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bongaca's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give it 3.5 stars. I'd probably give a bit more but the really, really frequent f-words got on my nerves. They were just unnecessary.
Good writing, the voice is quite entertaining, smart, and spot-on.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/god-is-astronaut-fiction-book-review/
Good writing, the voice is quite entertaining, smart, and spot-on.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/god-is-astronaut-fiction-book-review/
emjay2021's review against another edition
3.0
This is an epistolary novel, made up entirely of one side of an e-mail exchange between two university colleagues, Jess and Arthur. It's Jess' voice we hear; we can only surmise Arthur's responses from Jess' emails and the ever-changing subject lines.
Although Jess and Arthur both work in the plant sciences department at the local university, Arthur has disappeared for a sabbatical to do research on the pine population in northern Manitoba. Meanwhile, Jess' life has just imploded--her husband, Liam, co-owns a company called SpaceCo that does private space tours, and one of their flights has gone terribly awry. Jess, Liam and their two kids are thrown into the limelight: there are paparazzi camped out at the end of the family's driveway, and a famous director wants to make a documentary of their life. Throughout all this, Jess finds a safety valve in confiding to Arthur.
I liked Alyson Foster's writing style, and I liked the conceit of the one-sided e-mail exchange. I'm a sucker for epistolary novels. Jess' voice is charming and funny, and she is entirely believable as a smart woman who is has run into some pretty big challenges in her personal life and doesn't always know how she should respond.
The story was strongest at the beginning and seemed to lose a little steam in the middle, but it was still a satisfying read and I enjoyed it. I'd definitely read another book by this author.
Although Jess and Arthur both work in the plant sciences department at the local university, Arthur has disappeared for a sabbatical to do research on the pine population in northern Manitoba. Meanwhile, Jess' life has just imploded--her husband, Liam, co-owns a company called SpaceCo that does private space tours, and one of their flights has gone terribly awry. Jess, Liam and their two kids are thrown into the limelight: there are paparazzi camped out at the end of the family's driveway, and a famous director wants to make a documentary of their life. Throughout all this, Jess finds a safety valve in confiding to Arthur.
I liked Alyson Foster's writing style, and I liked the conceit of the one-sided e-mail exchange. I'm a sucker for epistolary novels. Jess' voice is charming and funny, and she is entirely believable as a smart woman who is has run into some pretty big challenges in her personal life and doesn't always know how she should respond.
The story was strongest at the beginning and seemed to lose a little steam in the middle, but it was still a satisfying read and I enjoyed it. I'd definitely read another book by this author.
_chloe_reads's review
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
districtreads's review against another edition
3.0
The botanist wife of a man who runs a private space tourism service is thrown out of orbit after a tragic accident changes their lives. Reporters and a husband-and-wife film-making duo descend on their home, Written entirely in e-mail correspondence with a co-worker (who is more than he seems), this dishy read has literary bones. What I enjoyed most was that you could only read Jess's e-mails, and not her co-workers - meaning you'd have to fill in the blanks, and a building premonition that something will go terribly wrong ups the ante.
Cross-posted on http://off-the-book.org.
Cross-posted on http://off-the-book.org.
tracyx11's review against another edition
3.0
This book left me with an emotion of bittersweet. *Sad smile with a tear rolling down one cheek*
I love Jess and her kids, and Arthur. I understand Liam's behaviour because I would never ever ever ever (EVER) forgive her for cheating, and I get that they stayed together for as long as they did for the kids but their separation was bound to happen soon. But all that and Jess' account of her and Arthur's past... It just made me love them so much and the fact that he isn't working with her anymore and he moved to NC and :'( THE ENDING WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR ME. I NEED TO KNOW THAT HE WILL COME BACK AND THEY WILL BE TOGETHER. *sigh*
I love Jess and her kids, and Arthur. I understand Liam's behaviour because I would never ever ever ever (EVER) forgive her for cheating, and I get that they stayed together for as long as they did for the kids but their separation was bound to happen soon. But all that and Jess' account of her and Arthur's past... It just made me love them so much and the fact that he isn't working with her anymore and he moved to NC and :'( THE ENDING WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR ME. I NEED TO KNOW THAT HE WILL COME BACK AND THEY WILL BE TOGETHER. *sigh*
jessferg's review against another edition
3.0
My Amazon Vine review: "As everyone reviewing this book has mentioned, the story is told via an email conversation. We only get to see one side of the conversation though so much like listening to someone on the telephone, the other side must be generally inferred. I really enjoyed this perspective (it's especially good for those who enjoy a bit of a voyeuristic read) and while no one in real life writes emails as detailed or story-like as these, it is forgivable for the sake of the story.
Most interestingly, despite the storytelling technique, there is a sense of the other characters and their development over the course of the story. More specifically, though, it's only the other characters that seem to develop. The narrator comes across as a fairly selfish woman who does not seem to grow much over the course of the story.
The story itself is interesting, although I wish there had been a little more focus on the impetus for the story (the rocket explosion) instead of just the aftermath and the effects on the family of the narrator. Of course, that would have made it a different book but then we could have spent less time with the narrator's rather narcissistic thoughts."
