In Blackout, award-winning author Connie Willis returned to the time-traveling future of 2060—the setting for several of her most cele...
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reviews
Jul 30, 2011
Lori
rated it: 
It's here It's here!
The only reason why this is not a 5 is because the middle section of Blackout and All Clear (and I count them as one book, because really they are) annoyed me a bit with the obsession over whether they changed the outcome of the war and where the retrieval team, over and over. I understand why Willis did this (complete anxiety!) but it was too much. Probably because I have gone through times in my life when I too get completely stuck in the broken record of a mind More...
The only reason why this is not a 5 is because the middle section of Blackout and All Clear (and I count them as one book, because really they are) annoyed me a bit with the obsession over whether they changed the outcome of the war and where the retrieval team, over and over. I understand why Willis did this (complete anxiety!) but it was too much. Probably because I have gone through times in my life when I too get completely stuck in the broken record of a mind More...
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Jan 15, 2012
Andrea
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 04, 2011
Lisa
rated it: 
This is a wonderful and amazing book. It really is the second half of a book. On the same day, I went from finishing Blackout and started reading this book, and it was like going from one chapter to another, not like going from one book to another.
Thank you to Goodreads friend and fellow group member Sarah Pi who didn’t let me see answers to my questions and therefore helped me avoid unwanted spoilers.
I am very proud that less than 1/3 the way through this book, I figured More...
Thank you to Goodreads friend and fellow group member Sarah Pi who didn’t let me see answers to my questions and therefore helped me avoid unwanted spoilers.
I am very proud that less than 1/3 the way through this book, I figured More...
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(12 people liked it)
May 18, 2011
Sarah
rated it: 
Time-traveling historians fight their way home. This book was ridiculous. I feel bad writing that, because 1. so many people liked it so much, and I'm sad to think I didn't understand how to appreciate it, and 2. it's a celebrated author's book about a WAR. But the only way I remotely got through it was by treating it as a comic novel and mentally tallying up all the ridiculousness, including but not limited to: 1. every time a character's mission was completely stymied by one single, non-malici
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(12 people liked it)
Jan 15, 2011
Monissa
rated it:
So that was worth reading Blackout twice for.
Now if they cut out the last half of Blackout and the first quarter of All Clear, that would leave one, slightly long, but rather good book. But as they are, bah. Too much going around in circles not progressing forward. Far too much introspection. Repetitive introspection. (Does it advance the plot reveal character or develop the setting? No? Kill it.) I noticed in All Clear that the scenes outside the Blitz were more interesting/faster m More...
Now if they cut out the last half of Blackout and the first quarter of All Clear, that would leave one, slightly long, but rather good book. But as they are, bah. Too much going around in circles not progressing forward. Far too much introspection. Repetitive introspection. (Does it advance the plot reveal character or develop the setting? No? Kill it.) I noticed in All Clear that the scenes outside the Blitz were more interesting/faster m More...
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(11 people liked it)
Nov 28, 2010
Ed
rated it:
I found this book to be both amazing and frustrating. I don't recall ever having such mixed feelings about a book. When it's rolling it's a rare and rewarding page turner and when it bogs down it feels like a week of reading before the story moves on. There are way too many pages where we go inside a character's head and we listen to that character wonder. She'll wonder if she did something wrong and lost the war for England, she'll wonder where another character is and what they are doing an
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0 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Nov 14, 2010
Jon
rated it:
Wonderful, exceptional, loved every page. I find myself unable to describe what truly astonishes me about this novel without giving away huge spoilers. I laughed, I cried, my heart filled to bursting and erupted with hope and inspiration.
All Clear picks up where Blackout abruptly ended, back in the Blitz, London during the Blackout, the air raids, the shelters, life marches on for the stoic British citizens. Our stranded time-traveling historians face the facts, for the most par More...
All Clear picks up where Blackout abruptly ended, back in the Blitz, London during the Blackout, the air raids, the shelters, life marches on for the stoic British citizens. Our stranded time-traveling historians face the facts, for the most par More...
