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Horrifying

Revisado: 04-01-25

Having grown drilling "Duck and Cover", and watching a steady stream of movies dramatizing the effects of a nuclear attack I thought I would just be getting a refresher course. No. The truth, as presented in this important book, is so much worse than we have been led to believe. The American public, and the world, need to understand what a ridiculous idea a "winnable nuclear war" is. Deterrence is an act of faith. My nightmares are back. And the cowardly part of me wishes I had never read this book. But my better self knows that refusing to look doesn't make the monster go away, it just gives it a chance to sneak up on you.

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This novel disappoints on the deepest level.

Revisado: 03-06-25

I have never before bothered to write a review on a book I rated less than 4 stars. There is so much to love about this novel. It provides amazing insight into the life of a trans woman without feeling exploitive or too preachy-though it came close on the preachy aspect. It makes the Asian-Anerican culture come alive. Also, I felt I received a master's class on violins and Bartok. The reason I withheld stars? Ultimately, if this were a novel written by a man about men it would be decried as a misogynistic scree, and I feel novels written by women about women should be held to the same standard. Really, it is not necessary to depict every male character as a killer, lech, rapist, angry drunk, misogynist, or an actual demon - to uplift femine characters and relationships. The only decent "male" characters were trans women! It completely undermines the author's theme of acceptance and love for others. What could have been a soaringly beautiful novel is (so disappointingly) just another book othering those not of our tribe. Maybe the author should move out of her glass house before the stones start flying? The literary world should be a better place.

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Sublime

Revisado: 02-14-25

I do not give five stars very often. A novel has to have characters that rise up off the page. A narrative that presents ideas that go beyond the story at hand. It has to make me think "why have I never thought about that in this way before?". And I have to want to read it again. This is that kind of novel. It feels important. I wish everyone would read it. I think the world would be a better place if they did. Don't get me wrong, it is not a preachy kind of novel- just brutally honest. A kind of magic mirror to our times. Well done Mr. Hill. Kudos too for the perfect narrator.

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The performers were all very good

Revisado: 07-07-24

Let me state for the record, NOT a fan of back and forth time lines. (A note to all authors - Ask yourself, "Why is this overused device really necessary to tell my story?) Rarely a good reason for them, and this is no exception. There was a good story here but IMO it got lost in all the jumping around. Hard to build tension when there are constant breaks. Also, the ending. Meh to the max.

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Excellent world building.

Revisado: 07-04-24

If "The Giver" and " Wayward Pines" had a child, "Wool" would be the result. I am struggling with this review because I enjoyed the telling of the tale, but it felt too familiar as it went along. The characters were not really memorable for me. Probably because everyone of them were either black hats or white hats from the beginning. The one exception being a rather minor character at the end. Still, I would recommend it as a good beach read.

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Heartbreaking beautiful.

Revisado: 01-20-24

Words are useless. Take this journey and change the way you feel the world forever.

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Some nuggets of gold

Revisado: 12-14-23

Girl With All the Gifts is one of my favorite books. Infinity Gate is not of that caliber. It is a very slow and not terribly engaging start going into unnecessary, and frankly boring, quantum science details. But plow through that first third of the book and you will find some moments of real paradigm shifting situations and dialogue. Not so much ground breaking ideas, but ideas that are presented in a way that really made me feel the emotions of the ideas in a new way. These moments made the book worthwhile, if not really enjoyable, for me.

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Wow!

Revisado: 12-06-23

I only wish that Hanks hadn't spent his life acting, he is one hell of a writer! More please!!!!

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just okay

Revisado: 11-26-23

The characters were flat and the story utterly predictable. I kept reading mainly for the information on bonobos, but that became salacious and gratuitous after a bit. Then I continued because I was so far in. Now I feel like I should have moved on about a third of the way through. There were so many missed opportunities for the exploration of adult human relationships. The author seemed to be setting these up time after time but then just moved on. Disappointing.

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So much more than I expected!

Revisado: 08-06-23

I don't like the narrator, I thought. This is incredibly slow, I thought. Know exactly where this is going, I thought. You get what you pay for, I thought - free through Plus. But I was outside working and didn't want to break to go in to download another book. Lucky me!!! I would have missed a book that has touched me in a way that no novel has in quite a while. Though still not a huge fan of the narrator, I got over it. The pace hadn't been the problem, I had just not given the author the space he needed to paint the portrait he wanted. You have to steep the tea properly to get the full flavor. And as any reader knows - but we often forget - it's not where you're going, but how you get there. All this to say this is a novel that has a lot to say and I will be forever glad I listened.

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