Fiction

Bewilderment

Bewilderment

  • Downloads：7029
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-17 09:16:02
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Richard Powers
  • ISBN：1785152637
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Summary

Theo Byrne is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away。 He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old。 His son Robin is funny， loving， and filled with plans。 He thinks and feels deeply， adores animals， and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures。 He is also on the verge of being expelled from third grade， for smashing his friend's face with a metal thermos。

What can a father do， when the only solution offered to his rare and troubled boy is to put him on psychoactive drugs？ What can he say when his boy comes to him wanting an explanation for a world that is clearly in love with its own destruction？ The only thing for it is to take the boy to other planets， while all the while fostering his son's desperate campaign to help save this one。

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Reviews

Mark Schuetz ，

WowThis book really moved me。 It's sad， it's hopeful， it just makes you think about humans and our relation to earth and all its creatures。 What is going to happen， will we wake up in time？ WowThis book really moved me。 It's sad， it's hopeful， it just makes you think about humans and our relation to earth and all its creatures。 What is going to happen， will we wake up in time？ 。。。more

Lynda ，

Broke my heart。 Some of the astrophysics were a bit too much; otherwise…。

Sofia ，

*3，5

Marna ，

I believe that heartrending is the word。 （Although cautionary and occasionally elating， too）

Lara Case ，

An amazing story of nature and a fathers unconditional love。 A must read but keep your dictionary handy！

Mia Kagehiro ，

4。5

Benny ，

“Oddly enough there’s no name in the DSM for the compulsion to diagnose people。” （p。5）The single parent theme meets eco-fiction， two elements that are hot in recent fiction， and they come together beautifully in Bewilderment， Richard Powers’ most recent novel。Powers is a smart writer， very opinionated and he’s good at wisecracks。 Sometimes that puts people off。 Much has been said about the writer’s （or his character’s） stance against the use of medication in neurodevelopmental disorders， such as “Oddly enough there’s no name in the DSM for the compulsion to diagnose people。” （p。5）The single parent theme meets eco-fiction， two elements that are hot in recent fiction， and they come together beautifully in Bewilderment， Richard Powers’ most recent novel。Powers is a smart writer， very opinionated and he’s good at wisecracks。 Sometimes that puts people off。 Much has been said about the writer’s （or his character’s） stance against the use of medication in neurodevelopmental disorders， such as ADHD and ADD。 On the other hand， reading the ending of the book， things don’t exactly work out fine here。 For me the jury is out。Still， this is far from my favourite Richard Powers novel， that’d be The Echo Maker or The Time of Our Singing， two novels Powers wrote a while ago。 In Bewilderment he continues on the ecological theme that made his previous outing so successful。 In fact， this has only become more urgent。 With these recent books （The Overstory and this one） Powers seems to have found a new and wider audience。 On the other hand he remains perhaps a bit too rational， even when writing about emotional things。“Everyone’s confusing。 And everyone’s confused。” （p。13）Note to self: read Flowers for Algernon。 。。。more

Dani ，

I WISH this were science fiction！ The copy I read wasn't burned， because it belonged to the library。 It was closed angrily with every indulgent metaphor and saccharine revelation about the beauty of nature or women （as always: unique and modern， with edgy sexualities！）。 Richard Powers strikes again。 I WISH this were science fiction！ The copy I read wasn't burned， because it belonged to the library。 It was closed angrily with every indulgent metaphor and saccharine revelation about the beauty of nature or women （as always: unique and modern， with edgy sexualities！）。 Richard Powers strikes again。 。。。more

Jim ，

Beautiful mind expanding novel。 Four and 1/2 stars

Bridget ，

While heavy handed and manipulative， I couldn't help but like this book - beautiful written， urgent， and devastating。 While heavy handed and manipulative， I couldn't help but like this book - beautiful written， urgent， and devastating。 。。。more

M LYALL ，

Good story， but such a lot of astrophysics that it was hard to follow。 Once I skipped the hard bits it was a good read。

Mrs。 Danvers ，

If I were reviewing this in comparison with all of his books， I think might be a B。 But I'm reviewing it in the context of every book I'm reading or have read so it's 5 stars。 If I were reviewing this in comparison with all of his books， I think might be a B。 But I'm reviewing it in the context of every book I'm reading or have read so it's 5 stars。 。。。more

Anna Friss ，

Successfully frustrating and extremely depressing。 Beautiful writing but holy fuck that was a bummer

