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thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
The author has built an interesting world, with the exact how mostly hidden. Utopia or dystopia? It's the former only for those with means - depressingly like our current world.
It seems the author intended Jayna's revelation to be an aspect of the novel, but the blurb (and most reviews) spoil that. I didn't read either, and thought at first of Jayna as somewhere on the autism spectrum. After the reveal, that idea wasn't far off. Her combination of naiveté and expertise is described well by the novel, mostly told in the first person. Shortly after the reveal, we find out that she lives with others of her kind. Her home life and those relationships are also well done.
The conflict that arises is more of a tipping point. Instabilities arise, and the cause is not especially clear to Jayna (or to us). The novel stepped away from first person at a few points; it would have been more interesting to let the reader know more instead of just moving a plot line forward. The novel has two epilogs, both also first person. One gives a hint of a solution.
For me this was somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. I started reading [b:Dreams Before the Start of Time|27780648|Dreams Before the Start of Time|Anne Charnock|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484777556l/27780648._SY75_.jpg|47757637] in 2020, then abandoned it without noting anything specific. This book does not sufficiently drive me to try that one again. That said, I may try her novella [b:The Enclave|33877157|The Enclave|Anne Charnock|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484911487l/33877157._SX50_.jpg|54838179], set in the same world built by this novel.
It seems the author intended Jayna's revelation to be an aspect of the novel, but the blurb (and most reviews) spoil that. I didn't read either, and thought at first of Jayna as somewhere on the autism spectrum. After the reveal, that idea wasn't far off. Her combination of naiveté and expertise is described well by the novel, mostly told in the first person. Shortly after the reveal, we find out that she lives with others of her kind. Her home life and those relationships are also well done.
The conflict that arises is more of a tipping point. Instabilities arise, and the cause is not especially clear to Jayna (or to us). The novel stepped away from first person at a few points; it would have been more interesting to let the reader know more instead of just moving a plot line forward. The novel has two epilogs, both also first person. One gives a hint of a solution.
For me this was somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. I started reading [b:Dreams Before the Start of Time|27780648|Dreams Before the Start of Time|Anne Charnock|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484777556l/27780648._SY75_.jpg|47757637] in 2020, then abandoned it without noting anything specific. This book does not sufficiently drive me to try that one again. That said, I may try her novella [b:The Enclave|33877157|The Enclave|Anne Charnock|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484911487l/33877157._SX50_.jpg|54838179], set in the same world built by this novel.
leftylauren's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 43%. Stilted and forced plot. Doesn't develop well. Awkward. Technically well-written.
trike's review
4.0
This is a very studied book. As the saying goes, the British lead lives of quiet desperation, and A Calculated Life personifies that.
This is a future settled somewhere between the cartoonish over-the-topness of [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313] and the extreme exaggeration-to-make-a-point of [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865608s/5129.jpg|3204877], and it is probably all the more frightening for that.
There's no real drama here. No histrionics, no action sequences, no fight scenes: this is just a future that's approaching where our humanity and freedoms are stripped away one by one until we look around one day and they're no longer there.
Normal humans are shunted to ghettos, while bionically-enhanced humans rise to middle management and cloned enhanced humans fill the roles of data analyst and accountant. It's a stratified, class-based society taken to its logical conclusion. Not the one imagined by Wells in [b:The Time Machine|2493|The Time Machine|H.G. Wells|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327942880s/2493.jpg|3234863], but one that's feeling a little too plausible these days as the super-rich convince ordinary people to vote away their rights. The rich engineered this world, the upper middle class don't want to rock the boat, the poor can't do anything about it and the slaves have no rights at all.
It's a quiet book, and that's why it's scary. We don't fight it; our freedom ends with a whimper, not a bang.
This is a future settled somewhere between the cartoonish over-the-topness of [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313] and the extreme exaggeration-to-make-a-point of [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865608s/5129.jpg|3204877], and it is probably all the more frightening for that.
There's no real drama here. No histrionics, no action sequences, no fight scenes: this is just a future that's approaching where our humanity and freedoms are stripped away one by one until we look around one day and they're no longer there.
Normal humans are shunted to ghettos, while bionically-enhanced humans rise to middle management and cloned enhanced humans fill the roles of data analyst and accountant. It's a stratified, class-based society taken to its logical conclusion. Not the one imagined by Wells in [b:The Time Machine|2493|The Time Machine|H.G. Wells|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327942880s/2493.jpg|3234863], but one that's feeling a little too plausible these days as the super-rich convince ordinary people to vote away their rights. The rich engineered this world, the upper middle class don't want to rock the boat, the poor can't do anything about it and the slaves have no rights at all.
It's a quiet book, and that's why it's scary. We don't fight it; our freedom ends with a whimper, not a bang.
urlphantomhive's review
2.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Jayna is a super-intelligent kind-of computer-like person who works for a big company trying to see trends in everything. As she's always analysing stuff she might just find some data that could turn her life (and the world like she knows it) around.
In the beginning I liked her mathematical way of analysing everything. It was almost as if I was reading a computer or robot file (I do know that's in binary code, but just the general feeling). There were a lot of details people normally don't care about. Although this really created a feeling of Jayna being different, some kind of human computer, I was also thinking 'I'm not sure I can take this for a whole novel'. And that's exactly what happened. Around the halfway mark I was already hoping it would be over soon.
My other problem with this novel was that it for me lacked a true story. Nothing really happens in the first part of the book, and even after that it's still not a real story. Perhaps it's just her methodical mind that prevents the plot from really progressing, I'm not sure about that, but it felt a bit frustrating.
