Rating: Summary: sad and beautiful Review: An historian follows Annie, the very drugged heroine of the novel through the battles of the civil war and the dreams shew shares with Gemeral Lee. By the same aouthor as 'To Say Nothing of the Dog' but a very different sort of novel the same research went into this I imagine but a very different novel came out. Very good in it's own right, but very different, more mystical (if that's the word I want) very beautiful very sad love story.
Rating: Summary: Wow. This book was breathtaking. Review: Connie Willis has an amazing talent for building tension in a story. The tension in Lincoln's Dreams builds and builds and builds until I felt every nerve was raw. Then, she delivered a last line that hit me so hard, I lost my breath, as if someone had hit me in the solar plexus. I immediately had to read it again, just to see all the clues I hadn't caught the first time. This book shows the pain of war and love. You see bits of the Civil War through the dreams of the female protaganist, and then you, just like her, have to try to decipher their meaning. It leaves you emotionally spent. The book haunted me for months after. Connie Willis is an artist... If I were stuck on a desert island, yet somehow knew it would happen so I could pack for it, I would take all of Connie Willis' writings and everything written by Charles Dickens. They would keep me entertained and happy for years to come. This was a truly satisfying read.
Rating: Summary: Short, but A Great Book Review: Connie Willis is one of the best speculative fiction writers, and "Lincoln's Dreams" book is up there with her best. The hero of the story is Jeff Johnson, who is an historical researcher. He is employed by a writer of Civil War books, Braun. They are in the process of finalizing Braun's latest book, "The Duty Bound", and starting to work on Braun's next book on Lincoln, when he meets Annie. Annie is suffering from bad dreams, which appear to be coming from Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War. Throughout the book Jeff helps her determine what the dreams mean, and becomes obsessed with her. This short hypnosis cannot do justice to this book, since there are many layers to the story. I found that this book was hard to put down, and that I was always eager to get back to it.This book won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best SF novel published in the U.S. in 1987. It was rated as the 5th best Fantasy Novel in by the 1988 Locus Awards. It was nominated for the 1988 Mythopoeic Award, and the William L. Crawford - IAFA Fantasy Award.
Rating: Summary: Short, but A Great Book Review: Connie Willis is one of the best speculative fiction writers, and "Lincoln's Dreams" book is up there with her best. The hero of the story is Jeff Johnson, who is an historical researcher. He is employed by a writer of Civil War books, Braun. They are in the process of finalizing Braun's latest book, "The Duty Bound", and starting to work on Braun's next book on Lincoln, when he meets Annie. Annie is suffering from bad dreams, which appear to be coming from Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War. Throughout the book Jeff helps her determine what the dreams mean, and becomes obsessed with her. This short hypnosis cannot do justice to this book, since there are many layers to the story. I found that this book was hard to put down, and that I was always eager to get back to it. This book won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best SF novel published in the U.S. in 1987. It was rated as the 5th best Fantasy Novel in by the 1988 Locus Awards. It was nominated for the 1988 Mythopoeic Award, and the William L. Crawford - IAFA Fantasy Award.
Rating: Summary: Weird book, weak ending Review: Definately Connie Willis, but very early in the career. Thought provoking, interesting study of Civil War battles and dreams and the job of the research assistant. Unfortunately, the ending was weak. I felt that the book should have ended several chapters before it did. Willis seems to have commited a common mistake by trying too hard to tie up all the loose ends, and the story suffers because of it. Still, a very interesting and thought provoking novel.
Rating: Summary: Development of characters the reader cares deeply about Review: Far too many writers of fantasy/science-fiction use gadgets or magic to dazzle the reader into ignoring their poor development of character. Not this book. Characters are as well-drawn as the better "mainstream" novels. The reader willingly accepts the wonderfully preposterous "what if" that creates the predicament. I cried at the end. Wonderfully written.
Rating: Summary: TBFW (Too Beautiful For Words) Review: Haunting, subtle (despite what others here might say), harrowing and heartbreaking, =Lincoln's Dreams= is one of the best books I've ever read. The storytelling completely and inexorably pulls me in each time I read it (yes, it rates multiple re-reads!) Don't be fooled by what some readers perceive as "nothing happening". Connie Willis knows exactly what she's doing. She makes you care deeply about the characters' fates. You'll find yourself ensnared in their lives as they unfold, bit by bit, to a truly stunning gut-punch of an ending. Don't miss this book! It is essential reading.
Rating: Summary: Haunting, my favorite (so far) Connie Willis book. Review: I borrowed this book from a friend after having read Doomsday Book, and now I HAVE to buy it. Immediately after finishing it, I picked it up again. History often becomes a list of dates and names. Willis shows us what it really is--the stories of real people.
Rating: Summary: What's happening here? Review: I can't believe this book is written by the same author as Doomsday Book (which is one of the best books I have read in a long time). I kept slogging through Lincoln's Dreams, hoping that eventually it would make sense, but it never did enough to make the reading worthwhile. The civil war trivia was interesting, but the main characters had no depth and plot was just plain weird. Go read Doomsday Book or a Harry Turtledove book instead.
Rating: Summary: Like falling asleep in front of the History Channel? Review: I did enjoy this book, although not as much as other Connie Willis books that I have read ("To Say Nothing of the Dog", "Bellwether"). The concept behind the story, that of a modern-day person experiencing the dreams of a long-dead historical figure, was intriguing. I also liked the Civil War trivia, and the parallels drawn between historical events and persons with the lives of the modern characters. I didn't find in this book, however, the same degree of character development as in her other books. (I really only cared about Jeff.) The other stories had such strong characters, with well-developed relationships and motives. This book also didn't have the same cleverness, whimsy, and romance that the others did. I read somewhere that this was Willis' first book. I wonder what she would have done with this fascinating story line if she were to write it now? Next on my reading list is "The Doomsday Book". (Seems there isn't a historical era Willis won't tackle!)
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