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Summary: Two Plagues in One Wonderful Book!!
Review: A friend of mine who lives in the same town as Connie Willis sent me the Doomsday book for Christmas because, eccentric as it might sound, I love plagues, particularly the Bubonic Plague of the 14th century. Not only did I get a wonderful discussion of the Bubonic Plague, but Willis gave me ANOTHER plague mystery to solve. I solved the second mystery the first time I read the book, but I have still reread it at least 3 times since I got it. In addition to the wonderful plague scenarios, Willis' characters, with the exception of Kivrin, are real people dealing with a crisis. The characters run the gamut from the superstitiously wicked Lady Imeyne to the wickedly funny Finch whose main worry is running out of toilet paper. But the best character is Father Roche, an unlettered village priest who embodies the medieval idea of the saintly priest who actually ministers to his flock rather than fleecing them like so many actual priests did. Willis' science may be "iffy," but her history is right on target. As a literature professor, I am forced to read "good" fiction for a living, but for relaxation, give me a rousing science fiction/mystery/romance like the Doomsday Book. It's one of the best Christmas gifts I ever got
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Summary: Fantastic book with beautifully crafted characters
Review: I'm beginning to think that reading books that have been suggested to me (even off-handedly) is the way to go. I never would have noticed this book or thought to read it otherwise.I started Doomsday Book the day after I finished reading Michael Crichton's Timeline. At first glance, the books seem to have the exact same plot: Technology enables historians to travel back in time to the 1300s, and a crisis in the present day threatens to strand the time-traveler(s). But, I noticed differences in the two books immediately. Gone are the dull characters. Gone are the images of the middle ages as pretty or romantic. The plot could be told in a short story. But every page of Willis' book is worth reading. The plot isn't so important as the characters. They are so wonderfully three-dimensional; I cared about the characters and their feelings as the plot slowly revealed itself. The characters were dynamic people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really couldn't put it down until the very end.
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Summary: What a great book!
Review: If you like sci-fi, fantasy and history you'll love this book. I did. The characters are totally engaging and it's fascinating. The only thing that stops it from being a 5 star book is the long parts about Dunworthy, they got a little boring. All the parts that take place in the 14th century are totally excellent.
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Summary: I just finished re-reading this book for the 3rd or 4th time
Review: . . . and it is every bit as good as when I first picked it up -- or rather, when my older brother picked it up to read to me, then 11 and perfectly capable of reading for myself, as a part of a family read-aloud tradition. I was raised Jewish and as an adult have found myself drawn to Earth religions, but whenever I read The Doomsday Book, I find within myself a certain appreciation for Christianity. This book gives a context which restores this religion to a powerful sense of meaning. Connie Willis's medieval characters speak medieval, feel medieval, and act like people. I picked up another book shortly after this, a book by Ann Benson which portrayed characters in the 1300's -- and it didn't commit any outright errors, it's just that the style had such a modern perspective -- it didn't feel real in comparison, and I threw it down in irritation. In The Doomsday Book, the past comes through with an eminently believable clarity of voice and detail. Her future is as believable as her past -- as fabulous "set design" and complexity as I've ever seen in a book, yet the plot threads are so coherent that I never get lost in the details. The explanations of the various technologies are fairly minimal but always internally consistent. The characters are likeable and three-dimensional. The book reads so effortlessly, she must have had an outline twice the size to pull it off.
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Summary: Can't put it down
Review: I'm not a particularly fast reader, but every now and then I'll amaze myself by reading an entire book in a day. These are usually shorter books. Doomsday book, being about 600 pages, doesn't quite fit into this category but I just absolutely could not bear to put it down and wound up reading the entire thing in a single sitting. Absolutely wonderful - you feel as if you've been transported back into 14th century along with Kirvin - a complete escape from reality! Wonderful characters, fascinating learning about a completely different time. Connie Willis is not your typical sci fi writer (as several reviewers often complain about on her books) -- but my feel is that a good book is a good book, regardless of genre. Personally, I enjoy science fiction because it takes you into worlds completely foreign to the one that you live in. While this book takes place primarily in the past rather than the future, it certainly succeeds at showing you a life completely foreign to what we live in today. I think it's a wonderful book, I'm sorry some people were so put off by what time it took place during.
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Summary: exceptionally absorbing!
Review: I love time travel stories when I want to just have some fun! This is by turns exciting, moving, and funny. A real plus is a female protagonist in an adventure story who shows -- to anybody who needs convincing -- that courage and nurturing femininity are not contradictions. If you have ever taken care of little girls you will appreciate how real Agnes, the little girl in the 14th century, is and find you really care about her and the other characters. I don't say this about much fiction, but it was hard to put down when I had to stop reading and deal with mundane reality.
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Summary: Top-Notch Research...And A Great Story Too!
Review: In the mid-21st century time travel has been perfected and is used by historians as a method of exposing oneself to one's research. Kivrin, a British history student, uses time travel as a means of exploring the Middle Ages. Kivrin goes back to a small village of the period. There, with the aid of a device that allows her to understand the locals (they speak Middle English ya know!), she becomes a part of the village...and faces, along with them, their darkest hours. The research Willis must have performed to put this book together had to have been enormous. Indeed, I heard that she spent no less than five years putting all the research together. Whatever the time spent in library for this book, Willis made it more than payoff. Her detail of an English village in the Middle Ages is EXQUISITE. Very few authors can truly put one into the setting of the story...Willis accomplishes this feat with grace. One word of warning: Parts of this book are quite depressing...so one should not undertake this book if one expects to walk away from it (whether one has completed it or is just breaking for tea) with a jovial spirit. This being said, Willis has sculpted a true work of art that should certainly be shared with as many people as possible.
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Summary: Doomsday Book - How Does She Do It?
Review: Really not that much to add that hasn't been written in dozens of other reviews. There is just something about Connie Willis' writing that draws you into the story. As I told my wife numerous times "You know, there is really not that much happening in this book, but I can't put it down". If you are still thinking about a book and the characters in it two weeks after you've finished the book then the author has done the job right. By the way, also loved To Say Nothing of the Dog.
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Summary: Enough Plot for Everyon
Review: This is an example of the kind of book that ensures you are never bored with it. There are two strong main plots, both of which tie together neatly and reasonably realistically. Both of them have at least some surprise, mystery, and suspense. Meanwhile, these plots tie in with several others, including toilet paper supplies, bell ringers, and an overprotective mother splendidly. This also acts to provide some humorous relief to a book that can desperately need it at times
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Summary: A Page-Turner
Review: I got this book at the library, not sure if I'd finish the long book. It was very good and I couldn't stop reading it. I must say, though, that the part of the book about the future got a little boring after a while, and interupted the exciting 14th century part of the novel.
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