phones supposed to jam mental processes? How does telepathy work as an app? Exactly how great a hacker is Maeve??? Obviously some suspension of disbelief is necessary here, but the more the book tries to explain things, the less convincing it became as sf - I think straight-up fantasy, complete with a magical shared ancestor instead of Bicameral Mind, might have done the job better, for me at least.That said, I really liked the family dynamics, heightened as they were, the entire group of women of all ages conspiring and plotting and putting their noses into each other's business and thus feeling oddly convincing to me. I liked the interactions between the protagonist-narrator and her love interest. I did think the antagonists could have been fleshed out a little, but the book feels complex and long enough as it was, so I'll live.
(And I've got to say I liked the book's irony about zombie everything, not being much of a fan of the genre.)
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
3.75
Rating: 3.75 stars
Shut up critics, this is good.
Shut up critics, this is good.
nerdyrev's review against another edition
4.0
Connie Willis has a huge book catalogue, but I have not read any of her books until this one- Crosstalk. From what I understand, she has a huge following as well, so I was a little hesitant to write this review as I didn't want to write the wrong thing. It was a fun book, but I thought it needed a bit of trimming.
The story takes place in the near future, where everything is pretty much broadcast on Twitter, Facebook, texting, or any other media. People have somewhat lost privacy as news gets out quickly.
Briddey is in love with her boss/boyfriend Trent, whom she has been dating for six wonderful weeks. She and Trent have decided to move forward in their relationship by electing to implant an EDD, which all the stars are doing. This will allow one to be open and feel their partner's feelings. Only a few people have done this experimental procedure.
Briddey's semi nemesis CB has warned her not to get this experiment. He is a tech developer and knows about some of the side effects of this surgery. Briddey gets it and sure enough has a few side effects, including being now able to communicate with CB telepathically!
This was a fun read and a really fun premise. Her characters are well developed and fleshed out. I did wonder a bit why Briddey loved Trent so much when he seems to ignore her for half the book, but I wrote it off to young love.
As stated earlier, I did think there was a lot happening that could have been trimmed a bit. There are lots of parts with Briddey's family popping in and out with the idea that they are nosey and over the top, but there was a bit too much popping in and out. It also isn't until about the 200th page out of 400+ that we start getting into the main portion of the story. It just felt like a lot of filler and facts about telepathy/voices in your head.
I really did enjoy the commentary about our world and what is to come. The idea of hearing what people are really thinking could be easily translated to the comments section of blog posts. I really enjoyed that parallel.
I gave this one 3.5 stars.
* I want to thank NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this book early. I received it for free in exchange for an honest review.
The story takes place in the near future, where everything is pretty much broadcast on Twitter, Facebook, texting, or any other media. People have somewhat lost privacy as news gets out quickly.
Briddey is in love with her boss/boyfriend Trent, whom she has been dating for six wonderful weeks. She and Trent have decided to move forward in their relationship by electing to implant an EDD, which all the stars are doing. This will allow one to be open and feel their partner's feelings. Only a few people have done this experimental procedure.
Briddey's semi nemesis CB has warned her not to get this experiment. He is a tech developer and knows about some of the side effects of this surgery. Briddey gets it and sure enough has a few side effects, including being now able to communicate with CB telepathically!
This was a fun read and a really fun premise. Her characters are well developed and fleshed out. I did wonder a bit why Briddey loved Trent so much when he seems to ignore her for half the book, but I wrote it off to young love.
As stated earlier, I did think there was a lot happening that could have been trimmed a bit. There are lots of parts with Briddey's family popping in and out with the idea that they are nosey and over the top, but there was a bit too much popping in and out. It also isn't until about the 200th page out of 400+ that we start getting into the main portion of the story. It just felt like a lot of filler and facts about telepathy/voices in your head.
I really did enjoy the commentary about our world and what is to come. The idea of hearing what people are really thinking could be easily translated to the comments section of blog posts. I really enjoyed that parallel.
I gave this one 3.5 stars.
* I want to thank NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this book early. I received it for free in exchange for an honest review.
nglofile's review against another edition
2.0
I delayed responding to this work, desperately hoping a little distance would help clarify my conflicted response. That was overly optimistic. Even if I limit to a binary like/dislike, I still can't pinpoint where I land.
Let me first go on record as one who can enjoy a lighter, more fanciful story. I am a fan of Willis's Bellwether, which I erroneously believed prepared me for what this would be: a bit of farcical sci-fi with rom-com tropes. That isn't wrong. A friend described this as compulsively readable, and I have to agree. How else to explain why I kept moving through sixteen audio discs (nearly 19 hrs.) even when marinating in exasperation?
