Aamna

2.8

Meh.

Abandoned at 20%
Bored as hell

5 stars for whatever the author was smoking. Abandoned at 30%. Now amazed that I managed even that much.

3.8

Kept me guessing almost to the end. Far too contrived to be a favourite. Is there anyone who can challenge Agatha Christie?

Liked this better than Tina Fey's and Amy Poehler's memoirs. Rainn has lived a fuller life and I loved listening to him tell his story.

Umm...no.

Barely 3 stars. Such a strong start. Disappointed with how it turned out.

Was bored out of my mind.

Better than the original. Now fuck off.

3.5

Great premise. The pace for the first 35% was perfect and I couldn't put it down. Thereafter it slowed down quite a bit. The writing also got less appealing; I found my highlights to be a third of the ones from the first half. Got the feeling the author rushed the second half under pressure from the publisher. But hey I'm just speculating.

Recommended reading for all women though. It's a...satisfying read.

Profound, mundane scribblings that provide an insight into the mind of a woman at odds with herself.

As someone who has journaled on and off for the last 15 years, this was a very satisfying read.

Heard on audible. Only an hour long but I know I will spend many many hours thinking about it. Excellent, moving prose. Chimamanda is a legend.

3.7

Entertaining. Nosedives at 90% (yeah, ikr?). but not so bad.

Very underwhelming. Didn't abandon only because I'm committed to the series.

Update: Tried reading again. Thought maybe it was me and not the book. It's definitely the book. Abandoned this time. Not sure how anyone who has read the Robots series or even Prelude or Forward is supposed to enjoy this. Here's hoping the rest of the series doesn't disappoint me as much.

4 stars because it should have had 4-5 fewer stories. The rest are simply perfect. Ken Liu is a magician.

3.5 really.

Started strong. Ending felt abrupt. Like he got bored and said ab bas ho gaya.

First half was promising but tanked after 60% or so. Why Asimov adds unnecessary and unconvincing romantic sub plots is beyond me. Still the best book in the galactic empire series, which doesn't say much tbh.


Re-read in November 2023. I didn't remember much when I picked this up again, probably because my brain suppressed most of it thanks to its many implausible sub plots. Sigh. READ YOUR OWN REVIEWS AAMNA.

I think someone said that Asimov can't help but write page turners. Unfortunately for us, not all page turners are created equal.

Asimov's early work so not his best. Even more painful since I read this right after Robots & Empire which is terrific.

3.5

Fairly derivative but Clear knows his audience. I just happened to pick it up at a time I really needed to read it. Worked out well.

Best one so far. Couldn't put it down.

Has its ups and downs but the finish is masterful. I really like how Baley has evolved over books - such deliberate character writing.

3.6

Mostly because I really don't like Baley.

3.8

Started a bit slow. Was beginning to feel disappointed with the book after the thrill that was I, Robot when it really picked up. The second half made up for any complaints I had with the first.

Found Jesse setup a bit weird & found her character not very well thought through. A bit irritated by her portrayal tbh. But since Calvin in the first book was a strong female character, I'm not sure how Asimov typically portrays women in his books. I guess I will find out.

Bailey's flip at the end is too sudden. Not very convincing.

Absolutely loved it. Susan Calvin is a memorable character.

Also hate the folks who made the movie. What were they thinking?