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brendamn's Reviews (370)
A very engaging and funny book. It does Douglas Adams style of sci-fi humor better than Douglas Adams in my opinion, though I have only read Hitchhiker's Guide. That might sound like heresy to some, but I wasn't the biggest fan of Douglas Adams myself honestly. To be fair, this couldn't quite very well exist without Adams paving the way since it drew significant influence from him.
It was a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around the way Valente described some of the aliens. I could create a picture of it in my mind's eye though still felt the picture I created looked anything like what she had intended. Some of the plot lines were also quite disjointed when they didn't seem like they needed to be. It is no where near uncommon for plots to jump back and forth with chronology, but in this case doing so did not really do the book any favors.
Overall though, it was very enjoyable with a style of humor I can appreciate, though it is so strong it could be the very thing that turns other people off to the book. I really liked though Eurovision concept as well.
It was a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around the way Valente described some of the aliens. I could create a picture of it in my mind's eye though still felt the picture I created looked anything like what she had intended. Some of the plot lines were also quite disjointed when they didn't seem like they needed to be. It is no where near uncommon for plots to jump back and forth with chronology, but in this case doing so did not really do the book any favors.
Overall though, it was very enjoyable with a style of humor I can appreciate, though it is so strong it could be the very thing that turns other people off to the book. I really liked though Eurovision concept as well.
An excellent mix of the gripping intensity of an investigative crime novel and the otherworldly reality-bending you get with certain science fiction. It was paced near perfectly, I can't recall one chapter being boring or slowing the book down. The plot was not lacking, and found the conclusion satisfying as well.
The sci-fi concept, two cities phased together occupying the same space, seemed simple on the surface. Though Miéville developed it intricately and with depth, world-building in various ways, making it the primary source of what made this novel so unique.
The City & the City was my introduction to China Miéville, testing the waters for another science fiction author I can count on when I am in the mood for the genre. I am definitely looking forward to the next one I decide to pick up.
The sci-fi concept, two cities phased together occupying the same space, seemed simple on the surface. Though Miéville developed it intricately and with depth, world-building in various ways, making it the primary source of what made this novel so unique.
The City & the City was my introduction to China Miéville, testing the waters for another science fiction author I can count on when I am in the mood for the genre. I am definitely looking forward to the next one I decide to pick up.
I did not know what this was about beforehand, and learned only as I arrived there in the book halfway through reading. I believe that was they key to what made this as devastating as it was for me. I got to know the Leary's and followed them as they grew together as a family with complete ignorance, and then halfway through watched the life they built get progressively, utterly destroyed.
Even though the central plot of this book is nowhere near a secret or even intended to be so, I will still withhold from disclosing for the sake of offering the same opportunity. Regardless of knowing what you are getting into We Are Not Ourselves is a masterful piece, an in depth and excruciatingly intimate look into the subject at hand.
I didn't care for the characters at first, I found them to be exceptionally flawed individuals. Of course everyone is to some degree. Through seeing what they had to inevitably endure, all those flaws quickly became incredibly insignificant. No one deserves this.
Even though the central plot of this book is nowhere near a secret or even intended to be so, I will still withhold from disclosing for the sake of offering the same opportunity. Regardless of knowing what you are getting into We Are Not Ourselves is a masterful piece, an in depth and excruciatingly intimate look into the subject at hand.
I didn't care for the characters at first, I found them to be exceptionally flawed individuals. Of course everyone is to some degree. Through seeing what they had to inevitably endure, all those flaws quickly became incredibly insignificant. No one deserves this.
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The majority of the content of this book is opinion based, and there was plenty of instances where I disagreed with an argument or theory posed by Packer. Despite those instances though there was still enough here to make this one of the most rewarding books I have read this year. I tend to be much more critical about things than I ought to be, so this was a surprise to me at least.
In the meat of the book he describes the American people as belonging to four distinct groups: Free America, Smart America, Real America, and Just America. The descriptions and idiosyncrasies he attributes to each group I do agree with, his assessments were fair for the most part. Though just as vast and multitudinous as Walt Whitman was, America is even more so. Putting all American citizens into four categories is a bit oversimplified, though it a better alternative to just red vs. blue.
I understand it is not intended to be an absolute categorization, and that there is plenty of overlap between the groups. There are more ways to slice the pie, but if it were to just be sliced four ways then Packer did quite well.
What I found most rewarding about Last Best Hope is that it described the events of the past year and half and what led to us to this point into words as best as I have seen described thus far. It articulated the evolution of American politics in a way that I do not find too disagreeable. There may be better takes out there, but Packer's is quite on point.
Lastly, I am thankful to have been further acquainted by two people in American politics profiled in this book, Frances Perkins and Bayard Rustin. I look forward to discovering more about their lives and achievements in further reading.
In the meat of the book he describes the American people as belonging to four distinct groups: Free America, Smart America, Real America, and Just America. The descriptions and idiosyncrasies he attributes to each group I do agree with, his assessments were fair for the most part. Though just as vast and multitudinous as Walt Whitman was, America is even more so. Putting all American citizens into four categories is a bit oversimplified, though it a better alternative to just red vs. blue.
I understand it is not intended to be an absolute categorization, and that there is plenty of overlap between the groups. There are more ways to slice the pie, but if it were to just be sliced four ways then Packer did quite well.
What I found most rewarding about Last Best Hope is that it described the events of the past year and half and what led to us to this point into words as best as I have seen described thus far. It articulated the evolution of American politics in a way that I do not find too disagreeable. There may be better takes out there, but Packer's is quite on point.
Lastly, I am thankful to have been further acquainted by two people in American politics profiled in this book, Frances Perkins and Bayard Rustin. I look forward to discovering more about their lives and achievements in further reading.