Sea of Tranquility
- Downloads：2807
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-11 11:21:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emily St. John Mandel
- ISBN：0593552075
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Aoife McMenamin
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What。 A。 Book。 St John Mandel is a writer like no other and this is a book like no other。 I’m in awe of her ability to write such an ambitious， expansive novel yet keep it so taut， so evocative， so gripping。 Spellbinding prose， mind-bending plot。 I couldn’t put it down， I didn’t want it to end。 The ultimate reader’s paradox。 Sea of Tranquility is the third successive book by the author （she has a couple of earlier novels too） featuring some of the same characters， but it isn’t a series。 Rather， What。 A。 Book。 St John Mandel is a writer like no other and this is a book like no other。 I’m in awe of her ability to write such an ambitious， expansive novel yet keep it so taut， so evocative， so gripping。 Spellbinding prose， mind-bending plot。 I couldn’t put it down， I didn’t want it to end。 The ultimate reader’s paradox。 Sea of Tranquility is the third successive book by the author （she has a couple of earlier novels too） featuring some of the same characters， but it isn’t a series。 Rather， it’s a collection of exquisitely written books that ebb and flow and overlap in time and space to create an entirely separate world that you feel you can touch with your fingertips but never quite grasp。 It’s just out of reach。 Her world-building is immense， her prose haunting， dreamlike and frankly， borderline sinister at times in this one but humanity is always at the heart of her books。 This is a fairly short novel， but it’s an epic tale spanning centuries， encompassing time travel， a pandemic， a writer and colonies on the Moon。 It’s metafiction， metaphysics， metafabulous。 If all of this is off-putting， ignore what I’ve said and just read it anyway。 I’d suggest reading them in order - first Station Eleven， then The Glass Hotel and then this one when it’s published in April 2022。 You begin to pull the threads and then marvel at how the threads change colour， connect to another， and continue to unravel。 It’s sublime。 All the stars *and* the Moon for this one。 There aren’t enough。 5/5 ⭐️🌙 Sea of Tranquility will be published on 28 April 2022。 I’d love to see another book featuring Vincent - I’m not convinced her story is complete… 。。。more
Melissa
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Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication。 I am stunned after reading this book， and I am having trouble with words to explain how amazing of a reading experience I just had。 Mandel follows up her novels Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel with another one with loose connections to those worlds she made。 It's a novel about art， the pandemic， metaphysics， and love。 Edwin moves suddenly to Canada in 1912 and while walking through a fores Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication。 I am stunned after reading this book， and I am having trouble with words to explain how amazing of a reading experience I just had。 Mandel follows up her novels Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel with another one with loose connections to those worlds she made。 It's a novel about art， the pandemic， metaphysics， and love。 Edwin moves suddenly to Canada in 1912 and while walking through a forest encounters the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal。 In 2020 a composer is sharing a creepy video with an audience - of his sister walking through that same forest and hearing the same sound。 In 2203 Olive is on tour on Earth for one of her previous novels being optioned for film， and a portion of the novel includes a strange scene with a vision of violin music and trees and airships。 In present day， 2401， Gaspery and his sister are researching whether or not they were all living in a simulation。 Each section moves to a different time period， and the pacing and writing are exquisite。 As soon as I finished the novel， I wanted to start over again and understand how she wove it all together so well！ This is absolutely a 5 star read for me and may be my favorite of the year。 I DNFed The Glass Hotel， and now I want to go pick it back up to see the connections between these novels。 Outstanding。 。。。more
Sara
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No star burns forever。I will start by saying that Emily St。 John Mandel is probably my favorite author。 Every book she has written I have read， pondered， and loved。 Her new book， Sea of Tranquility， is no different。 It is subtle， it sneaks up on you， and you think “how will this all possibly work out？”， but Mandel is a very skilled writer。 She fits the disparate strands of this story together like a beautiful puzzle。 This novel is an excellent example of literary science fiction; the element of No star burns forever。I will start by saying that Emily St。 John Mandel is probably my favorite author。 Every book she has written I have read， pondered， and loved。 Her new book， Sea of Tranquility， is no different。 It is subtle， it sneaks up on you， and you think “how will this all possibly work out？”， but Mandel is a very skilled writer。 She fits the disparate strands of this story together like a beautiful puzzle。 