BOOK REVIEW: Bellwether
Title: Bellwether
Author: Connie Willis
Sandra Foster is in the midst of an important research project for HiTek Corporation: find out where fads come from. Unfortunately, Sandra constantly finds herself coming up against obstacles. Her assistant, Flip, seems unconsciously determined to sabotage her research, and HiTek’s endless barrage of team building exercises just take up more of her time. Does the key to determining the source of fads lie with Dr. Bennet O’Reilly, the scientist who’s even action seems to buck the most recent trends?
I recently read and enjoyed Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I found myself in the mood for another work by her, but really wanted to try something a little shorter than Doomsday Book. So when I came across the 256-page Bellwether on my library’s ebook collection, it seemed like a good fit. Bellwether, despite being a very different read from Doomsday Book, is rather enjoyable. It’s also worth noting that unlike other books by Connie Willis, Bellwether is not a science fiction book. Yes, it’s a fiction book about scientists and science, but there are no real speculative elements to the story. Instead, Bellwether is a lighthearted and at times romantic book filled with humor. The pacing is swift, and when you combine this with the short page length, you have a very quick read.
I think what I liked the most about Bellwether is the interesting little facts I ended up learning about trends. Each chapter begins with a short paragraph about a trend, mostly contemporary trends but some are hundreds of years old. It covers how the past trend emerged and died off. I liked this because not only did I learn something, but it gave the reader a peek into what Sandra’s research might be like. I found Sandra herself to be a likable protagonists, and the romantic elements between her and Bennet were quite enjoyable. What I did take issue with were the actions of the people that surrounded Sandra and Bennet, from their colleagues to the random people they would meet in restaurants. All of them were obsessed with keeping up with trends! This seemed so strange to me, as I don’t know anyone who’s that interested in keeping up on trends (with the exception of tech trends for a few people). Perhaps the humor was just a little too over the top for me (either that or I surround myself with atypical people!).
Final Thoughts: If you’re looking for a quick light read, Bellwether would be a good book to check out. Despite the fact that the characters’ obsessions with trends seemed unrealistic, I found myself enjoying the book pretty consistently. I look forward to reading more books by Connie Willis in the future. Four Stars
Next I will be posting my December Monthly Reflections, followed by my reading results for 2012. No more reviews this week.
Author: Connie Willis
Sandra Foster is in the midst of an important research project for HiTek Corporation: find out where fads come from. Unfortunately, Sandra constantly finds herself coming up against obstacles. Her assistant, Flip, seems unconsciously determined to sabotage her research, and HiTek’s endless barrage of team building exercises just take up more of her time. Does the key to determining the source of fads lie with Dr. Bennet O’Reilly, the scientist who’s even action seems to buck the most recent trends?
I recently read and enjoyed Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I found myself in the mood for another work by her, but really wanted to try something a little shorter than Doomsday Book. So when I came across the 256-page Bellwether on my library’s ebook collection, it seemed like a good fit. Bellwether, despite being a very different read from Doomsday Book, is rather enjoyable. It’s also worth noting that unlike other books by Connie Willis, Bellwether is not a science fiction book. Yes, it’s a fiction book about scientists and science, but there are no real speculative elements to the story. Instead, Bellwether is a lighthearted and at times romantic book filled with humor. The pacing is swift, and when you combine this with the short page length, you have a very quick read.
I think what I liked the most about Bellwether is the interesting little facts I ended up learning about trends. Each chapter begins with a short paragraph about a trend, mostly contemporary trends but some are hundreds of years old. It covers how the past trend emerged and died off. I liked this because not only did I learn something, but it gave the reader a peek into what Sandra’s research might be like. I found Sandra herself to be a likable protagonists, and the romantic elements between her and Bennet were quite enjoyable. What I did take issue with were the actions of the people that surrounded Sandra and Bennet, from their colleagues to the random people they would meet in restaurants. All of them were obsessed with keeping up with trends! This seemed so strange to me, as I don’t know anyone who’s that interested in keeping up on trends (with the exception of tech trends for a few people). Perhaps the humor was just a little too over the top for me (either that or I surround myself with atypical people!).
Final Thoughts: If you’re looking for a quick light read, Bellwether would be a good book to check out. Despite the fact that the characters’ obsessions with trends seemed unrealistic, I found myself enjoying the book pretty consistently. I look forward to reading more books by Connie Willis in the future. Four Stars
Next I will be posting my December Monthly Reflections, followed by my reading results for 2012. No more reviews this week.