Passage

Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Thrill-Ride Maze of a Journey
Review: When I first picked up this book I thought it looked interesting. Yes, it's long, and there's lots of technical jargon- but if you watch "ER" or read lots of medical type thriller books- it's not too hard to follow. I found Ed's ramblings about the Yorktown to be more annoying than the length of the book.

The length of the book is important for 2 reasons.

1) We really learn to fall in love with the main characters; Joanna, Richard, Maisie, Kit, and Veille.

2) Willis leaves plot-bunny breadcrumb hints for us to follow that allow the readers to frustratingly understand what's going on at the end of the book when the characters do not. Each revelation blows both reader and characters away.

The metaphors mix beautifully with the science. The scientific mind clashing w/and trying to understand the metaphysical in this book make it utterly fascinating to read.

I've been doling out reading bits of this book a few chapters at a time for a couple of months, and today I plowed through the last part of it in one sitting. I worried, I cried, and I laughed while reading this. Through all of the scientific muddle, I fell in love with the entire cast of characters and was very sorry to see it end, I didn't want to let go.

I'm now off to read more of her books- this book has made me a Willis fan.

Rating:
Summary: Slow starting and overlong, but in the end moving
Review: Passage is Connie Willis' new novel, and it's fairly clear from the subject matter that it's an entry in her more serious mode. It concerns Near Death Experiences (NDE's), and the attempts of a couple of researchers to explain them as the reaction of the brain and body to the physical conditions of dying -- with a glimmer of hope that such understanding might even lead to a means of bringing more people back from the brink of death. As such, the book deals with several people on the verge of dying -- including some who have, as it were, been there and back.

The main character is Joanna Lander, a psychologist investigating NDE's at a Denver hospital. She is called whenever a patient "codes" -- suffers heart failure, and if the patient is revived, she interviews him or her about her experience. Her cross to bear is a rival researcher, Maurice Mandrake, who has written a best-selling book asserting that NDE's involve a specific set of images including angels, messages from others who have died, etc., as well as asserting that they are essentially spiritual in nature. Willis spends many pages in something like her madcap comedy mode, detailing Joanna's attempts to find shortcuts threw the maze that is the hospital, both in order to avoid Mandrake and to reach coded patients faster than he can.

Then a new researcher, Dr. Richard Wright, enters the picture. He has a plan to simulate NDE's by introducing the same chemicals researchers have detected in the brains of dying patients into healthy patients. Mandrake, of course, thinks this folly, as it implies that NDE's are physical and not spiritual in nature. But Joanna, after some hesitation, agrees to help Richard. However, they run into problems recruiting appropriate subjects and finally, Joanna (rather unprofessionally, I thought) decides to become a subject herself.

This is about when the book, which begins very slowly, almost tediously, becomes interesting. Joanna's simulated NDE seems very real, and soon she realizes that what she experiences while she is "under" is a very real-seeming version of the Titanic, just as it is sinking. It's peppered with details which are apparently historically correct, but also with curious variances that come from Joanna's own life. So she keeps going under, while trying to track down Titanic-related details, and trying to correlate the imagery of other NDE's with Titanic imagery. Then events take a wrenching turn, and the novel moves to its extended close, which mixes tragic events with some hopeful and optimistic discoveries.

I had some problems with this book. As I suggested earlier, it starts slowly, and it's too long. Willis' trademark habit of making some set of frustrating everyday-life details a recurring motif or running joke (in this case, the difficulty of navigating the hospital corridors, plus the never-open cafeteria) is over-extended here -- it becomes annoying. She doesn't quite manage to make Richard seem real, though the other characters are well-done. Some of the plot devices are implausible -- for example, would experienced researchers really believe that a man claiming to be 65 in the year 2000 was a crewman on the Yorktown at the Battle of Midway? And the big revelation Joanna finds, which drives the action of the final third of the novel, really doesn't seem that spectacular -- more just common sense. Indeed, the book really is only barely SF -- which isn't a complaint, just an observation.

On the other hand, after the slow start, the story becomes quite involving, and if I felt just a bit manipulated by some of the plot turns, I was still genuinely moved, and shocked at the right time, excited at other times, in tears by the end. The passel of characters surrounding Joanna are engaging people, and we feel for them and root for them. If the book turns on a scientific discovery which seems kind of minor, or at least obvious, that still leaves our concern for the characters to interest us. At any rate, while this isn't a perfect performance, nor is it Willis' best work, it's a worthwhile and moving novel.

Rating:
Summary: Skip This One
Review: Fortunately, like some other intelligent reviewers, I stopped reading this exercise in tedium after about 300 pages and snuck a peek at the ending. What a waste of time, for reasons other reviewers have clearly used in their comments. Also fortunately, I know Willis is an excellent writer (judging from her short stories) and I will not let the crashing bore that is Passage deter me from reading some of her other novels. As for this one, skip it!

Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous Thriller
Review: "Passage" is one of those novels that you put down and wonder how one writer could have made such insights into the human spirit.

In her latest novel, Willis takes a look at NDE's (Near Death Experiences) and focuses on two doctors researching the phenomena. Willis develops the characters beautifully, and portrays Joanna Lander, the main character as a workaholic who slowly spirals into obsession after having her own induced NDE.

Connie Willis is a very talented writer. This book demonstrates her amazing writing ability-- the characters are well developed and sympathetic, The plot is engaging. I read this book in a night, unable to put it down.

The last 150 pages will shock you; this is one of the best twist endings I have ever seen. Even if you don't like thrillers this is a book that should not be missed.

