Rating: Summary: Interesting Review: I would consider this book primarily interesting for Heinlein's controversial ideas on sexuality. Although I am not squemish, I was certainly shocked by the progression of this book. Heinlein shows true courage by raising issues of incest in a positive light in mainstream print. Apart from this the book is quite good. The characters are interesting in and of themselves and Heinlein paints most of them with depth and compassion. The science fiction aspects of the story are rather pedestrian, but they serve to advance the plot nicely. A good read if you have some time on your hands.
Rating: Summary: a very untraditional book Review: This book is weird! When i first read it, i didnt really like it, and would've given one or two stars probably. Upon re-reading it however, i was finally able to see it for what it is. It is NOT your usual shoot-em-up sci-fi book, like say Heinleins Puppet Masters and the Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Rather it is more of a philosophical look into the nature of love itself. The main character Lazarus Long is a very interisting man who has lived to be more than two thousand years old and the book mainly tries to show what "wisdom" he has gained in his extraordinary life. A very good book, though you may have to read it more than once to appreciate it. The notebook of Lazarus Long's sayings in the Intermission alone is worth the price of this book. Buy it!
Rating: Summary: The Master Strikes Again... Review: Heinlein's "Methuselah's Children" and Asminov's "Foundation" both hit me like a brick, because they are Science Fiction in their purist form, Humanistic, and liberal in their use of interaction. Much to my surprise, both continued their saga's in various forms and displayed the powers of continuity to the 10th power. "Time Enough for Love" is the Epic of Laz Long and his pilgramage through time. It deals with his triumphs and failures, and frankly details the times, the customs, the societies he encounters, and the people in great detail. Its like Mark Twain in a future society, and you can almost here a southern twang as you read this book. This novel will touch your imagination with detailed genetics, framework of futuristic societies, the nature of old age, computers long before they were popular, "smart" ships with personalities, it goes on and on! Whatn happens if a person can live forever? WHY does he live forever? Can one marry a clone? This is is not a "Star War's" or "Star Trek" type type novel, (read STARSHIP TROOPERS or the LENSMAN series for that), but a major work of fiction set in a futuristic time. Joseph Campbell, the famed science fiction writer and world reknowned expert in Mythology of all forms, considered Heinlein one of the worlds greatest writers. There is a great reason why the author is considered the best not only by fans, but by his own peers. Its because he is true to himself and his great talent continues to shine today over 45 years after his first works. Movie Studios are taking notice, (Red Planet, Puppet Masters, Starship Troopers, etc). "Time Enough for Love" ranks with "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "I Will Fear No Evil" as some of the best Science Fiction in existance today. New readers going on vacation-take this with you! Its a great value for the buck. and you'll hope you won't land for a couple more hours!
Rating: Summary: Quaint, Preachy, and Dated Review: . Alas, reading this book decades after its writing, it has not aged well. This is merely an epic, not a masterpiece. It has nice points, as several of the glowing reviews cover. It is actually barely science fiction; it's more like several of Vonnegut's books in that respect: the futurism is a light framework to hang the stories on. And it does ramble; it is full of digressions, often long, appropos nothing. Lazarus Long (the protagonist) is blatantly Heinlein's alter ego; it's tedious to hear someone go on about themselves so long (no pun intended). He's also rather patronizing; Heinlein's "radical" ideas might have been steamy in 1949, but I am astonished that they would have been regarded so in 1973 (at publication). They are very tame by the standards of AD 2000, and the buildup makes them fall flat. As for the "wisdom" of a two-thousand-year-old man, you can hear all of this from any relative you have who lived through the depression (and you probably have, over and over...). More sadly, Heinlein's actually wrong about a few major sermons he includes, since he pedantically chose to preach about some things he knew very little about (e.g. economics). Is it fair to judge a book to be considered ahead of its time by the standards of a generation later? Well, yes. John Dos Passos won the Nobel for literature, but is barely regarded today. And a classic is judged by its timelessness, even if it is representative of its time. A Canticle for Liebowicz is older, but tells a more ageless story. The Sirens of Titan isn't even classified as sci-fi, but does a far better job of telling a compelling human story using futuristic conveniences (which is all Heinlein used here). Even Alas, Babylon is a richer portrayal of people in a crisis, despite the datedness of those people's culture (as Heinlein's are dated). Heinlein's obsession with sex didn't age well, either. It's not titillating by today's standards (again, I can't imagine it was in 1973) and there is way way way too much of it to slog through. It is indeed a very sad day when sex scenes have to be slogged through! .
