Laura
I sat reading this book instead of doing my homework one day in college. I was so enthralled that after I finished it, I immediately read it again!
I really wanted to like this book more, but I was a little disappointed. It had been a while since I'd read the previous book, “The Language of Bees”, so I didn't remember all the details and thus was a little confused as to what was going on.
I'm finally caving in and reading this. After having it collect dust on my bookshelf for almost two years.
And now that I have, I'm giving it two stars for “it was OK.” Certainly, it was better than the awful movie, which I saw last summer. Unfortunately, scenes from the movie kept popping into my head while I was reading, and as one can guess, I really did not like the movie. Oh well–lesson learned.
This was a mediocre thriller in which everything was easy to figure out. This character will be killed, that one will be gravely injured but will pull through, etc. That's OK if all you want is a quick read, but it leaves a lot to be desired.
Also, this book was very poorly edited and proofread. I found many typos throughout the text, such as “We have to leave know!” In addition, although it is never stated outright, this story obviously takes place in December 2009 (indicated by references to recent events). Yet, one character states, “We put a man on the moon fifty years ago.” According to my calculations, that would be forty years ago in 1969. I get the feeling that this book was rushed into publication without much attention to editing and proofreading.
The three-star review is an average–it should get four stars for being well-researched and impartial and two stars for being just plain boring to read!
Not actually about the “science” of time travel but rather how various science fiction stories can be vaguely related to valuable life lessons for young teens. All the citations are to web articles, and the whole book seems like something hastily slapped together.
Enjoyable, although I think I might have read it too soon after “The Sister Queens” by Sophie Perinot (which deals mainly with Marguerite and Eleanor).
Review based on an preview copy provided by the author.
The author presents a good overview of physics and physical chemistry with some history thrown in, written for a general audience. I don't know how well the reader would be able to follow along without already having a background in science, though. I think they might drift away after a while.
One slightly irritating aspect of the book was the tremendous amount of footnotes. I felt they interrupted the flow of the text and didn't always provide a worthwhile tidbit.
Hilariously bad, yet strangely compelling. Kendra makes zero attempt to blend into 1815 society, and yet everyone just automatically accepts her as just being “American”. It makes no sense! The whole story was SO DUMB, yet I felt a need to finish it to find out what happens.
A pleasant return to the “Harry Potter” universe, but definitely not up to the original's quality.
2.5 stars
Way too long and far too many untranslated Italian phrases scattered throughout. Also, I felt the mystery and all the loose ends were tied up very quickly and easily after 700 pages.
I realize that the protagonist is Protestant and she and her friends are struggling to bring about reforms in the church, but I got tired of the implication that the Catholic Church is BAD!!!!!! and the reformers are GOOD!!!!!
This book was a slow starter, but then it picked up. And whoa–very disturbing and violent! Not exactly a light-hearted read.
I received an advance copy from the Penguin First to Read program.
It was interesting to read a fictional account of recent history, but this book was so long! I feel that a lot of scenes could have been cut without losing the narrative thread.
I can't believe I actually read this entire book, waiting for it to get better or have some shocking twist. Unfortunately, the story stayed boring throughout, and the “secret” of the convent was not very interesting either.
I just can't get into this book, so I'm leaving off on p. 86. Maybe I'll get back to it sometime in the future...
I got this book on CD from the library because I had watched the History Channel special based on this book and enjoyed it. I expected the book to be similar to the TV program–a look into what the world would be like if humans suddenly disappeared. The book does cover this, but mostly it discusses how humans are currently ruining the planet and that the world would be better off without us. That may be true, but it's depressing to listen to for 12+ hours!
As the title states, this is the real history behind the Templars. It is well researched and cites many primary sources. The chapters are nice and short too, so you won't get bogged down!
It seems more like a history book rather than a novel. Also, I find fiction written in the present tense rather annoying.
Way too many unnecessary plotlines and historical details stuffed in for no apparent reason.