3 comments
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(11 people liked it)
Mar 10, 2011
All Clear, or, I'm An Historian, Get Me Out Of Here!
What I really found lacking in this novel, and in Blackout All Clear 1, was an overall sense of being in another time. I know I was reminded of the fact of it on every single page for a thousand pages (“THIS IS TIME TRAVEL! I am AN HISTORIAN and THIS IS TIME TRAVEL!”), but I never got a real sense of it. Maybe this is because the Oxford of 2060 is very sketchily painted? I have no sense of home for any of the characters, and the More...
What I really found lacking in this novel, and in Blackout All Clear 1, was an overall sense of being in another time. I know I was reminded of the fact of it on every single page for a thousand pages (“THIS IS TIME TRAVEL! I am AN HISTORIAN and THIS IS TIME TRAVEL!”), but I never got a real sense of it. Maybe this is because the Oxford of 2060 is very sketchily painted? I have no sense of home for any of the characters, and the More...
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(4 people liked it)
Oct 29, 2011
Eva
rated it:
Can we change the past? This question is continually asked throughout both Blackout and All Clear when several time-traveling historians find themselves stuck in the past during World War II. Connie Willis makes brilliant use of time travel and its possible repercussions while also writing a sweeping portrait of Britain culturally and emotionally during World War II. Willis does something truly impressive in capturing the ordinary British citizens who routinely did the extraordinary, whether the
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(1 person liked it)
May 13, 2011
Ron
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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2 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Mar 21, 2011
Taueret
rated it:
I hate this book so much. I hate it so much that it hurts. I hate that I spent an audible credit on it. I hate that it's about subjects I LOVE- WWII? Bletchley Park? And it still sucks. It's not badly written- it's just a terrible story, and the lead characters are whiny, dumb, ignorant, and keep switching voices. (that last isn't the author's fault). I HATE that I know more WWII trivia than these "historians" do. That part is the worst. That and the idea that three professiona
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3 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Feb 05, 2011
Susanhayeshotmail.com
rated it:
This is the conclusion to Blackout by Connie Willis. I enjoyed both books but do not read one without the other. I loved the characters, especially the energetic Alf and Binnie, the examination of everyday heroism and the way that everyone "did their bit" to contribute to the war effort, sacrificing much, and just going about their lives with determined courage and good cheer. Willis did a good job of portraying London during the Blitz and I enjoyed all the personalizing bits of his
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 26, 2011
BunWat
rated it:
First of all, this is a review of both Blackout and All Clear, because they are not two different novels, they are one two volume story. All Clear picks up exactly where Blackout left off, as if there was no more than a chapter break. So if you are going to embark on this journey, have both books on hand. I know, I know, its a lot of pages, which is probably why the publisher decided to split the book in half and pretend it was two books, but it just isn't.
That said, the two volume More...
That said, the two volume More...
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(6 people liked it)
Apr 09, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
Three stars is a compromise rating here. I have loved much of Connie Willis' work and her strengths keep growing. There is much to love in this two-book story: fantastic period detail, including real consideration for both how the period looks from a remove and how it was experienced by its "contemps"; nicely drawn characters who react in plausible ways to the situations they face; intricate plotting and an interesting story to tell. Unfortunately, there is much here to make one wan
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4 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Nov 05, 2010
Let me begin by saying that The Doomsday Book is one of my all-time favorite novels (definitely "top ten," quite possibly "top five"), and I'm also tremendously fond of Connie Willis's Lincoln's Dreams, as well. When I knew she had a new book - well, duology, though the two books are really one chopped in half - set in the same time-travel universe as The Doomsday Book, I was beside myself with anticipation. (I blame her publishers for the decision to splice the book and then
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5 comments
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(14 people liked it)
Feb 02, 2012
Elizabeth
rated it:
My review here will be for both Blackout All Clear 1 and All Clear All Clear 2, since they are essentially one book split in two (and since I read them back-to-back and can't really differentiate between them in my mind or remember precisely where the split was).