Rating:
Summary: The Humanity of Hope
Review: I thought Connie Willis's book "Doomsday" was the most moving and powerful books I've read in recent years, but I now have to move "Passages" to first place.
Connie Willis is at her finest here. Some people complain her books go on and on, and they do. But for a reason. Her stories are like a detective story, a mystery, entertaining, with many moments of wry humor, with people who become real and fully-formed. Clues and teasers are hesvily sprinkled throughout and I drive myeself crazy trying to keep them all straight. You are drawn into the story's events as fully as her characters are. I don't mind their length, though, because the writing is good, and the teasers are strong. By the time you reach the end, you are as fully involved as if you had been watching a really really good movie, and her stories are so satisfying, this is a *good* thing.
Passage is about two researchers exploring the reason for NDE's--Near Death Experiences. They test a drug that recreates the sensation of an NDE, using simulated NDEs to explore its purpose. Is it a soothing palliative for the dying mind, is it a message from "The Other Side"? Or is it something else entirely. The subject is at once intriguing and frightening to think about. As the main character states at one point, it's impossible for the brain to really comprehend its own mortality. But this story searches relentlessly and honestly, and I think, successfully, for the answer to the question "What is death?", and ultimately, its corollary, "What is the meaning of life?"
Because, as intriguing and complicated as Willis's stories are, with the seemingly trivial subject being explored (in "The Bell Wether", the origin and *reason* for fads, "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and the Coventry Cathedral) and all the exquisite details and tidbits she throws in, they are merely entertaining coating for the bigger messages she send--that what is important in life is our relationships with other people, and that there is always--*always*--hope. And that love and hope are what make us endearingly, heartbreakingly human.
If you hate Connie Willis's other books, this one may not change your mind. If you are already familiar with her work, this one is a corker. If you don't know her work, then try this one, leaving yourself a chunk of time to read it and relish it. I do not think it will leave you unmoved.

Rating:
Summary: Connie Willis is a Topnotch Writer
Review: Joanna Lander has an unusual medical specialty; she researches NDEs (Near Death Experiences) in patients who's hearts have stopped beating, but then are brought back from the brink. She has problems, though. An author, Mr. Mandrake, believes that NDEs are the beginning of God's heavenly message...and to prove his point he's written multiple best-selling novels on the subject and tries to beat Joanna to the interviews with patients who experience them. The trouble is, though, is that Mr. Mandrake leads his interviewees down his personalized ambrosial path by asking questions like, "So when did you see the heavenly light?" and "Was your family there waiting for you?"

This really ticks off Joanna...

She asks questions like, "Tell me what you saw?" and "How did you feel?" Non-leading questions, in other words. And if she get's to the patients before Mr. Mandrake does, the results are markedly different; no angels of light and no family waiting for you.

Enter Dr. Richard Wright. He's also interested in NDEs. And he has medical research in mind. He's developed a drug that induces a type of artificial NDE and begins using it on volunteers (with Joanna's eventual help), trying to discover why some people have NDEs and others don't. If he can find out, maybe he can utilize his research to bring dying patients out of their NDE state and back to the living.

Maisie is a ten year old child who's been brought back from death multiple times thanks to a congenital heart defect. And she's Joanna's and Dr. Wright's friend. She thinks that Mr. Mandrake is a flake (which, of course, he is) and is fascinated with disaster stories (like the Titanic and Hidenburg). She's never seen an angel or Godly light during her true NDEs, and Joanna and Dr. Wright soon come to rely on her more than they will ever know.
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Undeniably, Connie Willis is one of my favorite authors. I love almost everything I've ever read by her. Her prose is smooth, her characters memorable, and her subject matter relevant. And PASSAGE is no exception. Joanna, Maisie, Dr. Wright, Kit, Mr. Briarly, Vielle, and Mr. Mandrake all still stick out in my mind. Great characters one and all.

My only beef with this novel (as many other reviewers here have pointed out) is that it's a bit wordy. At 780 pages (paperback), I began to lag a bit while reading. But only a bit! I tiny bit! Mrs. Willis' able writing abilities kept me involved in the story and I persevered.

The ending: For those who enjoy everything tidied up and in one neat little plot developed package, this book is not for you. It'll leave you wondering what awaits us when we all take that final plunge into the PASSAGE of no return.

B+ rating.

Rating:
Summary: What is hidden behind death?
Review: I love Connie Willis. I only wish she wrote more, but the subjects she chooses always touch me. She is gifted beyond the telling of it. I've read this book several times. Each time I feel like I'm closer to a complete understanding. I like books that don't just vomit meaning onto the page, but wrap it up in beautiful words and let me do the work. I love the characters and even though it is heart-breaking, it's all worth it in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Fell somewhat flat for me..
Review: Though I've enjoyed Connie Willis books in the past (Doomsday Book is great!), and found the premise facinating, I had a difficult time enjoying this book.

Mainly I think this is because I never felt connected to the characters--even our main character's motivations were never clear to me. That is, I understood what her purposes were, but I didn't feel in her character why they were so important to her. The other characters felt more like plot devices. They were convenient to move the story forward, but I didn't see their purpose beyond this. I didn't see how they were important to the main character, or if they had any motivations of their own.

Given the above, it seemed like the story dragged out forever.

Rating:
Summary: Sense of wonder through reality
Review: A phenomenal book, big recommendation for everyone who wants to experience the sense of wonder in maximally realistic world.

Rating:
Summary: Should I read this?
Review: Reading the reviews sure give you a wide range of opinion. If I hadn't read the book, I wouldn't know what to think. Here is an analogy to help. I'm a big Yes fan from way back. If you liked Topographic Oceans, and in spite of the flaws, think it is a great album (like I do), you should like Passage. If that means nothing to you, and you have not read any Connie Willis books, try Fire Watch or To Say Nothing of the Dog. Still not sure. Buy the book used- @ $2.25 it cost less than a happy meal at Mcdonalds.