Josh
Time travel and the grandfather paradox are well-worn tropes, but it's rare for a story to gracefully handle this many overlapping timelines.
The ending was a bit of a let-down, but the ride was a lot of fun.
A tough book to rate. It's extremely well written, with a unique voice and a compelling story. But it's deeply unpleasant to read.
The book was effective at what it was trying to be - a tense portrait of a deeply unlikeable mess of a character, who grifts her way into people's lives and then sabotages them. It was generally well-written and a fast read.
But perhaps because it was so effective, I really did not enjoy reading it. I had to physically put it down at times to get away from the tension.
Absurd in the best way possible. It veers unpredictably from horrifying to hilarious. Incredible characters and a totally wild ride. Loved it.
3 authors, 3 very different experiences.
The foreword is a mess and doesn't add much. The writing is overly flowery and feels like it's trying to be profound without much to say.
The main part of the book is interesting and occasionally poignant, but it's pretentious. It wasn't really my taste, but there's definitely something of value there.
The final part, by his wife, is the best-written. It's frank about the experience of watching her husband's final days and shows how she came to terms with their life together. It's a strong ending that gives more context to the rest and ultimately made me round this 3.5 star book up to 4 instead of down to 3.
This seems like a book you'd either love or give up on.
The Bee Sting has some of the best character development I've ever read - each section gives you surprising insight into the family members and shows how the their individual context, personality, and voice impact their interpretation of events.
At the same time, it's a slow read, even factoring in that it's a long book. The toughest part to read (but still genuinely interesting) is a section told in stream of consciousness with no punctuation. Even as the tension rises, events unfold painfully slowly. And the ending....oof.
But if you're willing to take your time and can accept the book's flaws, the good aspects of the book are so strong that I still feel like this warrants 4.75 stars.
Started off really strong, and I was very invested in the main character. But some of the later sections dragged, and I was relieved to finish it by the end.
Complicated feelings. I enjoyed reading this, but ultimately feel like it didn't add much to the original.
Newman has tried to add more color and context, and I genuinely enjoyed reading it. Seeing Winston's story from this perspective, and getting much more color and context on how Airstrip One really works day-to-day...to be honest it was a fun way to revisit Orwell's 1984.
But...it feels like a hollow sort of fun. I don't feel like it does the original justice, because where 1984 is a surprising and chilling political commentary, ultimately Julia doesn't make much of a point.
Very dense and very weird. A challenging read with big ideas, explored in a unique way.