Rating: 
Summary: Absolutly Brilliant!
Review: Robert A. Heinlein is unquestionably the greatest Science Fiction writer of all time. For anyone who doubts that this statement is true then you haven't read 'Time Enough For Love.' 'Time' is the story of Lazarus Long, a human being who was born in the early twentieth century but simply doesn't die. By the 42nd century, however, Lazarus has had enough. Having been 'rescued' from an attempted suicide Lazarus tells his story to one of his many decendants and finally embarks upon a quest of staggering dimensions all to keep from simply being bored. Throughout this novel the voice of the author is heard. From his sage wisdom to matters of simple common sense, Heinlein speaks through his creation with honesty, sentiment, and of course his trademark wit. The many other characters that populate this work are no less interesting. From a spaceship that longs to be human to Lazarus' own geneticly cloned sisters, these are characters in the rich Heinlein tradition. Heinlein also provides us with pages all dedicated to favorite sayings of his protagonist. These 'Notebooks of Lazarus Long,' of which another, beautifully illustrated book was created, make this novel worth reading alone. 'Time Enough For Love,' is one of those rare works of fiction that makes you laugh, cry, and most important of all, think. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good Science Fiction or lovers of imagination in general.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best from the Master of Science Fiction
Review: The excellent review by hyperpat describes Time Enough For Love far better than I could but to me Time Enough For Love IS Robert Heinlein. The main character, Lazarus Long, is a recurring auto-biographical character that Heinlein has used by different names in many books: Stranger In A Strange Land (Jubal Harshaw), Farnhams Freehold and The Puppet Masters to name just a few.Lazarus Long (and Robert Heinlein) is the supremely competent (and sometimes obnoxious and overbearings) man, master of his own destiny and willing to risk all when the odds are right. After living more than 2000 years Lazarus is getting a bit tired of life (he can and HAS done everything) and needs something new to re-awaken his interest. Time Enough For Love is the story of his life and the efforts to give him a reason for living. Like The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, two of the main characters are sentient computers. Just about everyone else in the book is a descendant of Lazarus because 2000 years of rampant sex tends to leave a lot of children behind! Like most of his later works, Time Enough For Love spends much of its time on sexuality and alternative lifestyles. But at 600+ pages there's plenty of room for some prime Heinlein story telling. A MUST for all Science Fiction fans!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Sci-Fi
Review: This was loaned to me by a friend because I'd never read anything but Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. The book is a good read, very tedious at times, and I didn't enjoy a lot of the "present day" portions of it. However, the "stories" that Lazarus Long was telling about his past life were quite interesting. My favorite is probably the original "Dora" tale of the homesteading life. There was something rather sweetly tragic about that one.
Rating:
Summary: Still on my nightstand
Review: This book was on my nightstand in 1974 (when it was first published in paperback), and it's still there now. (Same copy, too; the old dollar-ninety-five Putnam edition has held up amazingly well.) I was born in 1963 and learned to read very early. Like Spider Robinson, I lost my literary virginity to Heinlein (in my case, to _Stranger in a Strange Land_ and _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_). To this day I think that _Mistress_ is one of his three absolutely magisterial novels (the other two being _Double Star_ and _The Door into Summer_). Heinlein also wrote a number of novels that were _very close_ to magisterial, and some of them have been (in my case, at least) more profoundly influential than his Three Greatest. _Stranger_ is one of these, and so is _Time Enough for Love_. Heinlein published this one after bouncing back from major surgery (having been somewhat incapacitated while writing _I Will Fear No Evil_, which his wife Virginia helped to edit). The old master had his off days, but he's at the top of his form here. As you're probably aware, this lengthy work is a future history of Lazarus Long (born Woodrow Wilson Smith), the Senior of the Howard Families and the oldest human being alive (well over two thousand years old at the time of this tale). Lazarus is one of Heinlein's best realized characters; I'd recognize his red hair, bulbous nose, disarming grin, and wild grey-green eyes if I passed him on the street. And I'd immediately put my hand over my wallet. Lazarus is an unsavory character -- a raconteur, swindler, adventurer, sybarite, pragmatist . . . and, above all, _survivor_. He exemplifies everything Heinlein thought it would take for humanity to spread to the stars (besides the Libby-Sheffield Para-Drive, of course), and his amoral self-interested practicality is what's kept him from _getting_ killed even if (as is suggested in this book) he got an initial boost from a mutation in his twelfth chromosome pair. But boy, you're going to want to haul off and whack him, because he's an ornery, slippery old scoundrel. He's a helluva lot more colorful than Valentine Michael Smith (Heinlein's other attempt to create an character who could comment on human culture from the outside and let Heinlein indulge in some fictional iconoclasm). And he's a helluva lot more fun. Plus you'll get to meet the rest of the Long family (including two or three -- depending how you count -- intelligent computers). And Lazarus's reminiscences include several marvelous tales that could have stood as novels in their own right: the Tale of the Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fail, the Tale of the Adopted Daughter (a glorious story that also features the Montgomerys, the most chillingly realistic 'bad guys' anywhere in Heinlein's entire oeuvre), and the Tale of the Twins who Weren't. (And there are two sets of Excerpts from the Notebooks of Lazarus Long -- collections of aphoristic musings that Heinlein readers liked so well that they've actually _been_ published separately.) The result is a long (no pun intended) meditation on what it takes to survive -- and why anyone would want to. I read this book when I was ten, and I'm afraid it wasn't altogether a 'good influence' on me. (If you want to know, ask me privately sometime -- and I don't promise to answer truthfully.) If you're tired of 'good influences', try reading it. I've got my issues with Heinlein, but he's one of the great iconoclasts of the twentieth century. For that very reason, some readers should _avoid_ this book; it's guaranteed (and indeed designed) to offend you by rubbing your nose in the fact that your mores are _not_ 'natural laws'. But if you're the sort of person who will enjoy Heinlein, you'll dive right into this one and never come out. Lazarus had previously appeared in _Methusaleh's Children_ and reappears in three further late-period Heinlein novels (_The Number of the Beast_, _The Cat Who Walked Through Walls_, and _To Sail Beyond the Sunset_). But if you want to meet him, I'd recommend starting here: the later ones won't make sense without this one, and I don't think _Methusaleh's Children_ represents Heinlein's best writing. This does. The whole thing is wonderfully staged; the narrative switches back and forth between voices, the dialogue just crackles, and the action (when there is any) will make you jump off your seat once in a while. This is Heinlein in control of his craft. If that interests you, don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: One Giant List of Life Lessons
