Time Enough for Love

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Summary: TEFL is both wisdom and poetry!
Review: I first read Time Enough For Love as a teenager, and loved it instantly. The humor, the wisdom and the sheer intelligence of Lazarus Long was something I had never met before. It helped me shape my dreams, and gave me a measure-stick to use on all other science fiction-books. It mixed so many styles, but what struck me the most was the poetry. Just read the first page in the chapter 'The Tale of the Adopted Daughter' out loud and see what I mean! This is a book that will live for ever, being read and reread by thousands of science fiction-fans. If you like the book, continue with 'To Sail Beyond the Sunset' that one is just as brilliant!!

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Summary: ehh
Review: I can't call this a great book at all - it does capture, pretty well, the variety of life that a man 2000 yrs old must have had and it raises interesting social questions (AI, suicide, homosexuality, prostitution, incest) in typical Heinlein fashion - as part of an ongoing book.
But the society of the future is not clear and compelling - the characters are not particularly different from each other - the issues are not particularly explored. There are elements of Heinlein's genius here, but it is fading.

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Summary: It had its moments, including Heinlein's finest one
Review: This book was just too grandiose. Heinlein could have cut in half and made a better novel.

I must say, though, that the most touching, poignant, and just darned greatest piece of writing in all of his library that I've read (3/4 of his novels) is here. That is in his serenading his one true love to sleep for the last time.

There are two or three songs that just might cause a tear to spring up under the right circumstances. George Bailey's friends made me sniffle just a bit this December. But the only time that a piece of writing ever affected me such was in the case of this one.

The ending was predictable, the (everpresent in his later stuff) group marriage thing was tiresome, there was too much fill. But this one golden moment is worth taking a look at the package.

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Summary: Heinlein spins gold in Time Enough for Love.
Review: Some books tell a story. This one tells a way of life. After I read this book, I found myself wishing that I was actually a part of this world. I love the society Heinlein has created, and I see myself in his version of the future. Heinlein has the power to: A) give fictional characters more personality than most people I know, and B) Weave an amazing plot around these characters. Believe me, you will love the people he creates, and, in what is perhaps the greater feat, you will love the stage he sets for his characters. A living, breathing world with living, breathing characters. Heinlein creates this in every book, but in my opinion, he does it best in Time Enough for Love.

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Summary: The history of a life - the history of many lives
Review: Time Enough for Love is Science Fiction. But it is also adventure, romance and, above all, a way to show a philosophy of living. Lazarus Long is not only a character, he is the way the author found to express his beliefs about countless aspects of life: sex, marriage, politics, money, adventure, security, even practical (and often funny) advice. A book to be read many times. You may aggre with the author's point of view or not. But he will certainly make you think about the way you live.

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Summary: A CLASSIC OF MODERN SCIENCE FICTION!
Review: ROBERT A. HEINLEIN AND HIS ALTER EGO LAZARUS LONG HAVE COME UP WITH ONE OF THE CLASSICS OF THE SCIENCE FICTION GENRE. IN SCOPE AND HISTORY, THIS BOOK WILL REMAIN ON "MUST READ" LISTS WELL INTO THE NEXT MILLENIA AND BEYOND.

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Summary: My favorite book!
Review: I've read Time Eough for Love at least 8 times; I'll read it again. It is one of the few books I revisit when I need to see an old friend. It is long both in pages and story. It covers roughly 2000 years of the life Lazarus Long (Woodrow Wilson Smith) and gives a bit of background of the Howard Foundation which promotes longevity. This is a WONDERFUL book with one of the most emotional scenes in literature when Dora passes away. This is not one of Heinlein's juveniles, but an adult SF story. I can't understand how this didn't win a Hugo

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Summary: Profound and Wonderful.
Review: What can I say about a book that influenced my life so much? I first read it as a teenager and it profoundly influenced my views on religion, life, and love. Lazarus Long is probably the single most interesting science-fiction character ever created. His 2000+ years of experience provide a new perspective on old questions. I've read this book 4 or 5 times, and every time I discover something new to think about

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Summary: Good enough to chain to your life preserver...
Review: You want to survive this island, right? And you want not to be bored while you're trying to stay alive? How about a book full of tips from a 2,000-year-old guy who wrote the book on surviving? How about a book that makes the better known Stranger in a Strange Land look like fluff? Take this one with you. You'll come back, be more likely to be in one piece and of sounder mind. Too bad RAH bought the farm before he could show us where he was finally going with this stuff. Maybe you'll figure it out and finis

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Summary: one of my favorites!
Review: When I first read this book, I fell in love with it. It spoke to me on a level that none of his other books did. The characterizations are finely drawn. The philosophies promulgated inspired me to search out the sadnesses in my soul and move beyond them to a feeling of greater happiness.I recommend this book everytime someone asks for something to read. I keep copies to put in our guest room. Inevitably they disappear when the guests leave. I cannot say enough about this novel!