Customer Reviews

The Colony

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An amazing first novel. It reminded me of other outstanding books set in a dysfunctional future, books like THE HANDMAID'S TALE or FAHRENHEIT 451. The protagonist, Anne Hatley, is also insanely likeable. She's both intelligent and childlike, sexy and cold, thoughtful and impulsive--demonstrating a wonderful complexity to which we can all relate. But finally--and possibly most importantly--I loved the book because of what it said about the expectations society puts on us to be "normal" and/or to fit in. THE COLONY shows both why that's impossible and why it's so unimportant, letting all of us who don't fit in the "typical" box embrace a character for whom we feel great empathy. A simply stunning book.

I found "The Colony" an amazing, gorgeous book. It is a brilliant clash of when the bright tomorrow's promise of science meets real, complex people with real, complex problems. Annie Hatley is a great creation of Jillian Weise's imagination. Annie's exchanges with Charles Darwin in an Applebee's restaurant were delicious. The science presented in the book provoked deep questions about the future of genetic research and what we humans will do with this power.

A biting and sarcastic commentary on the scientific mind. Yes, even great theoretical scientists can have egos. Weise captures the essence of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (I grew up there while my father was on staff), and her character studies are spot on. With a dark wit she poses vital questions about messing with Mother Nature and the ethical dilemma of playing God, potentially disrupting human evolution and whatever "grand plan" may be in place. A great read, and am impressive first novel.

This book combines the stylizations of Miranda July with the science themes from Atwood's ORYX AND CRAKE, and is well worth the read. Small vignettes carry the story along and add depth to the overarching issues - what makes someone human, how we relate to the body/our sexuality, and how science is creating new morals and ethics in how we deal with the margins of society. One section in particular starts with a quote from Watson that I think sums up the underlying issue of the book: "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great." There is a poignancy in many of these sections and the language is lyrical and perfect at points. A terrific read.

I was initially interested in the subject matter of the book, and had high hopes as the issues were timely. I was shocked, however, at how little attention was paid to the scientific theory behind the conflict. The main characters seemed to be exaggerated husks of believable people. The protagonist, while seeming genuine at first in a coarse type of way, never seems do develop emotionally or philosophically. Just as discussions of genetics are starting to get interesting it seems as though the author runs out of research, leaving the reader with unanswered questions you know couldn't be answered by the author. What exactly is the supposed genetic link to gravity? Several interesting conflicts are developed, but are not resolved in a satisfactory way. By the last page was perfectly suited to the book: insufficient development. If the author had devoted more time to genetic theory and less to the infinite uses of the "F" word, this could have been a really decent read!