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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - *SPOILERS*
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What Members Thought

Most definitely one of the best books I've read this year!!!!!
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This was one fun, quick read. I enjoyed it immensely, and that's saying a lot, because the novels that have been ridiculously hyped recently (Gone Girl, Girl on the Train) have done nothing for me. This was a pleasant breath of air.
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Robinson Crusoe in space. Set a few years into the future, when the U.S. is sending manned missions to Mars. Mark is a likeable character, and I found his ingenuity and inventiveness kept me interested - for about half of the book. Then it just got too predictable as it went from one event that should have killed him to another. It was very heavy on the science, which didn't go over too well with my women's bookclub. On the whole, it's a decent story, and an uplifting one as nations work togethe
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This audiobook was terrific, and, frankly, I don't think I could have kept with it if I were reading the printed book. The discussion of how Mark Watney and all the NASA folks keep him alive after he's marooned on Mars - the way Mark uses science to save himself and the procedures that he follows - is a little too first-I-did-this-then-I-did-that to have kept me fully engaged as a reader. As a listener, however, it was fine. Three stars for the story, four stars for the audiobook performance, th
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Mixed feelings. Good overall plot. Interesting enough premise to keep me reading through the Very dry sciency parts which is good because those parts are long and many.
Also it's hard to know without a degree in astrophysics if it's accurate or a bunch of bs. While reading I naturally tried to understand or make sense of the calculations and complicated survival strategies. I would need to re read try to absorb or contemplate information but most of it was over my head, what with me not being a ...more
Also it's hard to know without a degree in astrophysics if it's accurate or a bunch of bs. While reading I naturally tried to understand or make sense of the calculations and complicated survival strategies. I would need to re read try to absorb or contemplate information but most of it was over my head, what with me not being a ...more

I loved this book so much. The ending paragraph is probably one of the best paragraphs I have ever read. If you can suck it up and get over the technical-speak and the many F-words (the guy is stranded on Mars--I would swear, too), you will be greatly rewarded. I loved so much about this book, but what I loved most is that Watney, the stranded astronaut, remains positive and with a great sense of humor throughout. He gets right to work, and there is no "I'm isolated and starving" monologue. Also
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What happens if you get left on Mars and your fellow astronauts think you are dead? If you are me, you really would be dead in short order.However, if you are the highly intelligent botanist-fixit-man of this book you McGyver your way to survival, in the face of enormous odds, over and over again because anything that could possibly go wrong seems to do just that. Some of the solutions are ingenious, and some just require plain repetitive back-breaking work. The book is frequently quite mathemat
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Feb 14, 2018
Marla
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
catholic,
adventure,
award-winner,
adult,
made-me-laugh,
zz-2018-ammp-fairytales,
zz-2018,
science-fiction
Funny and very techie. What a wonderful read, but I realize that some people would find it dull since it's a lot of science and killing time.
Likes:
* Mark Watley's humor
* Mark not blaming Ares 3 crew
* Mark is botanist and mechanical engineer
(view spoiler) ...more
Likes:
* Mark Watley's humor
* Mark not blaming Ares 3 crew
* Mark is botanist and mechanical engineer
(view spoiler) ...more

Jul 29, 2015
Jenn
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
do-not-own,
should-own
HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AMAZING.

Jul 08, 2015
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