Passage

Rating:
Summary: What a twist...
Review: Yes, the book is slow. In fact, I really didn't like it the first time I read it... at least, until I got through the first couple hundred pages.

Then I read it again.

This book is full of both wry AND black humor, lots of scientific technobabble, and enough twists and turns and "oh, I know this I know this oh what is this" on-the-tip-of-my-tongue suspense. The twist at the end of (I believe) Part Two, when Joanna finally figures out what's going on, stopped me in my tracks. It is worth waiting for.

Another interesting part of the book, often overlooked, is the labyrinthine nature of the hospital in which Joanna and her colleagues work, and the kender-like nature of Richard, who always seems to have what's needed.

This book is worth getting and reading, several times, until you're sure you've got it. Then read it again; you'll be certain you missed something good. Buy this book. Right now.

I'm not kidding.

Rating:
Summary: Wasn't impressed
Review: I had read positive reviews on this site so I decided to pick the book up but I wasnt thrilled at all. It was uneventful and slow moving and for the book to take 500 plus pages to finally get moving is way too much to ask.
I kept expecting a Great payoff after a slow start but it never happend.

Rating:
Summary: Not What You Think
Review: If you are put off by Near Death Experience books, do not let that deter you from reading this book. It's not what you think. It isn't spiritual nor is it paranormal. It's as close as you can get to scientific and still be a work of fiction. Indeed, if you are of a scientific bent and abhor the gulability of the masses you will see your faith in the scientific method maintained. I found myself growing impatient reading this book because I felt the abundance of detail, normally a good thing, got in the way of the plot. I found a few of the characters to be somewhat shallow and repetitive. The Yorktown guy reminded me of Mike in the Red Green Show; and I wasn't as enamored of Maisie as I was obviously supposed to be. I also thought the protaganists were wusses in that they seemed to be so easily buttonholed. Why couldn't they just say "No" and walk away? I guess that shows how the author captured me in her yarn despite myself. The book is definitely not light weight. You can't breeze through it like a Cat Who book. I cannot believe anyone could read this and not be compelled to ponder the possibility that life isn't quite what we thought it was. I've never read anything quite like this. It's unique. Guaranteed.

Rating:
Summary: intriguing
Review: Joanna spends her days chasing after patients in her hospital who have had near death experiences (NDEs). She is continuously searching for a thread that binds them all together. But she's also convinced that many people reinterpret their NDEs to fit their commonly held beliefs of life after death: angels, religious figures, life reviews, etc. Joanna becomes a partner in a medical experiment that chemically induces NDEs and eventually, because of lack of quality volunteers, begins to undergo the chemically induced NDEs herself. Her exciting NDE adventures in the other world her brain creates lead her to amazing discoveries about the purpose of NDEs. The book is interspersed with fun characters and references to well-known books and movies. The author has obviously done her medical homework to be able to write this book. Although I was getting annoyed with the repetitions in the lives of the characters (racing around the hospital, avoiding people, not answering pagers, cafeterias that are always closed, hospital locations that are insanely difficult to get to), I finally realized that these were unifying forces in the book and mirrored the NDE experiences. The book was well worth the read and won't soon be forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: Now for something completely different...
Review: Amazing novel about a psychologist who studies near-death experience by interviewing people who have had them. She meets up with a neurologist who can manufacture them, and before long they are studying near-death together. The plot twist in this book will keep you reading all night, but I don't want to give anything away.

Rating:
Summary: Frustrating!
Review: This book is the very epitome of FRUSTRATION. To paraphrase from the movie "Mozart:" "too many words." If it hadn't been for Willis' excellent writing technique, I'd have given this book no more than two stars. The theme is interesting, but the plot consists of two "steps forward, one step back," repeated and repeated and repeated for 500 pages. Then just when it looks like everything's going to come together, disaster strikes. Willis then spends the next 250 pages REPEATING the same process (over and over and over again) to get to the same place. This time, though, it's slightly quicker: "THREE steps forward, one step back."

