Chris

I love the movie, and I really enjoyed this book. The law school characterization - the broad strokes - is funny and pretty spot on. Law school is weird, and the weirdness is similar from school to school. I like what they took of that from the book and incorporated into the movie. I suspect, given the gobs of folks here who were 'meh' about the book - they're not picking up on the insider humor regarding law school. What can I say, you had to be there. Elle spends a lot of time skipping class - which doesn't jibe with law school (esp 1L) - but that fictional quirk works for the story and I easily forgave it. She studies and she's smart - so she's working through the material on her own time. I liked the characterization of the trial attorney also - (he's turned into a bit of a villain in the movie) - he's at a point in his career where a lot of the shine has gone off the job and he's got an idiot for a client - and that's nicely sketched out without being heavy handed. I'll add this one to my beach re-reads and will probably loan it out to my friends with JDs. Thumbs up!

I’m so bummed. This one has been on my to-read list for years. To my delight, I found it tucked away in a used bookstore. The reviews plastered all over the cover are glowing – it’s a Hugo and Nebula Award Winner! I bought it and took it home, and immediately started reading.

I am not feeling the love for this one. I really had to work to finish this rather short book. It’s not particularly funny ha ha… mildly amusing, perhaps? The world-building was interesting. The style of writing made for some confusion and heavier wading than I was expecting. The pacing is weird – then I figured out it was published in serial form, so I could forgive some of that oddness. And, it’s a product of its time – so it’s just so very many many men (even the aliens are men) and the two women that crop up either are either the sex interest or in need of being rescued.