Rating: 
Summary: Too much back and forth
Review: I am always searching for new science fiction, I figured that books that won acclaim and awards came highly recommended and this book had won two of them the Hugoand the Nebula awards. I don't know that I would concur with the awards. I did enjoy many aspects of the book, however I had several gripes. First of all, I thought because of the way she wrote the book it was too long, comprising of over 500 pages. I am not opposed to long books, as long as they are able to justify their length, which due to my other critiques I did not feel she accomplished. The premise of the book was intriguing: Time travel (a Sci Fi standard) where historian's in modern age (2050's) travel back in time to previous ages for study and observation. This book is about a young college girl Kirvin's journey to a medieval Christmas in 1320 England, to a small village just out side of Oxford. Willis does a great job of leading up to Kirvin's "drop", but from there, rather than focusing on the medieval story she alternates each chapter, back and forth between modern day. I found myself with really little care for the modern story line and was quite annoyed at how long she drug on certain points of the tale. For well over half of the book she beats to death the mysterious cause of a modern plague (which seemed rather anachronistic to me) and created unendingly tedious intrigue over what possibly had gone wrong with the drop. This got in the way of what I thought was Wilis's real power, rich detailed story telling regarding medieval life. This storyline was fascinating and insightful, largely due to Willis's extensive background research. The last fourth of the book was good read, where Willis finally wraps up the mysteries of the book and gets on with the anchor of the story. I won't spoil the ending, and you'll have to decide if the book sounds intriguing enough to read. My wife on the otherhad just finished this book and loved it. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Lovely!
Review: Connie Willis has mastered the art of historical fiction. Via stellar prose, well thought dialogue, and sympathetic characters, Willis weaves a quite a dramatic tale.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just a Story
Review: To put it simply, Connie Willis's 'Doomsday Book' is one of the best book I've ever read. When twentysomething Kivrin bravely journey's to the 1300's, she had no idea what terrors lie waiting for her. While she is trying to stay alive and sane in the brutal 14th century, her counterparts back home in 2058 are dealing with their own brutality, trying all the time to save the young, lost historian. Amazingly, like the angel she is thought to be, Kivrin takes the entire town under her care, nursing them as each one becomes increasingly sick. On the edge of death herself, Kivrin stays strong for her make-shift family, until she left completely alone. Desperately funny, painfully sad, unbelievably terrifying and astoundingly visual, 'Doomsday Book' is more than simply read - it is felt.
Rating:
Summary: An Annual Tradition
Review: This has been my favorite book for 7 years, since I first picked it up at my local library. I now own two copies, and I read it every year at Christmas time. Connie Willis has created characters that are easy to love, empathize with, and pull for. Her narrative style draws the reader in and makes them part of the story. At the end of this book every year, I am reminded of true spirit of the season. I hope you like it as much as I do!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: Not a traditional science fiction book, but a deeply felt story about human lives lived long ago during the Black Plague. Ms. Willis, as in her book Lincoln's Dreams, explores the treatise of whether people who lived long ago can affect our modern existence. The question is-- if so, can they give our lives (and theirs) meaning?
A truly beautiful book.
Rating:
Summary: Limited Scifi Content but Worth It!
Review: For those of you who want intricate special effects regarding time travel (ala Michael Crichton's Timeline), you will not find it here. Instead we are provided a story with time travel elements that has well developed characters, good historical descriptions, and a great deal of suspense. A student of history is sent back in time to England in the late Middle Ages. Unknown to the student (by the name of Kivrin - what a great name!), the person who sent her back was infected with a virus. The virus causes the technician's judgment to be off and he causes Kivrin to end up in the wrong time period. The technician is so stricken by the virus, that he keeps lapsing in and out of consciousness before he can fully explain to anyone, what went wrong. What's worse is that the virus is causing an epidemic throughout the university so nobody is really able to keep on top of monitoring Kivrin. Meanwhile Kivrin has the same virus as the technician, which apparently not only makes her deathly ill, but also causes her internal translator to not function properly. Thus she is unable to understand anyone and nobody is unable to understand her. I will not give away anything about the time she is in except to say that it is a time where people suspected of being witches are burned. Therefore if Kivrin appears to act strange, she could be in for a lot of trouble. This book has a lot of good going for it. Some things that detracted a little from the story are that the book is supposed to take place in the year 2040 but other than time travel, there is virtually nothing different from today. I am not sure when the book was written but telephones described are very archaic even by today's standard. Additionally, the way Kivrin is sent back in time and left in a great deal of danger does not sound like a "routine" activity that a university would be engaged in even 40 years into the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and interesting read
Review: Willis' book---which deals with time travel and the recurring theme of plagues in societies---is well-written and a generally interesting read. Kirvin is an historian specializing in the Middle Ages. Living as she does in a period when historians can and do travel to the periods which they study, Kirvin requests permission to travel to the Middle Ages---a period rated as highly dangerous and generally forbidden to time travelers. She ultimately receives reluctant permission to travel to the past---specifically the period just before the Black Death of 1348. As is to be expected, problems occur with the "drop" and Kirvin winds up in a small village just as the Black Death appears. Meanwhile, back in her own time period, a dangerous and devastating epidemic breaks out. As a medical historian, I was really drawn to this book. There are a few minor errors in the book (most dramatically in Willis' complete lack of knowledge regarding the diseases which were common in medieval Europe---these were plentiful but they were not cholera, smallpox etc.). But this is a minor quiblle (and probably stems from the fact that I know way too much abt medical history!). The real heart of the book is Willis' depiction of societies beset by unknown and killer plagues. The medieval part of the story is really well-written---the characters were fascinating and their plight seemed incredibly real (the modern part of the story isn't half as interesting). I found myself flipping over the modern sections of the book to get to the medieval story---this story had incredible drama and Kirvin's reactions to the plight of the villagers (even her reactions to their daily life) were fascinating.
Despite the weakness of the modern section, I would still recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for Sci Fi fans!
Review: Doomsday Book is a wonderful novel with brilliant characterization. The characters will live on in your mind after you finish the book. I'm not a big fan of science fiction and I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Science Fiction
Review: This is the type of book that the science fiction genre is all about. It has terrific characters, "realistic" plot, great suspense and is so well researched it makes you feel like you are there. I admitt am a Connie Willis fan, but this book deserved its awards! It is her best serious piece.
Rating:
Summary: Time travel and historical fiction
Review: Wonderful characterization; believable characters you will care about. Interesting plot.
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