This novel is an excellent example of literary science fiction; the element of time travel is seamlessly woven throughout the story。 The future of human habitation in space is a big part of the plot as well， as a good chunk of the book takes place on the future moon colonies。 The plot arches over several different eras of human history， and it can be a bit confusing to keep them all straight as the story goes forward and backward in time frequently。 It does all mostly make sense at the end though; she brings everything together most beautifully and poignantly。I felt like Mandel was talking through her author character， Olive。 Through Olive’s story of “the last book tour on earth” – she seemed to be telling her audience how she （and other authors） might feel during different points in a busy book tour。 Also， Olive has a large pandemic that the world must contend with， so Mandel may have also been describing what it might have been like to be a mother and an author during times of uncertainty and quarantine。 Though it takes place many， many years in the future – the reader will still be able to relate it to something happening in the present。 I’m focusing on Olive， but she is not the only character or even really the main character of the novel， I just liked her a lot。 I found her to be authentic and thoughtful。 I love how Mandel also connects this novel to her previous novel， The Glass Hotel， by using some of the same characters and locations。 This book is deceptively simple。 You might read it quickly， but it will stick with you after you’ve read it。 I haven’t really written much about the actual plot because you gotta just read the book！ I really， really enjoyed reading it and finished it quickly。 Emily St。 John Mandel proves once again that she is one of the most thoughtful and interesting authors of the moment。 I recommend this novel （and her previous novels） whole-heartedly！！ Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tom Ryan
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Fantastic。 Imaginative， beautifully structured， and elegantly written。 I expect fans of 'Station Eleven' who didn't quite connect with 'The Glass Castle' will especially enjoy it。 Fantastic。 Imaginative， beautifully structured， and elegantly written。 I expect fans of 'Station Eleven' who didn't quite connect with 'The Glass Castle' will especially enjoy it。 。。。more
Heba Haj
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Time travel， simulation hypothesis， pandemics and post-apocalyptic worlds。。 what not to love？the ponderings on existence and reality vs simulation were beautiful and soothing in a weird way。 I did find the characters a bit detached and the main plot twist a bit lazy but I enjoyed it overall。 Can see it being made into a movie rivaling "Interstellar" sometime soon 😉 Time travel， simulation hypothesis， pandemics and post-apocalyptic worlds。。 what not to love？the ponderings on existence and reality vs simulation were beautiful and soothing in a weird way。 I did find the characters a bit detached and the main plot twist a bit lazy but I enjoyed it overall。 Can see it being made into a movie rivaling "Interstellar" sometime soon 😉 。。。more
Jenny
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Rarely do I feel compelled to reread a book， but the moment I put down Emily St。 John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility， I knew I'd soon be picking it up again。 The plot is difficult to describe without giving too much away。 Taking place over centuries， the story weaves in and out of lives， places， and times。 It's fantastical， but feels relevant to today and is infinitely relatable。 It's brilliantly and eloquently crafted in a way that the author should be known for。 I'm so thankful for the opportunit Rarely do I feel compelled to reread a book， but the moment I put down Emily St。 John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility， I knew I'd soon be picking it up again。 The plot is difficult to describe without giving too much away。 Taking place over centuries， the story weaves in and out of lives， places， and times。 It's fantastical， but feels relevant to today and is infinitely relatable。 It's brilliantly and eloquently crafted in a way that the author should be known for。 I'm so thankful for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title and will be highly recommending it to everyone。 。。。more
Kathryn
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Sea of Tranquility is a trip。 Take this trip across national and international borders， and the boundaries of earth and time。 Gaspery-Jacques Roberts interacts with a British second-son， an author of a fictional pandemic and characters from Emily's most recent bestseller the Glass Hotel。 The story takes the reader on a fantastic journey across time and space and asks the question 'What would you do？'Fans of Emily St。 John Mandel won't want to miss this one。Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced e-b Sea of Tranquility is a trip。 Take this trip across national and international borders， and the boundaries of earth and time。 Gaspery-Jacques Roberts interacts with a British second-son， an author of a fictional pandemic and characters from Emily's most recent bestseller the Glass Hotel。 The story takes the reader on a fantastic journey across time and space and asks the question 'What would you do？'Fans of Emily St。 John Mandel won't want to miss this one。Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced e-book copy of this title。 。。。more
