I respect the review. I appreciated the craft of Harvey’s poetry, and indeed I have never encountered such majestic descriptions of the planet. However, I found the narrative repetitive and devoid of tension, mainly because there isn’t really a plot to speak of. I also found the characters thinly drawn and I couldn’t ultimately care about any of them. For these reasons I don’t think the book works as a novel.
I absolutely see where you’re coming from, and if I hadn’t been reading from a writer’s perspective, I might have felt the same. She doesn’t go deep enough into any of the characters to make us care about any of them enough. The characters I most knew and came to love were the narrator and, weirdly, earth. And I loved how unique that was.
That’s my criticism, too. The prose, while beautiful, meandered in a way that wasn’t gripping or suspenseful to me. It felt like over a hundred pages of internal monologue from the narrator intermittently broken up by the almost characters of the astronauts. I ended up getting a refund for my copy because I felt there was so story worth owning. It was a somber realization, so whenever I see someone praising the book I hope it’ll be enough to change my mind
It wasn’t the right book at the right time for you, and maybe it never will be. There is a lot of meandering (the whole book is, I think) so if that bothers you, I can totally see why you’d want your money back! The prose is what did it for me. I couldn’t look away.
It’s like you said, how a lack of plot can be a turn off. It just wasn’t what I was expecting, the blurb ended up being a little misleading in my eyes. That said, there were some lines that were absolutely stunning like the panther one you quoted. If it had been marketed more as poetry/prose I might’ve had different expectations and therefore a different experience. Hopefully I’ll be able to approach it with a fresh lens someday!
I just want to say that your open mindedness and willingness to discuss perceptive is so friggin refreshing, just talking to you makes me want to try reading it again because you were so kind!
KAY! I loved this conversation with you! It's so good to hear differing views from your own. You also approached the conversation with kindness and I am grateful. Thank you so much. Let's discuss more books, and better yet, ones where our opinions differ! 🤣
this is the best book I've read in my whole life (and I think I've read a fair share of books). I love especially the repetitiveness of it, the almost dull beauty because I imagine that this is EXACTLY what it feels like to be in space; repetitive, plotless, dull, but insanely beautiful and poetic.
WOW! A rave review indeed!!! I loved the repetitiveness of it, too. Everything she did seemed to be in service of making the reader feel like they were up there in the ISS with them. What plot could possibly happen when you're up there aside from watching the sun rise and set over and over again? I also loved that no great tragedy happened. One of the most -- if not THE most -- poetic books I've ever read.
CAROLE 🥹😭 Thank you so much. Your kind words will not only get me through tough days of writing, but I also screenshot them and added the image to my Kind Words folder! Which I dip into when I need a boost.
This book was one of the most stunning books I have ever read. The author just casually drops gorgeous, thought provoking lines like “There are just old thoughts born into new moments” and “If we must go to an improbable, hard to believe place when we die, maybe Earth is it” throughout the book.
YESSSS I love both of those lines! Thank you for sharing them! Yes, she does just casually drop insanely beautiful prose and I lapped it up. She also did so much research! She really did a lovely job explaining what it's like in space (not that I know lol).
Amen to everything you say about Orbital, a book I recommend without hesitation to anyone and everyone. I love to go through Booker finalists each year. They are (almost) excellent. I also deeply admired Prophet Song. It was worth the pain. And frightenly relevant.
I think that frighteningly relevant part is what repelled me from it! I will read it some day. Maybe when I feel like there's more peace in the world. I think I will be recommending Orbital to everyone too. It is so unique and even the most apprehensive person can get through such a short book!
Beautiful review. This has been in my audiobook queue for a bit but I’m now convinced I’ll enjoy it much more reading a physical copy to really be able to digest that beautiful prose.
I definitely think a physical copy would serve you! It’s also so small and easy to hold and carry with you. I hope you read it! Do let me know if you do 🥹🪐
YES! You'll definitely appreciate it. And since you're a writer you'll also wonder about all the research that went into it. Like how the hell did she learn all of that??? It's really lovely. I hope you enjoy it!
Normally I don't gravitate to plotless novels filled with "beautiful writing" but your piece convinced me to give this one a try. I haven't had much luck in enjoying Booker Prize winners, though I very much liked Bernardine Evaristo's 2019 Girl, Woman, Other.
I may not get to it for a while, but it's now on my to-read list! I also enjoyed Evaristo's Manifesto: On Never Giving Up, which is kind of a cross between a memoir and a pep talk for the creative life.