Sierra ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5 stars（spoilers ahead）This book was everything I could've wished for。。。 until page 120。 Why make a character that's exactly like Greta Thunberg but with a different name？ Why couldn't he use his creativity （he's a writer for heaven's sake） and create a character similar to Greta but with a new twist？ Having Greta Thunberg in this book really did not work for me。 She's an inspiration to Robin， but her character doesn't really do anything other than that。 No tie-ins at the end。 No encounter wit 4。5 stars（spoilers ahead）This book was everything I could've wished for。。。 until page 120。 Why make a character that's exactly like Greta Thunberg but with a different name？ Why couldn't he use his creativity （he's a writer for heaven's sake） and create a character similar to Greta but with a new twist？ Having Greta Thunberg in this book really did not work for me。 She's an inspiration to Robin， but her character doesn't really do anything other than that。 No tie-ins at the end。 No encounter with Robin and Theo。 Nothing to salvage the choice。 Other than that， this book was spectacular。 I loved the parts about the different planets。 I loved the father-son relationship。 I loved the descriptions of nature and the flashbacks and the Flowers for Algernon references。 The end was deeply moving and tragic。 The writing was well-crafted。 At times， the current events in the book （very similar to those in 2021） seemed like too much。 It felt like Powers was just writing in catastrophes that were happening or seemed imminent。 Drawing a little too directly from life。 However， most of the time they worked with the plot and structure of the story。There are some really beautiful moments in this book and it's a fascinating premise and story overall。 But seriously， Richard。 Take out Greta Thunberg。 Make your own damn character。 。。。more

Katie Richman ，

Ugh my heart hurts after reading this。 It was beautiful and made me cry。

Makei Tupou ，

Powers never seems to disappoint。 After reading the Overstory and it becoming one of my favorite books， I was very excited to read his newest novel。 This story is incredible in many ways， but also heartbreaking and emotional。 The relationship between the father and son in the story was captivating， and I love the way that the author wrote about children on the spectrum of ASD。 Richard Powers weaves the wonder of childhood， struggle of single parenthood， questions of consciousness， and skepticism Powers never seems to disappoint。 After reading the Overstory and it becoming one of my favorite books， I was very excited to read his newest novel。 This story is incredible in many ways， but also heartbreaking and emotional。 The relationship between the father and son in the story was captivating， and I love the way that the author wrote about children on the spectrum of ASD。 Richard Powers weaves the wonder of childhood， struggle of single parenthood， questions of consciousness， and skepticism of life on other planets into this beautiful work。 Regardless of the heavy topics of grief， loneliness and depression， this book left me feeling hope。 。。。more

Rachel ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I'm incredibly angry， sad， and relieved by the ending。 But at the same time， I can't help but feel that Powers took the easiest way out to conclude the story。 I'm incredibly angry， sad， and relieved by the ending。 But at the same time， I can't help but feel that Powers took the easiest way out to conclude the story。 。。。more

Hope ，

Breathtaking…Powers once again deftly weaves the worlds of nature， science， and the heart， into a bittersweet cautionary tale of the environmental consequences of unbridled greed and political ambition。 A relatively quick read， I guarantee this will stay with you for some time to come。 Stunning book， beautifully written。

Mary Catherine ，

I don’t know if I liked this book， but I’m not sure that I was meant to。 Certainly one I will keep thinking about

David ，

In a similar albeit distinct way， Bewilderment wrecked me as the Overstory wrecked me。 Yet somehow this one felt more personal and more absolute， despite its fewer characters and narrower focus。 Its tragedy is more specific and cut deeper， forcing the reader to confront the ecological crisis through the eyes of a sensitive child。 The feedback machines that are our brains， struggling against the feedback machines of incentives， politics， and the Earth system， don't seem to stand a chance。。。 but i In a similar albeit distinct way， Bewilderment wrecked me as the Overstory wrecked me。 Yet somehow this one felt more personal and more absolute， despite its fewer characters and narrower focus。 Its tragedy is more specific and cut deeper， forcing the reader to confront the ecological crisis through the eyes of a sensitive child。 The feedback machines that are our brains， struggling against the feedback machines of incentives， politics， and the Earth system， don't seem to stand a chance。。。 but if an empathy machine does come about in the near future then it may be of some help。 。。。more

j ，

I read The Overstory twice and will probably read it again after some time passes。 Needless to say， like many folks， I was eager to plunge into Bewilderment。 The disappointment has been profound， bewildering。 I was actually mad at about the 100-page mark and seriously considered stopping with this science-fiction/social criticism mess。 A reviewer in the News York Times comments， “As fiction， the novel is D。O。A。 - shallowness that requests to be taken seriously。” I wish I had read that review bef I read The Overstory twice and will probably read it again after some time passes。 Needless to say， like many folks， I was eager to plunge into Bewilderment。 The disappointment has been profound， bewildering。 I was actually mad at about the 100-page mark and seriously considered stopping with this science-fiction/social criticism mess。 A reviewer in the News York Times comments， “As fiction， the novel is D。O。A。 - shallowness that requests to be taken seriously。” I wish I had read that review before squandering time with it。 。。。more