Kim McGee
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4 1/2 stars A series of connected stories of family and a strange occurrence where people experience violin music combined with darkness under a large maple tree。 We begin with a second son who leaves England to find himself in Canada to the future where time travelers go back to investigate the occurrence。 Emily St。 Mandel has a masterful way of connecting the dots drawing us into the characters and the strange event without losing their humanity。 What is the meaning of all this and who is resp 4 1/2 stars A series of connected stories of family and a strange occurrence where people experience violin music combined with darkness under a large maple tree。 We begin with a second son who leaves England to find himself in Canada to the future where time travelers go back to investigate the occurrence。 Emily St。 Mandel has a masterful way of connecting the dots drawing us into the characters and the strange event without losing their humanity。 What is the meaning of all this and who is responsible for it？ This author helps us feel better about the fact that we may be the last to know the answers。 Fans of her other books and speculative fiction will find much to ponder。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Beth
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Really 4。75。Wow！ I'm a fan of Emily St。 John Mandel， and her newest book is one of her best yet。This novel is a mash up of time travel， philosophy， an examination of the human condition， and a questioning of reality。 In this brilliantly plotted story， several time periods are woven together to create a complex， thoughtful， and almost mind-blowing whole。You can find summaries online， but I encourage you to go into this blind and with an open mind。 Though there are some science fiction elements （l Really 4。75。Wow！ I'm a fan of Emily St。 John Mandel， and her newest book is one of her best yet。This novel is a mash up of time travel， philosophy， an examination of the human condition， and a questioning of reality。 In this brilliantly plotted story， several time periods are woven together to create a complex， thoughtful， and almost mind-blowing whole。You can find summaries online， but I encourage you to go into this blind and with an open mind。 Though there are some science fiction elements （lunar colonies） and some fantasy elements （time travel）， this book does not belong in either genre。 It's the story of a man， family relationships， humanity， and the nature of time itself， all based in familiar circumstances。 Just read it。Thanks so much to Knopf for the print galley。 。。。more
Lori
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Really interesting but yet quick read。 I will definitely read more of this author after this。I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley for my honest review。
Kris
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I'm a huge fan of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel。 Emily St。 John Mandel's latest novel spans different time periods。 I recommend reading The Glass Hotel first。 The character， Vincent and her brother reappear in this new novel。 Characters in 1912 2020， 2401 are all impacted by the same anomaly involving violin music and a whooshing sound many of them can't identify。 It involves multiple pandemics， time travel and moon colonies。 It sounds complex but the thread is easy to follow even with the I'm a huge fan of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel。 Emily St。 John Mandel's latest novel spans different time periods。 I recommend reading The Glass Hotel first。 The character， Vincent and her brother reappear in this new novel。 Characters in 1912 2020， 2401 are all impacted by the same anomaly involving violin music and a whooshing sound many of them can't identify。 It involves multiple pandemics， time travel and moon colonies。 It sounds complex but the thread is easy to follow even with the twists and turns。 Fans of St。 John Mandel will not be disappointed in this latest literary journey。 I'll go willingly wherever she wants to take me。 。。。more
Amy Bookseller
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It’s a bit of a mind f*ck and I still don’t think I can get my head around it， ha， but I really liked it， anything time travel based is right up my alley。 This book is perfect for book clubs and I could equally see it being studied in school。
Lauren Read Rover