I fully recognize that suspension of disbelief for a work of this sort means embracing caricature, but it wasn't Briddey's Stephanie Plum-like family nor Trent's obvious clueless villainy that was most off-putting. It was protagonist Briddey herself. There was nothing to recommend her, which also called into question why CB would not only be attracted to her but also exercise such acts of sacrificial devotion. She isn't depicted as intelligent, capable, or charming, and that barrier is tough to scale in this style of narrative.
That doesn't mean there weren't truly romantic, funny, or sweet scenes, and the fact that thinking of them now can bring a smile is a mark in its favor. I haven't even touched on the tech itself (interesting premise, moderately successful as device), the genetic links (eh), nor on the social commentary (real promise here, but heavy-handed doesn't begin to describe). All of that can be taken in stride depending on individual thresholds and on whether a more compelling core is discovered. Personally, more depth and less sprawl would have been much appreciated.
Is it diverting? Yes. Is there an audience? I'm sure. The length (498 p.) means that those to whom I'll suggest this will need to have a pretty deep investment in one of the appeal elements; this isn't for a casual reader, nor is it the best introduction to Willis' light yet clever touch. For that, I'll continue to offer either Bellwether or one of her novellas.
audiobook note: Oh, boy. Frankly, one of the biggest obstacles was the lack of polish and consistency in the narration. It wasn't without merit, as I would have reverted back to print, but it was far from the desired end of performance enhancing story. Several times it actually distracted from the action -- never a welcome observation to have to make. Not the only instance, but most egregious was the mispronunciation of oft-mentioned Kathleen as three syllables (Kath-uh-leen), an error more associated with children's attempts. Granted, it will be more jarring to those of us who share that name, but we can't settle into acceptance if it varies from mention to mention.
Let me first go on record as one who can enjoy a lighter, more fanciful story. I am a fan of Willis's Bellwether, which I erroneously believed prepared me for what this would be: a bit of farcical sci-fi with rom-com tropes. That isn't wrong. A friend described this as compulsively readable, and I have to agree. How else to explain why I kept moving through sixteen audio discs (nearly 19 hrs.) even when marinating in exasperation?
I fully recognize that suspension of disbelief for a work of this sort means embracing caricature, but it wasn't Briddey's Stephanie Plum-like family nor Trent's obvious clueless villainy that was most off-putting. It was protagonist Briddey herself. There was nothing to recommend her, which also called into question why CB would not only be attracted to her but also exercise such acts of sacrificial devotion. She isn't depicted as intelligent, capable, or charming, and that barrier is tough to scale in this style of narrative.
That doesn't mean there weren't truly romantic, funny, or sweet scenes, and the fact that thinking of them now can bring a smile is a mark in its favor. I haven't even touched on the tech itself (interesting premise, moderately successful as device), the genetic links (eh), nor on the social commentary (real promise here, but heavy-handed doesn't begin to describe). All of that can be taken in stride depending on individual thresholds and on whether a more compelling core is discovered. Personally, more depth and less sprawl would have been much appreciated.
Is it diverting? Yes. Is there an audience? I'm sure. The length (498 p.) means that those to whom I'll suggest this will need to have a pretty deep investment in one of the appeal elements; this isn't for a casual reader, nor is it the best introduction to Willis' light yet clever touch. For that, I'll continue to offer either Bellwether or one of her novellas.
audiobook note: Oh, boy. Frankly, one of the biggest obstacles was the lack of polish and consistency in the narration. It wasn't without merit, as I would have reverted back to print, but it was far from the desired end of performance enhancing story. Several times it actually distracted from the action -- never a welcome observation to have to make. Not the only instance, but most egregious was the mispronunciation of oft-mentioned Kathleen as three syllables (Kath-uh-leen), an error more associated with children's attempts. Granted, it will be more jarring to those of us who share that name, but we can't settle into acceptance if it varies from mention to mention.
koalathebear's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it! I read and listened to this book - the audio book is read by Mia Barron and she does a superb job.
I know a lot of people seemed to not really care for this book and my husband didn't enjoy the snippets he heard, but I'm a huge Connie Willis fan and I was not disappointed.
In typical Connie Willis/screwball comedy style, the heroine Briddey starts out somewhat clueless, annoying and infinitely frustrating - but
I adored the humour, the 'tech' and I of course adored the chemistry and romance ... As soon as i finished it, I read it again.
A much more detailed review over on my blog.
I know a lot of people seemed to not really care for this book and my husband didn't enjoy the snippets he heard, but I'm a huge Connie Willis fan and I was not disappointed.
In typical Connie Willis/screwball comedy style, the heroine Briddey starts out somewhat clueless, annoying and infinitely frustrating - but
Spoiler
she of course comes good and learns to appreciate the incredibly wonderful CB Schwartz. I know it's a well-trodden path, but Willis makes it wonderful.I adored the humour, the 'tech' and I of course adored the chemistry and romance ... As soon as i finished it, I read it again.
A much more detailed review over on my blog.
silverhill's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
3.75