Tabule Tabs ，

La lecture a été agréable mais sans surprise。 Le personnage de Robin est profond et attachant mais l'histoire ne décolle pas。 Je reste sur ma faim。。。。。dommage La lecture a été agréable mais sans surprise。 Le personnage de Robin est profond et attachant mais l'histoire ne décolle pas。 Je reste sur ma faim。。。。。dommage 。。。more

Claire ，

Thought provoking but not in the way I expected。Do we ever really know someone？ Is this a cautionary tale of the American way of life？ Were Currier's motives sinister？ Robin is somewhere on the spectrum and struggling to cope with daily life after the death of his mother。 His father decides to home school him， reject modern medicine and it's psychoactive drugs and enrol him in experimental cognitive therapyRobin's behaviour changes over the course of a year， but the changes have many unintended Thought provoking but not in the way I expected。Do we ever really know someone？ Is this a cautionary tale of the American way of life？ Were Currier's motives sinister？ Robin is somewhere on the spectrum and struggling to cope with daily life after the death of his mother。 His father decides to home school him， reject modern medicine and it's psychoactive drugs and enrol him in experimental cognitive therapyRobin's behaviour changes over the course of a year， but the changes have many unintended consequences。 Sometimes the best we can do isn't enough。 Are experts intentions ever pure or does everyone have an ulterior motive？ 。。。more

Matthew ，

Powers is obviously a brilliant person and a talented writer， but I did not like this book at all。 I don't even disagree with the points being made， but it's done in such an unsubtle way that I found it to be quite off-putting。 It's didactic and preachy and self-congratulatory from start to finish。 For a relatively short novel， it felt like a slog to get through。 Despite having this reaction I'm not soured on reading Powers' work in the future。 I still plan to read The Overstory， someday。 I just Powers is obviously a brilliant person and a talented writer， but I did not like this book at all。 I don't even disagree with the points being made， but it's done in such an unsubtle way that I found it to be quite off-putting。 It's didactic and preachy and self-congratulatory from start to finish。 For a relatively short novel， it felt like a slog to get through。 Despite having this reaction I'm not soured on reading Powers' work in the future。 I still plan to read The Overstory， someday。 I just wasn't the right reader for this。 。。。more

Ann Pisarello ，

Theo Byrne， astrobiologist， is raising his son， Robin， alone after the tragic death of his wife in a car accident。 Robin is on the spectrum， and to avoid medication Theo starts him in an experimental bio feedback therapy。 At the same time the world is going crazy， in an exaggerated version of what is actually happening on our planet now。 Richard Powers has great control of his words， his descriptions are amazing and beautiful。 The book is a fascinating and sad read about the human condition。

Deb ，

A beautiful， heartbreaking， heartwarming story of a father and son trying to go on with their lives after their wife/mother dies。 Theo is an astrobiologist searching for life beyond the Earth。 His son Robin is a sensitive， gifted boy who is deeply drawn to nature。 But Robin's behavior becomes more aggressive and to avoid medication his father finds another treatment for his son。 Descriptions of nature and the universe are so vivd。 This story will never leave you。 A beautiful， heartbreaking， heartwarming story of a father and son trying to go on with their lives after their wife/mother dies。 Theo is an astrobiologist searching for life beyond the Earth。 His son Robin is a sensitive， gifted boy who is deeply drawn to nature。 But Robin's behavior becomes more aggressive and to avoid medication his father finds another treatment for his son。 Descriptions of nature and the universe are so vivd。 This story will never leave you。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Discussed in episode #59 of the Bookcast Club podcast。 Click here to listen to the episode。 Discussed in episode #59 of the Bookcast Club podcast。 Click here to listen to the episode。 。。。more

Kathy McC ，

Wow！ Wow！ Wow！ This is a powerful novel about protecting the earth and its species， and about a father protecting his son。 The prose is poignant and earnest， filled with beautiful vocabulary and succinct presentation。 While there is a significant amount of scientific verbage， it never weighs down the storytelling because Mr。 Powers presents it quietly and with care。 This is a futuristic genre， but never feels unbelievable。 This is heartbreaking novel that caused me great despair， but I will reme Wow！ Wow！ Wow！ This is a powerful novel about protecting the earth and its species， and about a father protecting his son。 The prose is poignant and earnest， filled with beautiful vocabulary and succinct presentation。 While there is a significant amount of scientific verbage， it never weighs down the storytelling because Mr。 Powers presents it quietly and with care。 This is a futuristic genre， but never feels unbelievable。 This is heartbreaking novel that caused me great despair， but I will remember it for a long time。 "I wanted to tell the man that life itself is a spectrum disorder， where each of us vibrated at some unique frequency in the continuous rainbow。""There was a planet that couldn't figure out where everyone was。 It died of loneliness。" 。。。more