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Allow me to dry my tears as I attempt to articulate my thoughts on how profoundly brilliant and beautiful and gorgeous and mesmerizing and thought provoking and genius and epic and everlasting Mandel’s newest work of fiction is…。 ***INHALES DEEPLY***“No star burns forever…” Silly Emily St。 John Mandel！ Sea of Tranquility is a star！ One that will burn in my heart forever！ But not just a star… it is the SUN of my galaxy and the embodiment of the perfect work of fiction！ I have come to regard Emi Allow me to dry my tears as I attempt to articulate my thoughts on how profoundly brilliant and beautiful and gorgeous and mesmerizing and thought provoking and genius and epic and everlasting Mandel’s newest work of fiction is…。 ***INHALES DEEPLY***“No star burns forever…” Silly Emily St。 John Mandel！ Sea of Tranquility is a star！ One that will burn in my heart forever！ But not just a star… it is the SUN of my galaxy and the embodiment of the perfect work of fiction！ I have come to regard Emily St。 John Mandel as one of the GREATEST writers of all time – she is more than a brilliant storyteller， she is a legend and Sea of Tranquility is by far her greatest feat yet！ Sea of Tranquility is a LOVE LETTER to our current times and to all of mankind。 Mandel addresses the three p’s; pandemics， philosophy， and PROFOUND storytelling！ I must warn you that at first glance this story truly feels manic; Edwin St。 Andrew of the 19th century crossing the sea on a ship， Olive Llewellyn on a book tour about a bestselling novel about a pandemic during a pandemic *AHEMMMMM！！！！！*， and Gaspery-Jacques living in the future and investigating a bizarre anomaly… the way the characters and the story intertwine is quite simply put， the most creative and enchanting thing I have ever read。 Ever read。 Ever。With the inclusion of pandemics and Ponzi schemes， Sea of Tranquility gives nod to Mandel’s previous best sellers， Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel， which was a brilliant and heartwarming thing to do！It is with an overflowing heart and a book induced， euphoric high that I share with you… this has become my favorite book， of all time！Thank you Edelweiss and Knopf for an ARC！ You've made me one happy booklover！！！！！ 。。。more
Melissa McCauley
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Mandel somehow manages to put you in a dreamlike trance while simultaneously keeping you on the edge of your seat。 It's a truly surreal experience to follow multiple characters through time as they live through life-altering events， each connected by a strange anomaly。 I’m so grateful to have received an ARC from my work so I could read this beautiful book。 Can’t stop thinking about it。 Mandel somehow manages to put you in a dreamlike trance while simultaneously keeping you on the edge of your seat。 It's a truly surreal experience to follow multiple characters through time as they live through life-altering events， each connected by a strange anomaly。 I’m so grateful to have received an ARC from my work so I could read this beautiful book。 Can’t stop thinking about it。 。。。more
Meghan ReadsBooks
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What a wonderful book， Sea of Tranquility is filled with such wonderful writing and unique world building。 I feel a review here can't capture the wonder and quiet moments of reflection that this book brought， it is an elegant extension of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel; I find I want to go back and read these all together now that I am done with this one。 I love the time/science fiction elements as the connection to pandemic life， small moments and actions having great meaning。。。 it all work What a wonderful book， Sea of Tranquility is filled with such wonderful writing and unique world building。 I feel a review here can't capture the wonder and quiet moments of reflection that this book brought， it is an elegant extension of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel; I find I want to go back and read these all together now that I am done with this one。 I love the time/science fiction elements as the connection to pandemic life， small moments and actions having great meaning。。。 it all works so well to reveal a narrative filled with connection， meaning， and joy for humanity。 I recall feeling this way at the end of Station Eleven， an appreciation for how the story came together， the celebration of light and life during darkness， and the intersection of complex， intriguing characters。 I feel to write more is to take away the experience of reading this book; I simply want readers to know that Emily St。 John Mandel has again captured my heart and reminded me that reading is filled with magical moments。I appreciate the gift of this book from Doubleday and NetGalley; I am a fan of this author and the elegance of her simple prose and her love for storytelling。 。。。more
Mara
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This book is a great example of when you should read the blurb first。 It's not always the case， of course， that reading the blurb first is important， or even advisable， but for this book， the blurb gave me just enough information to understand the relevance of the first sections of the book， without giving away any major plot points。So the blurb tells us that we're dealing with people in multiple time periods， and that someone is tasked with figuring out what links the different people together。 This book is a great example of when you should read the blurb first。 It's not always the case， of course， that reading the blurb first is important， or even advisable， but for this book， the blurb gave me just enough information to understand the relevance of the first sections of the book， without giving away any major plot points。So the blurb tells us that we're dealing with people in multiple time periods， and that someone is tasked with figuring out what links the different people together。 However， the blurb gives away nothing in terms of the intricacy of the plot， the loveliness of the writing， or the depth of the characters， even those of whom we see very little。What makes this book even more enchanting is that it's very self-referential， and also refers to Mandel's previous book， The Glass Castle， putting the reader in mind of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell。 Readers who pay close attention to the details will be rewarded with seeing those details take on extra importance and meaning in other scenes， allowing the whole picture to come together seamlessly。FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review。 。。。more