It was like a more classical Dystopian novel and it reminded me a bit of Brave New World, especially with the human engineering part. I however, didn't like it as much and was quite frankly a little bit disappointed. I'd expected to enjoy it more than I did.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Jayna is a super-intelligent kind-of computer-like person who works for a big company trying to see trends in everything. As she's always analysing stuff she might just find some data that could turn her life (and the world like she knows it) around.
In the beginning I liked her mathematical way of analysing everything. It was almost as if I was reading a computer or robot file (I do know that's in binary code, but just the general feeling). There were a lot of details people normally don't care about. Although this really created a feeling of Jayna being different, some kind of human computer, I was also thinking 'I'm not sure I can take this for a whole novel'. And that's exactly what happened. Around the halfway mark I was already hoping it would be over soon.
My other problem with this novel was that it for me lacked a true story. Nothing really happens in the first part of the book, and even after that it's still not a real story. Perhaps it's just her methodical mind that prevents the plot from really progressing, I'm not sure about that, but it felt a bit frustrating.
It was like a more classical Dystopian novel and it reminded me a bit of Brave New World, especially with the human engineering part. I however, didn't like it as much and was quite frankly a little bit disappointed. I'd expected to enjoy it more than I did.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
calicocatkin's review against another edition
4.0
I read this free on Prime Reading and was pleasantly surprised. It employs the classic sci-fi trope of a 'created' life form beginning to question its purpose, and the world around it. Here this is done with a lightness of touch that I found very readable - although the overall plot is predictable, it feels fresh. The quirky, likeable protagonist and the writing style really set this above a lot of other similar sci-fi tales. The scope of the narration is almost claustrophobic at times - it's purely from Jayna's POV, and for most of the book she is living a very small, limited life. The advantage of this is that when she experiences more of the world outside, we share in her wonder; the downside is that we only get glimpses and mentions of the wider world of this novel. I'd love to know more about how this world works, how it came to be like this, how universal this level of technology is, and so on.
This was a great read, a refreshing take on an old trope.
This was a great read, a refreshing take on an old trope.
rjpholliday's review against another edition
Didn't really get this book. Conceptually, there's some interesting stuff that could possibly be happening, but the plot was so slow-moving and the protagonist such an insufferable bitch it seemed insurmountable. Plus, coming up to halfway, I was still waiting for the plot to get going, so I gave up.
Full review: http://richardholliday.co.uk/2015/09/08/a-calculated-life-review/
Full review: http://richardholliday.co.uk/2015/09/08/a-calculated-life-review/
julaun's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookclaire4eva's review
3.0
A genetically engineered super data analyst begins to want more than her calculated life.
A Calculated Life takes place in some indeterminate, somewhat dystopian future England. The story follows Jayna, a genetically engineered, manufactured young woman who has been leased out to an investment company. She spends most of her waking hours analyzing ridiculous amounts of seemingly unrelated data (think butterfly wings resulting in typhoons) to find money-making opportunities. The rest of the time she cares for her pet stick insects and engages in stilted conversations with fellow uber-analysts. Boring, right? Right. That's why the first half of the book is ridiculously boring, and why I almost didn't finish.
NetGalley to the rescue! Since I obtained my copy of A Calculated Life from that amazing resource, I felt obligated to push through to the end. At about the halfway mark Jayna starts to go a little haywire. Turns out an alteration to her generation to make them more sociable (and fit in better with regular folk) causes somewhat erratic behavior. Well, erratic for a genetically engineered meat computer (which is what she really is). Perfectly normal behavior for the average person. Once a chain reaction of behavior outside the norm begins, the pace picks up, gaining speed at an exponential rate, right up until an abrupt and somewhat predictable end (but that didn't make it any less exciting). And there are a couple neat little epilogues to confirm a reader's suspicions as to how things turn out.
I'm somewhat torn as to whether to tell you to take or leave this one. Having finished the book, I don't necessarily wish I had that time back, and I understand the reasons behind the mind-numbingly boring first half of the book. I do not, however, think I would recommend this one to any of my friends, so I'm going to say
Leave It
A Calculated Life takes place in some indeterminate, somewhat dystopian future England. The story follows Jayna, a genetically engineered, manufactured young woman who has been leased out to an investment company. She spends most of her waking hours analyzing ridiculous amounts of seemingly unrelated data (think butterfly wings resulting in typhoons) to find money-making opportunities. The rest of the time she cares for her pet stick insects and engages in stilted conversations with fellow uber-analysts. Boring, right? Right. That's why the first half of the book is ridiculously boring, and why I almost didn't finish.
NetGalley to the rescue! Since I obtained my copy of A Calculated Life from that amazing resource, I felt obligated to push through to the end. At about the halfway mark Jayna starts to go a little haywire. Turns out an alteration to her generation to make them more sociable (and fit in better with regular folk) causes somewhat erratic behavior. Well, erratic for a genetically engineered meat computer (which is what she really is). Perfectly normal behavior for the average person. Once a chain reaction of behavior outside the norm begins, the pace picks up, gaining speed at an exponential rate, right up until an abrupt and somewhat predictable end (but that didn't make it any less exciting). And there are a couple neat little epilogues to confirm a reader's suspicions as to how things turn out.
I'm somewhat torn as to whether to tell you to take or leave this one. Having finished the book, I don't necessarily wish I had that time back, and I understand the reasons behind the mind-numbingly boring first half of the book. I do not, however, think I would recommend this one to any of my friends, so I'm going to say
Leave It