Most interestingly, despite the storytelling technique, there is a sense of the other characters and their development over the course of the story. More specifically, though, it's only the other characters that seem to develop. The narrator comes across as a fairly selfish woman who does not seem to grow much over the course of the story.
The story itself is interesting, although I wish there had been a little more focus on the impetus for the story (the rocket explosion) instead of just the aftermath and the effects on the family of the narrator. Of course, that would have made it a different book but then we could have spent less time with the narrator's rather narcissistic thoughts."
shelley_pearson's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn’t one that I would have chosen for myself, but I really liked it! It’s about space and a major public disaster, but it seemed more like a story about the small things of life – the day-to-day with the family and Jessica’s process of building her greenhouse. I thought the writing was really beautiful. Jessica was kind of self-centered, and she was being pretty shady by telling her ex-lover all these intimate details and complaints about her husband, but I guess those things made me think of her more like a real person. I liked how straightforward she was . . . with Arthur at least. I also liked how the space flight ended up being kind of anticlimactic, since everyone had to focus so much on Theo’s nosebleed and couldn’t really enjoy the trip.
My favorite line was from page 58: “You were reading one of Oliver’s poems to her. I thought I’d never heard someone so full of himself. Reciting poetry out loud like that, in public – seriously, Arthur, there should be a law against it.” Seriously.
My favorite line was from page 58: “You were reading one of Oliver’s poems to her. I thought I’d never heard someone so full of himself. Reciting poetry out loud like that, in public – seriously, Arthur, there should be a law against it.” Seriously.
samstillreading's review against another edition
3.0
The meaning of the title of God is an Astronaut didn’t really make sense to me until the very end of the book – and even not very much then! Don’t be put off by the title – this is not about religion, nor excessively about space. The novel is told in a series of emails (107, the cover tells me) between our main character Jess (only her mum calls her Jessica) and work colleague at the university, Arthur. He’s gone off into the wilds for research, while Jess is stuck at home, teaching and tending to her children in between digging a greenhouse. Then disaster strikes as her husband’s space tourism company has a failed launch, killing all on board. Life changes dramatically with journalists in the garden, neighbours and friends acting strangely and then an awkward proposition. As the emails continue, we find out more about Jess and Arthur’s relationship and the strain on her marriage with Liam.
Jess appears lonely at first. Liam’s off fighting PR fires and she has nobody to talk to about a lawsuit against Spaceco, a dead pregnant woman or the problems with the children. She pours out her worries and grief to Arthur in between shopping sprees at Home Depot (which I guess is like Bunnings in Australia). Her university life is disappointing; sometimes it seems that the only person interested in botany is her. We never read Arthur’s words back to Jess, but it becomes clear that he knows her very well. Exceptionally well – enough to admonish her and encourage her. We already know that things aren’t so good with her husband.
Then, in a PR blitz, a filmmaker wants to make a documentary about Spaceco. How better to reassure the public of the safety of space travel than by sending up a wife and mother – i.e. Jess? In her preparation, Jess faces up to her fears and starts to take control. It’s not necessarily a happy time, but a time of learning.
I found God is an Astronaut to be a gentle read that sneaks up on you – at first, I found it a little hard to get into, only knowing Jess’s side of things, but the story got more involved as I realised what was going on with Jess’s relationships with Arthur and Liam. I liked the way the tone of the emails became more tense and snappy in the lead up to Jess’s flight, reflecting her fears. The email format holds more mystery for the plot, as we only had Jess’s word for it (and sometimes weren’t even sure if that was true as she seems to bury her head in the sand a lot!). I think the format made the story more alluring and mysterious. Well worth a read if you like a change from the norm – after all, what are you revealing in your emails?
Thanks to Bloomsbury Sydney for the ARC.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Jess appears lonely at first. Liam’s off fighting PR fires and she has nobody to talk to about a lawsuit against Spaceco, a dead pregnant woman or the problems with the children. She pours out her worries and grief to Arthur in between shopping sprees at Home Depot (which I guess is like Bunnings in Australia). Her university life is disappointing; sometimes it seems that the only person interested in botany is her. We never read Arthur’s words back to Jess, but it becomes clear that he knows her very well. Exceptionally well – enough to admonish her and encourage her. We already know that things aren’t so good with her husband.
Then, in a PR blitz, a filmmaker wants to make a documentary about Spaceco. How better to reassure the public of the safety of space travel than by sending up a wife and mother – i.e. Jess? In her preparation, Jess faces up to her fears and starts to take control. It’s not necessarily a happy time, but a time of learning.
I found God is an Astronaut to be a gentle read that sneaks up on you – at first, I found it a little hard to get into, only knowing Jess’s side of things, but the story got more involved as I realised what was going on with Jess’s relationships with Arthur and Liam. I liked the way the tone of the emails became more tense and snappy in the lead up to Jess’s flight, reflecting her fears. The email format holds more mystery for the plot, as we only had Jess’s word for it (and sometimes weren’t even sure if that was true as she seems to bury her head in the sand a lot!). I think the format made the story more alluring and mysterious. Well worth a read if you like a change from the norm – after all, what are you revealing in your emails?
Thanks to Bloomsbury Sydney for the ARC.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com