Sharon Rose
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4。5 stars。 Mandel delivers another soft speculative fiction novel with lots of beautiful character work， imagery and concepts to consider。 It packed a whole lot of ideas in （future human colonies， time travel， pandemics， simulation theory， isolation， loss， the author’s own musing on her most famous work Station Eleven） into a tiny package。 It was bizarre， interesting and even kind of meta—my one complaint was that it felt too short， even though there was a nice， satisfying ending I wanted to sta 4。5 stars。 Mandel delivers another soft speculative fiction novel with lots of beautiful character work， imagery and concepts to consider。 It packed a whole lot of ideas in （future human colonies， time travel， pandemics， simulation theory， isolation， loss， the author’s own musing on her most famous work Station Eleven） into a tiny package。 It was bizarre， interesting and even kind of meta—my one complaint was that it felt too short， even though there was a nice， satisfying ending I wanted to stay in the world a little longer。 Thanks for Edelweiss+ for the eArc！ 。。。more
Amy
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Another fantastic read from Emily St。 John Mandel。 The seemingly unconnected become connected in this work of speculative fiction。 I’m sad that I’ve finished reading it！
Leanne Cramond
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Emily has really outdone herself with this book， it is simply amazing。 I had to take a couple of days before writing this review to just think about it。 The power of the writing and ideas in this story will stay with me。 Starting in the year 1912 through to 2401， the reader follows a variety of different people’s experience of an anomaly in time and the time traveller from the future who is sent back to investigate it。 The story jumps back and forth between time zones but it is done in a way tha Emily has really outdone herself with this book， it is simply amazing。 I had to take a couple of days before writing this review to just think about it。 The power of the writing and ideas in this story will stay with me。 Starting in the year 1912 through to 2401， the reader follows a variety of different people’s experience of an anomaly in time and the time traveller from the future who is sent back to investigate it。 The story jumps back and forth between time zones but it is done in a way that isn’t confusing at all and very easy to keep track of where you are。 I really don’t want to say too much as this is the sort of book that each individual will take away something different with them when they finish。 There are many themes running throughout: love， family， experience， pandemics， loneliness， consequences， choices， hope， despair， and well， just what it is to be human， which doesn’t change whether you live on Earth or a moon colony！ While there are nods to both of her previous books， Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel， be warned that it does give away a bit of what happened in The Glass Hotel which may spoil that story for you if you haven’t read it。 This is definitely one of those special books that I will keep on my shelves to go back to and reread。 。。。more
Sam
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☆ Cosmic mystery ☆ time travel ☆ existential crisis ☆ pandemic ☆ multiple POVs ☆Following multiple characters in different times and all somehow connected to an anomaly - a strange moment of a few seconds where they glimpse the sights and sounds of another place （or time） - and an investigation in the future to uncover what that is。If that sounds like hard sci-fi to you - it's not。 Mostly， it's just about people struggling along with their lives - there's a pandemic element to this book as one o ☆ Cosmic mystery ☆ time travel ☆ existential crisis ☆ pandemic ☆ multiple POVs ☆Following multiple characters in different times and all somehow connected to an anomaly - a strange moment of a few seconds where they glimpse the sights and sounds of another place （or time） - and an investigation in the future to uncover what that is。If that sounds like hard sci-fi to you - it's not。 Mostly， it's just about people struggling along with their lives - there's a pandemic element to this book as one of the characters is an author， promoting a book about a pandemic as a pandemic kicks off。I wouldn't say there was much development of the futuristic setting - people live on the moon， there are outer colonies （which we hear of but don't visit）， there is a place that investigates and uses time travel but none of that is really explained - it's just how it is。Mandel is great at creating atmosphere， a sense of place， and is able to make seemingly disparate characters and plots come together in compelling fashion。 