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A review by shayna_hadassah
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love reading books by smart people!
There was so much going on in this book, and everything was revealed or introduced at a moment that made you want to keep reading (or listening, in my case).
I love the backdrop of the cultural revolution and how it's easy to predict what Ye Wenjie will do, even though you wish she wouldn't. I also liked how her story was revealed intermittently; I think it made a lot of sense for the pacing of the story to build to what was completely inevitable. I like how flawed she was and how what she went through felt real. I love the role she played in literally everything. #girlboss
The parts of the book set in the early 2000s felt very present as a listener. I also had no idea what was actually happening, so I was totally on board with Wang Miao and eagerly following along to find out what the deal was. The style whenthe countdown was happening really upped the energy and anxiety of the whole ordeal, and props to the narrator too for really selling it.
The way Cixin Liu writes is fantastic. Even though the ending was, I think, entirely predictable, I wanted to get to the end and find out if it actually happened. The amount of dread I felt getting to the last couple of hours was real. I knew, but I had to know. The simplicity of the plot really allowed the finer points to shine through.
There's definitely some cool science in there. I know nothing about physics, but Cixin Liu obviously does. I couldn't tell you which parts are theoretical and which are real, but I am fully prepared to believe that everything in the book is possible. My only complaint about the science is that in a couple of spots it was really dense and I had to re-listen to make it make sense. Otherwise it was fairly easy to follow as someone with absolutely no training in physics.
There was so much going on in this book, and everything was revealed or introduced at a moment that made you want to keep reading (or listening, in my case).
I love the backdrop of the cultural revolution and how it's easy to predict what Ye Wenjie will do, even though you wish she wouldn't. I also liked how her story was revealed intermittently; I think it made a lot of sense for the pacing of the story to build to what was completely inevitable. I like how flawed she was and how what she went through felt real. I love the role she played in literally everything. #girlboss
The parts of the book set in the early 2000s felt very present as a listener. I also had no idea what was actually happening, so I was totally on board with Wang Miao and eagerly following along to find out what the deal was. The style when
The way Cixin Liu writes is fantastic. Even though the ending was, I think, entirely predictable, I wanted to get to the end and find out if it actually happened. The amount of dread I felt getting to the last couple of hours was real. I knew, but I had to know. The simplicity of the plot really allowed the finer points to shine through.
There's definitely some cool science in there. I know nothing about physics, but Cixin Liu obviously does. I couldn't tell you which parts are theoretical and which are real, but I am fully prepared to believe that everything in the book is possible. My only complaint about the science is that in a couple of spots it was really dense and I had to re-listen to make it make sense. Otherwise it was fairly easy to follow as someone with absolutely no training in physics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcohol