Melissa ~ Bantering Books's Reviews > Sea of Tranquility
Sea of Tranquility
by
by
Be sure to visit Bantering Books to read all my latest reviews.
“… what she found at that moment, as the lights of yet another ambulance flickered over the ceiling, was that it was possible to smile back. This is the strange lesson of living in a pandemic: life can be tranquil in the face of death.”
Emily St. John Mandel brought me out of a writing slump. This is the first book review I’ve written in months, and not only do I want to share my thoughts regarding her latest novel, Sea of Tranquility, but I feel compelled. Leave it to her to be the one to breathe life back into my words.
Because I’m a huge fan. Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel sit high upon my favorites shelf, and now I will be placing Sea of Tranquility beside them. My very own St. John Mandel literary trifecta.
Sea of Tranquility takes us on a trip through time and space. In typical St. John Mandel fashion, the narrative leaps back and forth across centuries, from Earth to colonies on the moon, and the story touches on the always mind-bending topics of time travel and metaphysics. Your head will not hurt, though, not in her hands, as she never allows the science to overwhelm the story.
Pandemics also run rife throughout the narrative, and it, surprisingly, feels incredibly validating. St. John Mandel really gets it and is able to put onto the page what the whole of humanity has experienced these last few COVID-filled years with great acuity. It’s comforting, even.
To be honest, however, the novel was *only* a four-star read up until the very end. The ingenious final act is what did it. The way St. John Mandel finally threads all the pieces of the story together is not only shocking but, in hindsight, brilliantly inevitable.
I cannot recommend Sea of Tranquility highly enough. Or Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel, for that matter. Just go ahead, read all three, and be done with it.
My sincerest appreciation to Emily St. John Mandel and Knopf for the physical Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
Bantering Books
Twitter
Facebook
“… what she found at that moment, as the lights of yet another ambulance flickered over the ceiling, was that it was possible to smile back. This is the strange lesson of living in a pandemic: life can be tranquil in the face of death.”
Emily St. John Mandel brought me out of a writing slump. This is the first book review I’ve written in months, and not only do I want to share my thoughts regarding her latest novel, Sea of Tranquility, but I feel compelled. Leave it to her to be the one to breathe life back into my words.
Because I’m a huge fan. Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel sit high upon my favorites shelf, and now I will be placing Sea of Tranquility beside them. My very own St. John Mandel literary trifecta.
Sea of Tranquility takes us on a trip through time and space. In typical St. John Mandel fashion, the narrative leaps back and forth across centuries, from Earth to colonies on the moon, and the story touches on the always mind-bending topics of time travel and metaphysics. Your head will not hurt, though, not in her hands, as she never allows the science to overwhelm the story.
Pandemics also run rife throughout the narrative, and it, surprisingly, feels incredibly validating. St. John Mandel really gets it and is able to put onto the page what the whole of humanity has experienced these last few COVID-filled years with great acuity. It’s comforting, even.
To be honest, however, the novel was *only* a four-star read up until the very end. The ingenious final act is what did it. The way St. John Mandel finally threads all the pieces of the story together is not only shocking but, in hindsight, brilliantly inevitable.
I cannot recommend Sea of Tranquility highly enough. Or Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel, for that matter. Just go ahead, read all three, and be done with it.
My sincerest appreciation to Emily St. John Mandel and Knopf for the physical Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
Bantering Books
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Sea of Tranquility.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
October 13, 2021
– Shelved
October 13, 2021
– Shelved as:
to-read
January 8, 2022
– Shelved as:
arc-physical-copy
March 28, 2022
–
Started Reading
March 28, 2022
–
0.0%
"So excited to start this. Thank you Knopf Publishing for the physical ARC.!"
page
0
April 3, 2022
–
Finished Reading
April 4, 2022
– Shelved as:
favorites
Comments Showing 1-50 of 96 (96 new)
message 1:
by
L.A.
(new)
Apr 03, 2022 06:23PM
reply
|
flag
If you haven’t read it already, I recommend Good Morning Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Fantastic review Melissa! You were missed 💕
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, L.A. Yes, defiinitely read it when you can. :)
Thanks, Jayme! I am, too. It felt good to get some words down on the screen again. :)
Thank you very much, Sheyla! :)
Thank you, Lisa! If you can, read the books in order of publication date. They would all work as standalones, but there are overlapping characters. I think it will give you a greater appreciation for what St. John Mandel has accomplished. :)
If you haven’t read it already, I recommend Good Morning Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton"
"Good Morning, Midnight" has been on my list for a few years, Creya. Thanks for the recommendation.
Yes, her new book really is THIS good, Carolyn. I hope you find yourself some deals on Tuesday. :)
Fantastic review Melissa! You were missed 💕"
Aww, thanks, Jan. Since you loved "The Glass Hotel" as much as I did, I think you will enjoy "Sea of Tranquility," too. I can't wait for you to read it. :)
Thanks so much, Terrie! I know you didn't have the best luck listening to "Station Eleven" on audio, but I hope you try "Sea of Tranquility" in print. It's wonderful.
Thank you, Margaret! I appreciate it. :)
Thank you, Marilyn! I hope you get around to trying St. John Mandel one of these days. She's fantastic. :)
Thank you, Lisa! If you can, read the books in order of..."
Thanks so much. I will.
Thank you very much, Elena! I hope you do reconsider "Station Eleven" and give it a try. It's a terrific read and may be her best. (It's hard for me to choose.)
Thank you, Michael! Me too! Me too! It felt lovely to dust off the writing chops. :)
Thank you, Pat! I'm glad St. John Mandel is on your list. She's fabulous. :)
Thanks for sharing."
Aww, thank you, Chrissie. And you're welcome! :)
Thank you very much, Fran! I'm going to do my best to keep 'em coming. :)
Thank you very much, Catherine! Yes, "Sea of Tranquility" deals with pandemics, but I didn't find it triggering at all. Definitely hold off on it, though, until you feel ready. :)
Thank you, Michelle! Yeah, it's not often I hand out three five-star reviews in a row to the same author. St. John Mandel is pretty special. :)
Thank you, Holly! The ending, for sure, is a good one. :)
Aww, shucks, Regina. Thank you! :)
Thank you, Ceecee! :)
Thanks, Melissa! I hope your curiousity brings you to read it. :)
Thanks so much, Shaina! I hope you read both. If you do, I kindly suggest reading "The Glass Hotel" first. Characters from it carry over into "Sea of Tranquility," and I think your reading experience will be enriched if you read them in publication order. :)