It is this ability that meant I really enjoyed reading this。 It was difficult to put down - I felt compelled to continue on， to meet the next characters involved， to try to work out what the glitch was and how they all related to it。 But then it was over。I can't tell if I don't have the intelligence or English lit ability to understand the point or even if there was one。A quote from a character， talking to the author of the pandemic book， which sums up my general feeling:"I was just like， 'Huh？ Is the book missing pages？' It just ended。"Overall， I enjoyed reading this but not as much as previous works by the author。PS You don't need to have read Station Eleven or Glass Hotel to follow the plot。 But characters from Glass Hotel are in this。Thanks to Picador/Pan Macmillan for providing a netgalley review copy。 。。。more
Kwaku Osei-Afrifa
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'a still point in a ceaseless rush' what a line and what a book。 'a still point in a ceaseless rush' what a line and what a book。 。。。more
T
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A very interesting and thought provoking book。 It needs your full attention to read， but is worth the investment。Set at various points in time and with some big questions this novel offers an interesting blend of science fiction， prose & （possibly even） theology。
Jennopenny
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E-arc provided by the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review。 Thanks！ Since I read Station Eleven I have read most of St。 John Mandel novels。 I think I have one or maybe two of her backlist left to read which I feel like I'm saving for a rainy day in some way。 Station Eleven was a bomb when it came out。 I remember everyone at work reading it。 At the time I was working in a bookshop。 We talked about it all of the time and I made friends just because of that book。 There was a lot to tal E-arc provided by the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review。 Thanks！ Since I read Station Eleven I have read most of St。 John Mandel novels。 I think I have one or maybe two of her backlist left to read which I feel like I'm saving for a rainy day in some way。 Station Eleven was a bomb when it came out。 I remember everyone at work reading it。 At the time I was working in a bookshop。 We talked about it all of the time and I made friends just because of that book。 There was a lot to talk about and I feel like that is one of the things St。 John Mandel does the best - all her books spark conversation。Now it's many years later and a couple St。 John Mandel novels later and I started reading "Sea of Tranquility" with both many expectations but at the same time trying to keep them low。 I knew nothing about this book going in because I didn't want to。 I want St。 John Mandel to surprise me。 In hindsight， going in knowing nothing， was genuins。 The book is set in different times from 1912， 2020， 2203 and 2401。 The first half or so I was confused， not knowing what was going on and how the timelines would connect。 At the same time I was glad to read that some characters from The Glass Hotel where mentioned。 By no means to you need to read that book before this but I thought it was nice how St。 John Mandel connected her own work。I'm not going to get into the plot， both because this novel isn't out until April and because I think it is the best way going in， not know what to expect。But I will write this: time travel is a big element in this。 Some of the novel takes place on another planet。 And you will want to talk about this once you finished it。I would recommend this if you want to read a novel that will take you by surprise， be a bit weird and yet at the heart have characters that will stay with you。So if that sounds like your jam， do pick it up and read it。I'll leave my initial review below with my thoughts right after reading。Initial review:I have a problem reading St。 John Mandel novels before publishing date and have no one to talk to them about。This happened with "The Glas Hotel" as well and I haven't learned my lesson for "Sea of Tranquility" which was kindly given to me by the publisher through Netgalley。All I want to do is to talk about this with someone。 Or talk time travel and problems with time travel with someone。St。 John Mandel went there and I couldn't be more happy to have read this novel。Also would suggest reading "The Glas Hotel" before this。 It isn't really necessary but I thought it was fun to meet some of the characters of that novel in this one too。 If you like St。 John Mandel's work from "Station Eleven" and forward， I don't think you will be disappointed。 Drop me a line （in the comments） if you have read it and want to talk about it。 。。。more
Suze