I listened to the audio versions of these, narrated by Katherine Kellgren, who did a fantastic job. Every character had a distinct and entirely appropriate voice, to the point where I forgot, at times, that I was listening More...
I listened to the audio versions of these, narrated by Katherine Kellgren, who did a fantastic job. Every character had a distinct and entirely appropriate voice, to the point where I forgot, at times, that I was listening More...
Jan 31, 2012
Alyce (At Home With Books)
rated it:
All Clear is the sequel to Blackout, so if you haven’t read the first book beware that there may be spoilers in this review.
This is the second half of the tale of three time travelers from the future who are stuck in England in World War II. They are still scheming and planning; trying to get a message through somehow to the future so that someone can come to rescue them.
Since All Clear and Blackout were written as one book and then split in two to be published, a lot o More...
This is the second half of the tale of three time travelers from the future who are stuck in England in World War II. They are still scheming and planning; trying to get a message through somehow to the future so that someone can come to rescue them.
Since All Clear and Blackout were written as one book and then split in two to be published, a lot o More...
Jan 27, 2012
Joan
rated it:
Someone should have said to this author "Less is more" Both this and Blackout suffer from a lack of editing. All Clear rambles even more than Blackout. I enjoyed the actual story but was constantly distracted by the endless thought processes of the characters. Every single movement of a character was described including every thought they had. While it was interesting the first time someone tried to get from pointA to point B in a city (London) enduring the blitz eg. " If I take t
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Jan 05, 2012
Nicholas
rated it: 
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1814341.ht...
It is a mild improvement on the first volume, in that there are actual signs of plot around page 400 and again around page 600. But the tone is wearyingly sentimental as ever, and the characters just dull apart from the two cheeky kids; and in the end, if the time continuum is going to respond to time travellers in such a way as to preserve History As We Know It - and there is never any good reason for Willis's characters to think otherwise ap More...
It is a mild improvement on the first volume, in that there are actual signs of plot around page 400 and again around page 600. But the tone is wearyingly sentimental as ever, and the characters just dull apart from the two cheeky kids; and in the end, if the time continuum is going to respond to time travellers in such a way as to preserve History As We Know It - and there is never any good reason for Willis's characters to think otherwise ap More...
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Dec 24, 2011
Dlora
rated it:
A really marvelous time travel novel that gives you a feel for the courage and cheerfulness and resolution of the British people in England, winning the war on the homefront just as surely as the soldiers in the battlefield. Because this is a time travel novel you have the conundrums of possibly changing history or running into yourself. You also have to pay close attention to the date of each chapter because the story jumps back and forth in time and place. I read this book over much too much t
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Dec 17, 2011
Michele
rated it:
This book is a direct continuation of Black Out. Having come across these books through Amazon after both were already published made it a non event for me that Book 1 never came to a close but just ended and left its readers waiting for book two.
This book picks up right where the first book left out and nicely at that. Our characters are still in London trying to find a way out without impacting the future of the war. Mr. Dunworthy, the head of the Time Travel expedition in Oxford fi More...
This book picks up right where the first book left out and nicely at that. Our characters are still in London trying to find a way out without impacting the future of the war. Mr. Dunworthy, the head of the Time Travel expedition in Oxford fi More...
Nov 19, 2011
Valerie
rated it:
I loved this story on two levels: I could absorb the texture, fabric, smells, and sense of 1940's London during the Blitz while also meditating on the nature of everyday heroes, purpose, and telescoping out of history for far-flung perspective. I spent days and nights with these everyday heroes, not doing anything splasy or notable, but weathering the daily effort of keeping calm and carrying on - through rationing, threadbare coats, and night after night spent sleeping on the floor of tube stat
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Nov 13, 2011
JoLee
rated it:
After finishing Connie Willis's Blackout, I was eager to get my hands on the sequel All Clear. It's nice to come to a series after all the sequels are published. Instant gratification. Blackout ends with our three time traveling historians trapped in London during the Blitz. (They had finally found each other!) The sequel picks up right where we left off. The three are desperate to find their way home, worried they have changed history, and frantic that their meddling might have lost the war.