Thanks for this review Kolina, you’ve put the book on my radar. The excerpts are very helpful in creating an impression of the novel. I enjoy rich, poetic prose and the setting and subject-matter of the book are very intriguing to me.
I love your review, Kolina. That and this whole comment thread make realise I should review my paltry GoodReads review:
A rich feast of quiet observation. A mere 136 pages is enough to let us absorb the thoughts of six astronauts as they orbit the earth many times a day, seeing our planet as a whole.
I read only a few pages a day, so that I could absorb and cogitate. I’m glad I did. I shall certainly revisit Orbital from time to time, but the next time will perhaps be in one sitting so that I can make notes.
I was finishing the book while waiting for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to make landfall here in Brisbane, Australia. Ironically, one of the astronauts’s tasks is to monitor a typhoon’s movement and size, and we read about it at a macro level and human level. We’re doing the same with Alfred in my region right now.
I feel Orbital must have deserved its 2024 Booker Prize, despite my not having read any of the other shortlisted works. Samantha Harvey is certainly now on my author watch list.
Your review is not paltry! This is great! I love your note on the astronauts seeing our planet as a whole. It's such a spectacular view from up there, as Harvey gives it to us. I also love your idea of trying to read Orbital in one sitting and taking notes! Maybe I'll try that for my first re-read.
I'm so glad you shared your review, and especially glad you enjoyed Orbital as much as I did.
I respect the review. I appreciated the craft of Harvey’s poetry, and indeed I have never encountered such majestic descriptions of the planet. However, I found the narrative repetitive and devoid of tension, mainly because there isn’t really a plot to speak of. I also found the characters thinly drawn and I couldn’t ultimately care about any of them. For these reasons I don’t think the book works as a novel.
I absolutely see where you’re coming from, and if I hadn’t been reading from a writer’s perspective, I might have felt the same. She doesn’t go deep enough into any of the characters to make us care about any of them enough. The characters I most knew and came to love were the narrator and, weirdly, earth. And I loved how unique that was.
That’s my criticism, too. The prose, while beautiful, meandered in a way that wasn’t gripping or suspenseful to me. It felt like over a hundred pages of internal monologue from the narrator intermittently broken up by the almost characters of the astronauts. I ended up getting a refund for my copy because I felt there was so story worth owning. It was a somber realization, so whenever I see someone praising the book I hope it’ll be enough to change my mind
It wasn’t the right book at the right time for you, and maybe it never will be. There is a lot of meandering (the whole book is, I think) so if that bothers you, I can totally see why you’d want your money back! The prose is what did it for me. I couldn’t look away.
It’s like you said, how a lack of plot can be a turn off. It just wasn’t what I was expecting, the blurb ended up being a little misleading in my eyes. That said, there were some lines that were absolutely stunning like the panther one you quoted. If it had been marketed more as poetry/prose I might’ve had different expectations and therefore a different experience. Hopefully I’ll be able to approach it with a fresh lens someday!
I hadn't thought about how it was marketed. You're right, I think that would make a big difference for a lot of readers.
If you ever approach the book with a fresh lens someday, I would LOVE to know! If not, good for you -- you know what you like!
I just want to say that your open mindedness and willingness to discuss perceptive is so friggin refreshing, just talking to you makes me want to try reading it again because you were so kind!
KAY! I loved this conversation with you! It's so good to hear differing views from your own. You also approached the conversation with kindness and I am grateful. Thank you so much. Let's discuss more books, and better yet, ones where our opinions differ! 🤣
I read this book at the very beginning of last year on a cross-country flight and it was a perfect surprise of a reading moment.
AH! That is perfection! How cool to be up in the air reading it, too.
this is the best book I've read in my whole life (and I think I've read a fair share of books). I love especially the repetitiveness of it, the almost dull beauty because I imagine that this is EXACTLY what it feels like to be in space; repetitive, plotless, dull, but insanely beautiful and poetic.
WOW! A rave review indeed!!! I loved the repetitiveness of it, too. Everything she did seemed to be in service of making the reader feel like they were up there in the ISS with them. What plot could possibly happen when you're up there aside from watching the sun rise and set over and over again? I also loved that no great tragedy happened. One of the most -- if not THE most -- poetic books I've ever read.
Your review is as masterly as the book. Thank you for crafting this for us.
CAROLE 🥹😭 Thank you so much. Your kind words will not only get me through tough days of writing, but I also screenshot them and added the image to my Kind Words folder! Which I dip into when I need a boost.
