Wow….this is some book and so original and unlike anything else out there. It had me rushing my evening to get to bed for the next plot twist…
Funny, gripping, humane, and based on a brilliant idea. I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book. Quite appropriately, given what this book is about, reading books like this changes us. We are never quite the same again, but then maybe we never were. And if you want to know why – read the book. You will not regret it.
Wow….this is some book and so original and unlike anything else out there. It had me rushing my evening to get to bed for the next plot twist in a gripping, fast moving and in depth story with astounding depth of knowledge / immagination. Its easy to link with all the characters and provokes real thought and reaction regarding their agendas and motivations (what would you do???). A fantastic start to lockdown which will be tough to top…..
I really enjoyed the philosophical questions it posed and it even made me laugh out loud. The characters were believable and compelling and it was ultimately an uplifting experience. Really great read that I will return to multiple times.
A book about science, the human condition, philosophy, and Whitehall politics really shouldn’t be a page turner. But Living With Annie manages it.
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. A book about science, the human condition, philosophy, and Whitehall politics really shouldn’t be a page turner. But Living With Annie manages it.
I can’t think of a better way of saying it – it’s an absolute cracker of a page-turner. And a remarkably original one at that – yet it never seems to have to labour for its originality nor achieve it through a pastiche of existing ideas. And, best of all, there’s a wonderful, life-affirming denouement at the end – ahh! What a surprising and satisfying read.
It really is a great read – original, unpredictable, thrilling. It brilliantly refuses to be pigeon-holed, taking us on journeys into biology, genetics, romance, scientific method, the nature of identity, political shenanigans worthy of a thriller, not to mention the wonders and oddities of the natural world. It then takes those wonders and oddities one step further into a science fiction which feels so plausible, palpable and real that you completely believe in it. It is packed with ideas which set the brain tingling, but also with thoroughly three-dimensional characters whose flaws, complex motivations and emotions draw you in, and keep you turning the pages to discover the next twist or turn in the intricately interwoven story. Even relatively minor characters leap off the page fully-formed, and the main players are vividly clear, warts and all. It is funny and gripping and moving and thought-provoking, and all of this in compulsively readable prose – full of wit and invention. With writing this good, you can just enjoy the ride.
I found myself waking up in the mornings already thinking about the central characters and their motivations.
I loved this book. Beautifully written, it’s funny and thought-provoking, with characters you really believe in. It’s a gripping page-turner, evidenced by the fact that I’ve ignored my husband for the last hour and a half while I headed towards the end. And now it’s left me mulling over the story and all the big questions it’s raised. A cracking read.
Had me from the get-go. Gripping, pacy and completely original. Wouldn’t count myself as a sci-fi fan in any way usually, but luckily (for someone of my bent!) this is much more about humanity – both individually and collectively – than science, with the superbly drawn characters and intriguing plotline sweeping you along. One of my favourite lockdown reads so far!
The first thing to say about “Living With Annie” is that you’ll race through it – I did in three sittings, and I’m not an especially rapid reader. The story has great forward momentum, and you quickly become invested in Dr Jon Caldicot, the main driver of the plot, despite or because of his extreme ambivalence. The next thing to say is that this is not just a clever piece of speculative fiction but a fast-moving philosophical novel that wears its philosophy lightly and a dystopian novel without, in fact, the dystopia. It reminded me of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Donna Tartt’s “Secret History” at times, but it avoids the doominess of those novels. Instead, you get a sincere inquiry into our relationship with science, where the science is perfectly in step with the story. In its tale of infection and scientific research, there’s an obvious relevance to where we are now, particularly in how it portrays government as bumping along, never quite on the curve of progress, only taking decisions when it absolutely has to. It’s a narrative with a thoughtful spring in its step, with one of my favourite endings to a novel in recent times.
It’s a gripping page-turner, evidenced by the fact that I’ve ignored my husband for the last hour and a half while I headed towards the end.
This is an intelligent page turner interweaving themes of philosophy, science, breaking the establishment and relationships. I absolutely loved it.
I was hooked from the first pages. How could I not be drawn in by a brilliantly original plot set against the backdrop of science, philosophy, love, loss, politics and hope? While I was reading it, I found myself waking up in the mornings already thinking about the central characters and their motivations. Despite the uniqueness of their situation, their dilemmas and choices are immediately relatable, drawing you in to their world. As another reviewer said, I found myself alternating between wanting to race through the story to the denouement, and to slow down to savour the clever, funny writing and the astute observations that made the familiar feel new. A book to stay with you, long after finishing it.
I was hooked from the first pages. How could I not be drawn in by a brilliantly original plot set against the backdrop of science, philosophy, love, loss, politics and hope? While I was reading it, I found myself waking up in the mornings already thinking about the central characters and their motivations. Despite the uniqueness of their situation, their dilemmas and choices are immediately relatable, drawing you in to their world. As another reviewer said, I found myself alternating between wanting to race through the story to the denouement, and to slow down to savour the clever, funny writing and the astute observations that made the familiar feel new. A book to stay with you, long after finishing it.
It’s a narrative with a thoughtful spring in its step, with one of my favourite endings to a novel in recent times.