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Oct 07, 2011
Kathryn
rated it:
All Clear is the sequel to Blackout. In this book, three historians (time travelers) have realized that they’re stranded in London during the beginning of the Blitz, and are trying everything they can think of to get back while also staying alive and not changing anything.
All Clear is just as strong as Blackout, if not stronger. I was on tenterhooks the entire time, reading as fast as I possibly could as I attempted to piece together the different narratives and figure out how on ear More...
All Clear is just as strong as Blackout, if not stronger. I was on tenterhooks the entire time, reading as fast as I possibly could as I attempted to piece together the different narratives and figure out how on ear More...
Jul 20, 2011
Aaron
rated it:
As I said at the end of the review of the first book, I did like this book more. The characters were a BIT more active in this book, though only a bit. They still had long inner monologues filled with whininess, but they still actually did more to try to help themselves in this one.
I did enjoy the final part of the book pretty well. A lot of it I had guessed ahead of time, but it was still fun. I respected some of the hard choices that some of the characters (finally) made. The More...
I did enjoy the final part of the book pretty well. A lot of it I had guessed ahead of time, but it was still fun. I respected some of the hard choices that some of the characters (finally) made. The More...
Jul 08, 2011
Janet
rated it:
i liked the two books a lot, and once they suck you in they keep you reading. i thought all clear was a little harder to get into at first, maybe because it had been a couple months since i read blackout. It did seem like there was a good chunk of the beginning/middle that could have been a little shorter. I say that just because once you hit the last third of the book it's hard to put down. it was really interesting to get a view of WW2 from London civilians, I learned a lot I never knew bef
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Jun 29, 2011
Dhitri
rated it:
Oh I really don't know where to start: This book has been a disappointment and an utter waste of time. I dragged myself through 'Blackout' and persisted with this one, thinking that it will be all worth it. But despite of the twist in the end and what many have termed 'brilliant' finale, I still can't get over the fact that the omniscient narrative of Ms Willis, in which she follows each miniscule thought of the time travellers, really time consuming, boring, to a point it became truly annoying
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Jun 23, 2011
AnEyeSpy
rated it:
* "All clear" is the siren in WW2 London that called for time to go home, to safety. I just felt sad. In war we all lose. Connie Willis says "Blackout" grew to two books. Maybe she believes heroism in found daily fortitude, and love endures. She seems to have a penchant for a crooked smile. The old actor cannot be Colin, and die for real, time would prevent collision. Bombs, fires, paradox worrries, dismemberment, destruction, worries, brats, diversions. Paths criss-cross, th
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Jun 18, 2011
Didi
rated it:
This book is the sequel to Blackout.
These books are part of Willis' universe of novels set at Oxford in the mid-21st century. The history dept has a time machine, and the history students do research by time travel. (Other books in this universe are some of my favorite books- 'Doomsday Book' and 'To Say Nothing of the Dog.') In 'Blackout' and 'All Clear,' students Polly, Merope and Michael travel back in time to WWII era England and then get stuck there, in London during the Blitz.
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These books are part of Willis' universe of novels set at Oxford in the mid-21st century. The history dept has a time machine, and the history students do research by time travel. (Other books in this universe are some of my favorite books- 'Doomsday Book' and 'To Say Nothing of the Dog.') In 'Blackout' and 'All Clear,' students Polly, Merope and Michael travel back in time to WWII era England and then get stuck there, in London during the Blitz.
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May 25, 2011
Carey
rated it:
If you like time travel, WWII and mysteries you will eat these books up (All Clear and it's prequel Blackout). Just as we could not predict how one lone act would affect the outcome of the war, so when you manage to puzzle one thing out of this plot, you won't have any idea what impact it may or may not have.
Masterfully written and inspirational - a tribute the memory of the unconquerability of the human spirit, one never knows the impact one may have on the world. What seems like a sa More...
Masterfully written and inspirational - a tribute the memory of the unconquerability of the human spirit, one never knows the impact one may have on the world. What seems like a sa More...