Review: Time Enough For Love The Whole Point Of My Review:
This is one of the stories that you just don't sit down and read through in a couple days. With nearly 600 pages packed full of dialog and thought provoking conversations, you not only read this book, but you also end up taking into consideration the lessons and morals of life which Heinlein presents. It's not meant to be just a story -- it has gigantic messages throughout the book. This can almost literally be a guide to living life to the fullest. What The Book Is About:
Lazarus Long, the oldest human alive. He's about 2000 years old when the book beings and tired of living. The book is how he retells (and even relives) his past lives and again begins to appreciate life itself. Dozens of characters and personalities occupy these past lives he has lived, and just about every one of them has a different lesson to teach the reader. Another Reason To Read It:
This book is great for quotes! Imagine, a book about a 2000 year old man and the lessons he has learned through life ... of course you are going to find good quotes! Heinlein adds humor into it too, of course. As you read through the table of contents, you see "Intermission -- Excerpts from the Notebooks of Lazarus Long" and "Second Intermission -- More from the Notebooks of Lazarus Long." These: Just a big list of quotes that you can really ponder. Just My Opinion:
Yes, it is long and it drags out some sections and IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO READ but that's okay; after all, the lives of a 2000 year old man should take a fairly long time to tell. It's a rather ambitious novel in that it covers every aspect of interesting literature that you could ever come across, (i.e., action, romance, etc.). But because of the long sections I give it four stars, (and maybe some more, but not quite five). Suggestion To The Reader:
Read other works of Robert Heinlein first! It's a long and complicated novel, but I don't think it is his best. Try the classic Stranger In A Strange Land first. Bon Appetite!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Sci-Fi
Review: This was loaned to me by a friend because I'd never read anything but Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. The book is a good read, very tedious at times, and I didn't enjoy a lot of the "present day" portions of it. However, the "stories" that Lazarus Long was telling about his past life were quite interesting. My favorite is probably the original "Dora" tale of the homesteading life. There was something rather sweetly tragic about that one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the all time great SF novels
Review: Time enough for love is a loose memoir of one of Heinlein's most memorable characters. The story covers highlights of Lazarus Long's 2200 year life. The story telling and characterizations make this novel a brilliant tour de force. You find yourself rejoicing for the triumphs of his life, while at the same time sharing the pain of a man who is doomed to live while those he loves die. For any fan of Heinlien;s this is a must read. For any fan of science fiction in general I highly recommend this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Above all, a human book
Review: Heinlein, in his philosophy and approach to life, reminds one of the late American writer, Vardis Fisher. Both were self-made men, both very private, both happily married and both dealt with subjects regarded as (even today) taboo. Both men sensed that the underlying foundation of modern culture were edifices rising from our evolutionary psychology - love, death, sex, religion, power, dreams...the things that make us human. The two were quintessentially Americans, optimistic, willing to tackle difficult and uncomfortable subjects. They recognized the power of the spirit and its overwhelming influence on our very being. Vardis's Testament of Man purposely flows along a Judeo-Christian path. Heinlein alludes both directly ("Stranger in a Strange Land", "Job") and indirectly ("I will fear no evil", "Number of the Beast") to the world of the spirit. This is yet another of the Lazurus Long series, each quirky and totally unique. We are provided a brilliant soliloquy of eternal life, an old man remembering (and enjoying) his youth. It is almost as if Heinlein had projected himself into the role of Lazurus. He touches on such subjects as religion, incest, love,
politics, metaphysics and the joy of being human. The humanity of his writing explains its success and approachability. Read this along with the others in the series.
Rating:
Summary: disappointed
Review: I have to say, I picked this up and just couldn't slog through it. I'm a huge Heinlein fan, but I really don't think this is up there with his best work. Too often it sounds like the ramblings of an old man. Maybe I just didn't have the stamina and it improves after the first few hundred pages. But there was nothing I read that heinlein didn't tackle in more interesting and coherent ways in his other books.
Rating:
Summary: Heinlein at the height of his craft
Review: Time Enough for Love is basically an oral memoir of Lazarus Long, a man who has lived some 2,500 years. Ready to die, his decendants coax stories out of him about his life, both for their historical value and as a means of trying to get him to find a reason to keep on living.
As a friendly warning to people not familiar with Heinleins works from the early 60's onward - he weaves a strange, incestuous, extended family dynamic into the characters that can be a little jolting if you're not expecting it!
Heinlein creates a strong character in Lazarus Long. He's an opinionated, strong willed, pragmatic man who doesn't suffer fools gladly. He is a character who would be completely overbearing to be around in real life (unless you were submissive to his Alpha male posturing) - but is entertaining in the extreme when confined to the pages of a book.
As most Heinlein readers know, his books are Science fiction in name and setting only. Technology, gizmos, and creatures, when present, serve only as a colorful backdrop for the real story. Heinlein writes about human nature very well, and the numerous collected vignettes that surround the main storyline illustrate this nicely.
This book serves as a fine introduction to the Heinlein of the 60's and 70's.
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