In general, Willis obviously spends a ton of time researching her books before she writes them. But, her writing motif seems to always be that ... (I happen to agree, so I really get sucked into her plots :) ). No more than three people in the whole universe are helpful and everyone else actively frustrates the competent people from doing the right thing. That's fine and dandy, but there's a limit to how much of that anyone can take. I heartily enjoyed both "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and "Bellwether," but "Doomsday Book" and now "Passage" just go too far (again, "too many words").

If you haven't read any Willis in a while, then this book is definitely fascinating. But, if you've been reading her books sequentially, I'd suggest taking a break for a bit. Technically excellent, thematically interesting, but plotwise: FRUSTRATING.

Rating:
Summary: A Lyrical SF Mystery
Review: A lyrical, intricately-plotted science fiction/sort-of-a-mystery novel, the story of doctors doing research on near-death experiences, or NDEs. Some amusing contrasts with new-age types who prefers to call them "near-afterlife experiences." Some really beautiful extended sections describing the dream-like (and un-dream-like) aspects of the NDEs. Some achingly-sad plot twists. Lots of big words---names of brain chemicals, medical procedures, technical terminology---but if all fit together wonderfully. One of those books which I resented having to put down to go to sleep or to work. I was rooting for the good guys to win...

I admire Willis' novels very much. She can be quite funny without ever resorting to slapstick or clichés---also quite heartfelt and touching. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: About 500 pages too long
Review: I've liked most books by Connie Willis, and loved some of them, but _Passage_ was nearly unreadable. I had to put it down twice during the first 500 pages because repetition of the plot elements was beyond boring, and became extremely annoying. I was interested in learning more about the main character Joanna and what motivated her. But the author has Joanna wandering meaningless corridors in the hospital, evading the self-promoting Mr. Mandrake, or warning her friend about the danger of working in the emergency room over and over and over. The repetitiveness was bad enough that I wondered whether the author was just using copy and paste to generate those near-identical scenes again and again.

I did eventually finish the book, and the last 280 pages were better than the first 500, but that's not saying much. The one science-fictional idea involved in the bittersweet resolution was interesting, but only left me feeling annoyed that I had wasted far too much time getting there. The author and editor both failed miserably with _Passage_, which could have been much better if it was two-thirds shorter.

Rating:
Summary: Fifty- Eight
Review: This was one of the most incredible books I've ever read. It was the sort of book I had trouble stopping, and I read the whole thing in a few days. Not only was this book fascinating, but it was plausible, emotional, and well thought out. There is not a doubt in my mind that Connie Willis is a genius.
Of course, a book that deals with near-death experiences could easily be intriguing, but Willis has managed to make it more than that, and by no means is the novel just about near-death experiences. It's about living, dying, friendship, and science. It doesn't try to impress the reader with overwrought mysticism and fluff. Instead, it tells the story in a straightforward fashion, lacing it with details from ordinary life and the sorts of characters who have very different personalities and interesting quirks.
My copy has 780 pages, but it seems like only 400, because it just moved along so quickly and it was so easy to get wrapped up in the story. It's the sort of book which makes other books look bad.

Rating:
Summary: Editor, please! Rescue the potential!
Review: This novel had my interest from the first chapter. The premise is quite believable and interesting (studying near death experiences in a chemically simulated, monitored environment). However, an editor should have intervened at some point. How many times does the reader have to experience the main character, Joanna Lander, running into her religious-nut counterpart, calling Kit to do some research, figuring out a different route in the hospital to avoid someone, etc. These situations occur repeatedly to the point of becoming wearisome. A little nip and tuck from the editor's pen (or mouse) would be welcome and actually enhance the novel rather than take away from it. Still, the story is compelling and Willis has a knack for the telling of it. I was reminded of characters and situations in the book while hearing the daily news or talking with friends. This has lasted well beyond the reading of the final chapter. I think of it as a compliment to the author when a novel manages to intrude upon the reader's daily life.