Rating: Summary: A Fascinating Look into the Mind of RAH Review: I've read this book and lent it out to friends so many times that I am now on my third copy. Heinlein's "Time Enough For Love" is a personal favorite of mine for a number of reasons: Firstly, his stories and writing style are my cup of tea, with interesting plotlines and unequalled depth of character. The whole Lazarus Long saga is so epic in its proportions, and is so well plotted, that it is difficult to believe RAH didn't plan it all out when he started writing back in 1939. The way in which he is able to bring together various and sundry characters from stories he wrote decades ago is truly a wonder to behold. "The Tale of the Adopted Daughter" is a 150-page testament to love. It never fails to bring me to tears. I also happen to agree with most (but not all) of Heinlein's philosophies of personal responsibility, independence, competence, and self-reliance. "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long" sections strewn throughout the novel are themselves worth the price of the book. There is so much good old-fashioned horse sense in those sections, you could drive a Conestoga wagon with it. Read and enjoy.
Rating: Summary: Trying to understand why some people don't like this book Review: Yes, it's probably the best book I've read too. It shows you a way of looking at life that makes a lot of sense and yet is so different from the current culture. I do believe many of these ideas will eventually become mainstream. So this is a useful book too, for it is full of good ideas and concepts for your own life. However, I do see the point of view of people who dislike it and would like to point out what they may be missing, IMHO. There are basically two groups, the ones who think Heinlein takes sex for love and the ones that think the book glorifies selfishness. For the "sex" group, I would say that he is not saying love and sex are the same, but rather sex is a bridge for very deep love. How can one deny that when facing the fact that most people's most intimate relationships are with people they have sex with? For the "selfishness" group, I would advise being careful, that's a very tricky point. What he is saying, I think, is that genuine love has to come from one's considering his or her own feelings first, *very* seriously. Most people are afraid of that idea, thinking that it will make them monsters or something, but everything turns out fine after some redefinitions :). RAH is talking about *true* love, but going a little deeper in its origins! In the end, those two points about sex and selfishness boil down to the same: it is about the fact that *true* love for others *has* to be based on our own pleasures and desires -- and that that's ok!
Rating: Summary: A good book Review: This book is good but is not as good as what Mr. Heinlen usualy does. Though this book is well writen and analizes many feelings that human beings feel,it just goes on and on and on. The stories themselves are very good but they get to be tiering in the end. I prefered Stranger in a strange land and the Moon is a harsh mistress along with the cat who walks through walls.
Rating: Summary: The greatest book ever written Review: Simply put, this is the greatest book ever written. When I first read this book, it was a follow up to both Stranger in a Strange Land and Number of the Beast, two more great books. Needless to say, I thought I had read the best of Heinlein. I was wrong. When first introduced to Lazarus Long in number of the beast, I disliked the character, after reading Time enough for love, he not only became my favorite literary character of all time, but also my namesake (e-mail). As always, his character development is astounding as well as the content. This is a great chapter in the future history series and gives an almost autobiographical feel to it. I must say that this is my favorite book of all time, because of it's uniqueness. It attacks just about every taboo known to man and introduces a fresh and unconventional hero. If you read this and like it, I also recomend To Sail Beyon The Sunset, the story of Lazarus Long's Mother
Rating: Summary: My Desert Island Book Review: Like a favorite sweatshirt or couch or hat or . . . I re-read portions of this book whenever I get a chance. The philosophy on everything from aging to relationships to government is controversial and extremely thought-provoking. The dialogue is exquisite - a Heinlein standard. I have a recurring fantasy about producing a cable mini-series based on TEFL. Who is with me? My advice is read it, think about it, read it again . . .
Rating: Summary: An excellent sci-fi book! Review: Time Enough for Love I found out to be an excellent sci-fi book about a man(named Lazarus) who has lived for well over 2,000 years and is tired of life. The government on the planet Secundus is trying to find this unique man in order to learn from what he has learned and try to figure out how he has survived for over 2 millenia before he dies. When they do find him they half way rejuvinate him and they try to convince him to complete the full rejuvination process and continue to live. Lazarus eventually decides to live on, only if they find him something new to do in life and the story launches from there. This story takes place in the year 4272 and it is interesting to see Heinleins view of the distant future and this book is very well put together from the different tales in the book to the notebooks of Lazarus which are life rules one must abide by in order to survive. If you are looking for one book to read by Heinlein I would suggest you read this one I promise you won't regret reading this one!
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