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What Members Thought
I might have ignored this had I known it was dystopian because I'm getting a little tired of "catastrophe in the near future/plucky young lady fights her way through" stories but I'm glad I didn't know much other than a good review I read in a magazine which put it on my radar. A lovely, subtle coming-of-age tool with yes, an end of the world catastrophe looming in the background, but unique. It reminded me a lot of Meg Rosoff's "how we live now" in its focus on the individuals and the effect of
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I was disappointed with the way the story unfolded. The reason I gave it 3 stars is only because like all dystopian books, I love the way this book examines how humans would react if something devastating, like The Slowing, happened. In some odd way, this book reminded me of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. I would have liked this book a little bit more if this it had more of the documentary tone that made WWZ a superior book. If I wasn't such a science geek, I don't think this bo
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This book has quite a bit in common with Life as we Knew it. However, this apocalypse comes around more slowly - which is nice for a change! But I'll warn you - if you read this, you should probably go into it thinking of it as a coming of age story, because that's far more the theme.
The coming of age stuff is good - middle school is hell on earth, your family is falling apart. All normal things. I just didn't feel like the writing was good enough to get away with the unresolved ending. The end ...more
The coming of age stuff is good - middle school is hell on earth, your family is falling apart. All normal things. I just didn't feel like the writing was good enough to get away with the unresolved ending. The end ...more
I liked the portrayal of adolescence. I don't care that the premise of the book might seem far-fetched to some people, because Karen Thompson Walker pulls it off, as far as I'm concerned.
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A fantastic premise, and a big and small story at the same time. I do wish she had gone deeper into the effects of the slowing, and the demise of everything, but it was seriously good writing. The last day of school scene near the end was just outstanding.
I really liked this book -- the apocalyptic concept, ithe clever imagining of its implications, and the perfect emotional rendering of childhood loss as remembered from adulthood. Polished and well-written throughout. I recommend it!
I love this book. I LOVE this book. It's one of the best novels I've ever read. Please, please read it.
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Definitely didn't live up to the hype for me.
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Jul 18, 2012
Kaitlin
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
magical-realism
Aug 15, 2012
Hannah
marked it as to-read
Aug 20, 2012
shera
is currently reading it
Dec 12, 2012
Shannon
marked it as to-read
Apr 04, 2013
Mary
marked it as to-read
Jan 18, 2014
Heather
marked it as to-read
May 06, 2018
Ms. McGregor
marked it as to-read
Apr 18, 2019
Ms. McGregor
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi,
dystopian,
favorites,
coming-of-age,
stuylib,
grief,
family,
shyness,
friendship,
health
Jan 27, 2019
carrie
marked it as to-read
