Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Vers les étoiles by Mary Robinette Kowal

17 reviews

cscharfway's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was very well written and researched. I found the contributions of the women as computers and pilots fascinating, and the blatant sexism they faced, made me want to scream. 

As someone who experiences anxiety, I could really relate to Elma’s struggle to acknowledge her issues. Her fear of being discovered taking medication hurt my heart and made me appreciate how steps have been taken in today’s society to break that stigma, though there is still a ways to go. 

I liked the diversity of the characters, and how Elma’s way of thinking began to be shaped by her friends of colour. I also thought Nathaniel was a dream of a husband.

The only criticism I have is that the book started really tense and strong, really making it appear to be a science fiction book, but it didn’t continue on with that tone which was a bit disappointing. I would have liked more apparent diverges from the main timeline. It’s more of a historical fiction book than a science fiction, which I do still love, it just wasn’t what I was expecting when I picked it up. 

If you liked Hidden Figures, you’ll like this. 
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cascadienne's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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minervacerridwen's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25

The Calculating Stars is a really well-written slice-of-life report of the life of a brilliant mathematician in an alternate history defined by a meteorite impact. Even the technical parts kept me engaged, and the bits where the book seemed to slow down never lasted too long. While not the main plot, the story deals with sexism and racism, and I feel like I actually learned some things at the end.
I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book thanks to T & Fie!
(Note to my future self: for emetophobia reasons I will probably not want to reread this.)
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asienerbrown's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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cj13's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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beccaand's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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artmuseam's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

when i came across this book at my university’s bookstore, i had some high expectations and was really excited to read this book. now that i think about it, i would say i have some mixed feelings. the book started off very exciting, but once it got to the middle, i wasn’t exactly sure if it was worth reading due to the lack of action. the ending wrapped it up pretty well and i guess the next book continues with what actually happens in space, so maybe i’ll read that out of curiosity. i did find the main character somewhat lovable but i wasn’t entirely on board with how she chose to be so compliant and reserved in times where it was better to be resistant and brave. this frustrated me, but i also did need to take in the historical context at that time. i wasn’t a fan of the tense change in that last chapter—especially since first person present tense is my least favorite…but other than that, this book was exciting, inspirational, and fun to read. i still enjoyed the science jargon and the intense moments of liftoff at various parts :) 3.75/5 stars
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traa's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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carolined314's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

Alternate history can do many things, and this is a light, hopeful story with a complex but positive hetero relationship that you rarely get to see with strong women, along with some discussion of anxiety, prescriptions, and racism. It was clearly written by and for white women in a way that I found somewhat boring, but the sarcastic tone and fierceness of some of the ladies kept me reading. 
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internationalreads's review against another edition

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adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

Immensely readable but some issues with characters. Can’t wait to discuss at book club. 
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