Jenny ，

There is a lot to discuss with Bewilderment。 Certainly is a more compact than The Overstory but we still get to touch on several different themes : bereavement， "special" children， repressive government， astronomy， scientific research， science v religion， rapid ecocide。 Richard Powers is adept at weaving all these heavy themes together in what is a very readable narrative because he keeps the human story very emotionally charged。 I confess I am bewildered！ Are people really this "clever"？ Do we There is a lot to discuss with Bewilderment。 Certainly is a more compact than The Overstory but we still get to touch on several different themes : bereavement， "special" children， repressive government， astronomy， scientific research， science v religion， rapid ecocide。 Richard Powers is adept at weaving all these heavy themes together in what is a very readable narrative because he keeps the human story very emotionally charged。 I confess I am bewildered！ Are people really this "clever"？ Do we really have "astrobiologists" beavering away in labs， making up planets in the hope that life exists elsewhere？ Why？ I take it that Theo's bedtime interstellar descriptions of planets are fictitious - I don't have any problem with that but this seems to be his day-job too。 I look forward to reading others' reviews for clarification。Poor Theo！ He's such a good dad but never thinks he is。 I was with Richard Powers completely in his implied criticism of the Establishment which is so limited in its interpretation of how people should live。Poor Robbie！ He is a little Messiah for the modern era。 I've heard that some people found Bewilderment too sacharine。 Not sure why they think that when there is so much angst there。 。。。more

Geof Sewell ，

This is the fourth novel by Richard Powers that I have read and the second to be shortlisted for the Booker。 Each is hugely stimulating， intellectually ambitious and of the moment。 This one is set at a time when a US President rigs his re-election and closes down scientific research in areas that threaten the Bible belt。 It is more tightly focused than his others。 It does not have a large cast of characters， as in “The Overstory” for example， but focuses on a father and son。 The father， Theo Byr This is the fourth novel by Richard Powers that I have read and the second to be shortlisted for the Booker。 Each is hugely stimulating， intellectually ambitious and of the moment。 This one is set at a time when a US President rigs his re-election and closes down scientific research in areas that threaten the Bible belt。 It is more tightly focused than his others。 It does not have a large cast of characters， as in “The Overstory” for example， but focuses on a father and son。 The father， Theo Byrne， is an astrobiologist， examining the wavelengths of other far-off planets in the cosmos for signs of life。 His wife， Alyssa， had been an environmental activist， with a particular interest in threatened species， but she was killed in a road accident， possibly trying to avoid an opossum but possibly suicidal。 Their son Robin， a brilliant， eccentric and deeply disturbed nine year old， gets teased at school and retaliates violently。 As the novel begins， he is threatened with expulsion for smashing his friend’s face with a thermos flask。 The main plot concerns Theo’s attempts to keep him out of the clutches of the educational psychologists who can’t agree a diagnosis but want to put him on drugs。 What intrigued me most about “Bewilderment” was the alternative therapy， called DecNef， that Powers describes。 DecNef is an actual branch of neurology that decodes brain scans and provides feedback。 Some years before the novel starts， Alyssa and Theo volunteered to let the neurologist leading this research on their campus take their brain scans。 Robin is subjected to his mother’s neuro-feedback and with this help， he is trained how to manage his own behaviour。 However， there is no guarantee that the gains he makes will not be reversed when the training is withdrawn。 Powers alludes to a seminal SciFi young adult novel called “Flowers for Algernon” about a little boy whose IQ enhancement goes into reverse。 How will Robin cope when the US President closes down DecNef research？ The reason I was so intrigued was that in 2013， I wrote a novel called “World in a Grain” about a very similar technique， used to track the final thoughts of a dying scientist as his mind travels the final Bardo。 Richard Powers is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship， nicknamed the “genius prize”， that gives $600k a year for 5 years to organisations or individuals committed to building a more just， verdant， and peaceful world。 There are things that grate about his novels。 As with many other Sci-fi writers， his characterisation is shallow。 Powers can never quite rid himself of a boastful， look-how-clever-I-am air， either。 Theo， the name of the central character， is God in Greek。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bewilderment

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bewilderment&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bewilderment&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0