Rating: 
Summary: Refreshing dose of realism in time travel science fiction
Review: I must admit I was flummoxed to find so many negative reviews of this book. I inhaled it over the course of two days. I was most iimpressed with its storyline in the Middle Ages--what a refreshing reminder that life in the past was not all chivalric knights and fair princesses. The reality involved lots of nasty things like poverty, casual violence, and disease. In addition, I enjoyed the characters in both story lines. Let's hear it for strong female leads! Also, I didn't find the "future" storyline as bumbling as many. Rather, it often provided a much-needed breather from the heavier historical fare. All in all, a book worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, but too many loose ends.
Review: I liked this book, but there were too many loose ends. The paradoxes which prevent diseases from traveling through the net were too convenient and never adequately explained. What happens after Kirvin, who must be crawling with the plague, enters the net in the final chapter? I think the author deliberately ended the story where she did because the details of how Kirvin and the others are decontaminated ( the paradoxes?)would not bear close scrutiny.I was also troubled by the link between the modern plague and the church yard cemetary. The author implied a link but never developed it. The story would have been better if that plot line had been pursued. I,ve been critical of a book which I have rated highly, but I feel the book could have been a 10 if only a few loose ends were tied together.
Rating: 
Summary: Tragic, but unputdownable
Review: Ignore the doomsters, especially the guy who misses the irony of criticising an inaccurate portrayal of the NHS some 50 years or so in the future, and read this book for yourself. This is a classic time travel novel, one that stands out for creating a compelling image of the past, and characters that you really get to care about. Whilst the part of the story set in the near future (2048) is weak, the most important part during the middle ages is superbly done. Ultimately this is a tragic novel, not surprising since the heroine accidentally travels to the middle ages when the black death is rife, yet it resonates with a wonderful humanity.
Rating:
Summary: A good read while in the airport/on the plane...
Review: Just finished reading this after a coast-to-coast round trip, which seems to be the best way to digest this treatise... I agree with previous comments regarding the near future. It's as if this book were written in the 1960's by someone who would have no concept of the communications revolution. Thought it would have been cool if Roche had turned out to be a traveller from even further in the future who happened to cross paths with Kivrin. He would have recognized her origins from her modern English ravings while she was ill, and they could have worked together to aid those they cared about without upsetting the space-time continuum. I could see this being made into a movie assuming improvements to the year 2054 situations and a more satisfying ending.
Rating: 
Summary: OK But Overrated
Review: I probably would have enjoyed this book more if it had not won the Hugo and Nebula awards. As it was, my expectations were far too high. The future characters are stupid and tend to pass out before they can reveal important information. This would have been a stronger book at 300 pages. The character development for the past was pretty good, but be ready for tragedy. Not the "feel good" book of the nineties.
Rating:
Summary: My two cents...
Review: Ms. Willis writes at a rarefied level, achieving a mastery of art and craft of which most writers can only dream. So it's little wonder that there are some readers who will simply never understand her genius. This is particularly true of "Doomsday Book," since the subject matter is so challenging, the inevitabilities so hard to face (in regard to the characters' fates). But, clearly, the "10's" outweigh the "3's" every time--especially when it comes to the critics. And the Hugo Awards. And the Nebula Awards. Did I mention Ms. Willis has won more of those awards than anyone? That doesn't happen by accident. Your instincts (the "10's") are the right ones.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable
Review: I can't understand how so many people can hate this book; I thought it was one of the best I've ever read. Connie Willis reminds me very much of Jane Austen, combining wickedly comic minor characters with truly sympathetic major characters to produce a novel that is simultaneously hysterical and moving. She also gets her science right. The "made-up" science is internally consistent, and the biology and archaeology are correct. It's possible to predict where the modern plague came from based on the clues early on, although I didn't figure it out myself.
Rating: 
Summary: An astonishingly miserable book.
Review: I, too, picked this up on the basis of its Hugo and Nebula. What a mistake! Hands down the worst "science fiction" book I've ever read. Boring characters, none of whom are noble, evil, or in any way interesting. Nothing happens (other than unrelenting misery and pointless suffering). Zero character development; Kivrin has zero impact on the "contemps"; EVERYBODY dies; need I go on? Oh yeah: Wills doesn't even have the decency to punish the moron Gilchrist or whatever his name was...she lets him die peacefully offstage, never getting his comeuppance! An astonishingly miserable book. Run, do not walk, away from it.
Rating:
Summary: Well... OK, but what's so great about this book?
Review: I thought I'd take a look at this book after hearing so much hype, but I really cannot see the reason it has received such praise! I mean, its readable, but not that great! The idea may be somewhat interesting, but the storytelling becomes somewhat irrtating at times (is this supposed to be suspense?)... OK, the characters are succesful to a certain extent, but nothing special. Oh, and the "technical" details are obviously imperfect, but that wasn't what really bothered me (just mentioned it in case you're interested). I probably enjoyed the last part more, because I read it on a transatlantic flight and it really helped me close my eyes a bit... But I did finish it (what do I get for this?)!!
Rating:
Summary: A time-travel/mediaval history/sci-fi adventure/mystery
Review: Hello,
Is Kate Winslet there? Yes, Kate, you were BORN to play Kivrin Engle in Doomsday Book! Yes, its another "period piece" but listen, there's a catch! This time you're playing a 21st century history student sent back in time to study the 14th century. But something goes wrong and instead of being sent back to 1320, you're sent to 1348 at the beginning of the Black Plague! Think 'Outbreak' meets 'Excalibur' ! Its part mystery, and part science fiction thriller, yet it also has the twist of experiencing life in 14th century England. The book was great! Yeah, I'll sent a copy over to you right away. You'll love it!
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