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I don't know where to start with this as I've simply never read anything like it。 I've seen some people likening it's structure to Cloud Atlas but I haven't read that myself so I can't comment。 This is St。 John Mandel's fifth novel and is probably best read after you read her third and fourth （Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel） as there are many references to both of those and I'd hate for you to miss them。 The story spans centuries and， as only she can， St。 John Mandel expertly weaves the plot I don't know where to start with this as I've simply never read anything like it。 I've seen some people likening it's structure to Cloud Atlas but I haven't read that myself so I can't comment。 This is St。 John Mandel's fifth novel and is probably best read after you read her third and fourth （Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel） as there are many references to both of those and I'd hate for you to miss them。 The story spans centuries and， as only she can， St。 John Mandel expertly weaves the plotlines as we follow the three main characters。 It's Sci-fi that doesn't feel like Sci-fi; she manages to make the concept of time travel quite real and almost mundane。 Almost。 There's a biographical element to it too。 One of the characters， Olive Llewellan， is an author， who found fame and fortune with her third novel。 That novel was about a pandemic。 Ring any bells？ It goes meta when that book enjoys a resurgence in popularity， caused by yet another pandemic。 I don't want to say too much more about it， other than I absolutely adored it。 I got to meet some beloved characters again and throughly enjoyed the riffs on the various timelines in her previous books。 Don't let the mention of time travel or Sci-fi put you off， if they're normally not your thing。 There isn't a sniff of warp factors or ray guns。 Just lots of beautiful prose and clever plotting。 Thanks again to Chlöe @nursefanctpants for the loan of her ARC。 I feel privileged to have been able to read it ahead of the release in April 。。。more
Angela
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Outstanding。 Review to come
Jenn Adams
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4。5Going back and forth about whether I should round this up or down。 I don't think this will be a new favorite， but it was really well-written and captivating。 Exceeded my expectations for sure。 I find myself in the strange position where I have read The Glass Hotel but I still haven't read the smash-hit Station Eleven。 （I'll get there！） Sea of Tranquility does have a little bit of overlap with TGH and my understanding is that it has Easter eggs for fans of Station Eleven， but you don't need to 4。5Going back and forth about whether I should round this up or down。 I don't think this will be a new favorite， but it was really well-written and captivating。 Exceeded my expectations for sure。 I find myself in the strange position where I have read The Glass Hotel but I still haven't read the smash-hit Station Eleven。 （I'll get there！） Sea of Tranquility does have a little bit of overlap with TGH and my understanding is that it has Easter eggs for fans of Station Eleven， but you don't need to read them in order。 I really enjoyed the writing in TGH but it was very atmospheric and I came away from it with a slight sense of "Okay。。 what did I just read"。 S of T had similar vibes， but came together in a much more satisfying way。 We retain the beautiful writing from TGH， but the characters and the plotting and structure were all much more enjoyable for me。This book definitely straddles the line between literary fiction and sci-fi and could be a good bridge if you're a fan of one of those and want to try out the other。 It's got time travel and moon colonies， but doesn't really address the science behind those achievements， instead focusing on more ethical themes and societal impacts of the tech。 Pandemics are a bit of a subplot， but not at all the focus and nothing explicit about illness itself。In addition to the near（ish） future and sci-fi elements， we also dip a little ways into the past。 In that way， S of T is similar to Cloud Cuckoo Land and To Paradise， which have been veryyy hyped。 This book is a much more manageable length and never felt like the author was doing *too much*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Emily Quirk
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•“Perhaps we believe on some level that if the world were to end and to be remade， if some unthinkable catastrophe were to occur， then perhaps we might be remade， too…”••Thank you， thank you， @penguinrandomhouse and @aaknopf for my #giftedcopy of @emilystjohnmandel ‘s upcoming release ♥️♥️••After a disastrous dinner party in 1912， a young Edwin St Andrew leaves England for the Canadian wilderness。 Two centuries later， author Olive Llewelyn begins a book tour across what’s left on Earth。 Gaspery- •“Perhaps we believe on some level that if the world were to end and to be remade， if some unthinkable catastrophe were to occur， then perhaps we might be remade， too…”••Thank you， thank you， @penguinrandomhouse and @aaknopf for my #giftedcopy of @emilystjohnmandel ‘s upcoming release ♥️♥️••After a disastrous dinner party in 1912， a young Edwin St Andrew leaves England for the Canadian wilderness。 Two centuries later， author Olive Llewelyn begins a book tour across what’s left on Earth。 Gaspery-Jacques Roberts， a detective from an ill-fated moon colony in space， hopes to discover why these two lives intersected when they did: both Edwin and Olive experienced the same memory…hundreds of years apart 📖🌙••Emily St。 John Mandel is a beautiful writer， and her books are always quiet and character-driven。 In Sea of Tranquility， she is at her absolute best: not only is this one an observant， thought-provoking piece of literary fiction， it is also a fast-paced fantasy novel that spans time and space 📖🌙••Once I was one hundred pages in， I could。 not。 put。 this。 book。 down。 My only regret was not rereading The Glass Hotel before I started —it takes place in the same universe！！ 📖🌙••Fans of Dark Matter， Station Eleven， and The Remains of the Day will adore this novel。 It’s out April 5！ 📖 。。。more