This book was one of the most stunning books I have ever read. The author just casually drops gorgeous, thought provoking lines like “There are just old thoughts born into new moments” and “If we must go to an improbable, hard to believe place when we die, maybe Earth is it” throughout the book.
YESSSS I love both of those lines! Thank you for sharing them! Yes, she does just casually drop insanely beautiful prose and I lapped it up. She also did so much research! She really did a lovely job explaining what it's like in space (not that I know lol).
Amen to everything you say about Orbital, a book I recommend without hesitation to anyone and everyone. I love to go through Booker finalists each year. They are (almost) excellent. I also deeply admired Prophet Song. It was worth the pain. And frightenly relevant.
I think that frighteningly relevant part is what repelled me from it! I will read it some day. Maybe when I feel like there's more peace in the world. I think I will be recommending Orbital to everyone too. It is so unique and even the most apprehensive person can get through such a short book!
Beautiful review. This has been in my audiobook queue for a bit but I’m now convinced I’ll enjoy it much more reading a physical copy to really be able to digest that beautiful prose.
I definitely think a physical copy would serve you! It’s also so small and easy to hold and carry with you. I hope you read it! Do let me know if you do 🥹🪐
you’ve convinced me! adding to the tbr!
YES! You'll definitely appreciate it. And since you're a writer you'll also wonder about all the research that went into it. Like how the hell did she learn all of that??? It's really lovely. I hope you enjoy it!
I loved reading Orbital, this review reminded me why 💗
I’m so glad! What a marvelous book!
Normally I don't gravitate to plotless novels filled with "beautiful writing" but your piece convinced me to give this one a try. I haven't had much luck in enjoying Booker Prize winners, though I very much liked Bernardine Evaristo's 2019 Girl, Woman, Other.
I normally wouldn't gravitate toward plotless novels either! Never! But this one worked for me. Do let me know if you read it!
I haven't read Girl, Woman, Other for some reason, but it's been on my radar forever!
I may not get to it for a while, but it's now on my to-read list! I also enjoyed Evaristo's Manifesto: On Never Giving Up, which is kind of a cross between a memoir and a pep talk for the creative life.
I love it!! I hadn't heard of Manifesto but just looked it up and it sounds fantastic. Now on my TBR!
Yes to the structure. Yes to the beautiful prose. Yes to taking photos with your phone after waiting months for the library book.
Yes to this energizing comment!
I’m just about to read this. Trying not to read the comments below! I just abandoned Wuthering Heights to start this so let’s see!
Good call, come back for the comments once you're done! I'm so excited to hear your thoughts.
Also, I did a read-along of Pride & Prejudice earlier this year and abandoned it about 1/3 of the way through 🤣
Thanks for this review Kolina, you’ve put the book on my radar. The excerpts are very helpful in creating an impression of the novel. I enjoy rich, poetic prose and the setting and subject-matter of the book are very intriguing to me.
Oh good, I'm glad I put it on your radar! If you enjoy rich, poetic prose, you'll love this book. Please do let me know if you read it!
This book was so good
Right?! I'm still surprised by it, and I think that's part of what makes it so good.
For me, I think it gave me that experience astronauts talk about, a kind of revelation from seeing the earth as a whole.
I love your review, Kolina. That and this whole comment thread make realise I should review my paltry GoodReads review:
A rich feast of quiet observation. A mere 136 pages is enough to let us absorb the thoughts of six astronauts as they orbit the earth many times a day, seeing our planet as a whole.
I read only a few pages a day, so that I could absorb and cogitate. I’m glad I did. I shall certainly revisit Orbital from time to time, but the next time will perhaps be in one sitting so that I can make notes.
I was finishing the book while waiting for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to make landfall here in Brisbane, Australia. Ironically, one of the astronauts’s tasks is to monitor a typhoon’s movement and size, and we read about it at a macro level and human level. We’re doing the same with Alfred in my region right now.
I feel Orbital must have deserved its 2024 Booker Prize, despite my not having read any of the other shortlisted works. Samantha Harvey is certainly now on my author watch list.
Your review is not paltry! This is great! I love your note on the astronauts seeing our planet as a whole. It's such a spectacular view from up there, as Harvey gives it to us. I also love your idea of trying to read Orbital in one sitting and taking notes! Maybe I'll try that for my first re-read.
I'm so glad you shared your review, and especially glad you enjoyed Orbital as much as I did.
Thank you for replying to everyone’s comments, let alone mine. A rare and valued practice.
Of course! I always try my best to respond to everyone. Thank you for your note and for sharing your review!
It had some lovely lines in it but I didn't think it was up to winning the Booker.
I totally get that!