Kriti | Armed with A Book
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Mare Tranquillitatis or the Sea of Tranquility is the place where humans first landed on the Moon and I love that the name of the book not only connects it to history but also brings a sense of calmness while reading it。 That is the beauty of atmospheric writing I have found - it allows us to experience the world almost through a fog。 There is a lot to decipher and if we pay attention， it can be a wonderful mystery to unfold。 That is how I approached this book and I was not disappointed at all。 Mare Tranquillitatis or the Sea of Tranquility is the place where humans first landed on the Moon and I love that the name of the book not only connects it to history but also brings a sense of calmness while reading it。 That is the beauty of atmospheric writing I have found - it allows us to experience the world almost through a fog。 There is a lot to decipher and if we pay attention， it can be a wonderful mystery to unfold。 That is how I approached this book and I was not disappointed at all。 Sea of Tranquility has a number of characters and it is only as the story unfolds that the main character starts to emerge。 We experience our history through chapters set in 1912， 1918 and 2020， and then later re-experience it through stories and history told in the years 2203 and 2401。 One of the words that came to mind as I was reading this book was 'cinematic'。 Maybe because I have adjusted to the atmospheric storytelling style that Mandel writes， I imagine the characters and the chapters being scenes from the characters’ lives。 The slice of life narratives are quite engaging。 I did not truly need to know the characters by their nature and virtues， I just needed to know how they fit in the puzzle I had been handed， one that in the beginning， I did not quite comprehend。 It is all about slowly revealing the big picture with intricate details from different lives， some characters being so peripheral yet pivotal to the plot that one could almost miss them。Time travel is one of my favorite subgenres to read！ Often， I find myself wanting to know its intricacies and how it came to be， but Sea of Tranquility is written so beautifully that the mystery at hand about the anomaly that the time traveler is investigating is way more important than how he time travels and how it affects him。 The main idea is how he affects the timeline。Reading so many different years in Sea of Tranquility made me wonder about longevity of life and memory。 What we see in our lives is such a small part of the world events， of the experience that humans have and continue to have。 I really like the idea of looking at centuries as different worlds。 No one person remembers the change。 I wasn’t here in the 1800s and for sure， I won’t know 2200s either。 This book， like Station Eleven， comes full circle。 It leaves just enough room for the reader to imagine what happens next。 It tangled me in its plot in such a way that I could not let go and from a reader， I quickly transitioned to a student， taking notes， highlighting sections。 It was like being on a boat that is following the path that the river is taking。 I don’t have control but I have the choice to enjoy the view and see what happens next。I was very excited when I was approved to read Sea of Tranquility。 I wanted to give Mandel’s writing another try and I am so glad I did。 She took time travel and made it into something remarkable and unforgettable。 This story will always be with me and while I won’t know the characters very well， when I think of time， The Matrix， Dark or time-travel， I will think of all of them。 I will imagine the world of the 2200s and 2400s that Mendel created with minimal details in my head。 A full detailed review will be posted to Armed with A Book closer to publication date。 Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review。 I will be pre-ordering this one！ 。。。more
John
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4。5 stars。 "。。。 I think， as a species， we have a desire to believe that we're living at the climax of the story。 It's a kind of narcissism。 We want to believe that we're uniquely important， that we're living at the end of history， that now， now is finally the worst that it's ever been， that finally we have reached the end of the world。"Sea of Tranquility is part pandemic balm for the soul， part companion piece to The Glass Hotel， part Station Eleven meta book tour and of course， part time travel 4。5 stars。 "。。。 I think， as a species， we have a desire to believe that we're living at the climax of the story。 It's a kind of narcissism。 We want to believe that we're uniquely important， that we're living at the end of history， that now， now is finally the worst that it's ever been， that finally we have reached the end of the world。"Sea of Tranquility is part pandemic balm for the soul， part companion piece to The Glass Hotel， part Station Eleven meta book tour and of course， part time travel mystery。 。。。more
Aldrin
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