Life [Paperback]

Gwyneth A. Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

"Life" is a richly textured fictional biography of the brilliant Anna Senoz, a scientist who makes a momentous discovery about the X and Y chromosomes. Anna's discovery provokes widespread sexual rage and impacts cruelly on her career, her marriage, and her child. Ultimately, Anna faces a challenge that the practice of science alone cannot meet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Beautifully written and elegantly paced, this story conveys bold speculative concepts through intensely human characters. (Starred review) -- Library Journal, September 15, 2004

Like all of Jones's work, "Life" demands -- and amply repays -- close reading. -- Gerald Jonas, New York Times, November 14, 2004

Remarkably rich and sophisticated. -- Locus, November, 2004

Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Aqueduct Press (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974655929
• ISBN-13: 978-0974655925
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,361,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gwyneth Jones, born in Manchester UK, 14th February 1952, is the author of many novels for teenagers, fantasy, horror and thrillers, using the name Ann Halam, and several highly regarded sf and fantasy novels for adults. Her critical essays and reviews are collected in Deconstructing The Starships, 1999 and Imagination/Space 2009. Among other honours she's won two World Fantasy awards, the Children of the Night award, the Philip K Dick award, the BSFA award and the Pilgrim award for Science Fiction criticism. Several of her novels have been nominated for the Arthur C Clarke award, the latest being Spirit, 2009; she won the award for Bold As Love in 2002. She lives in Brighton, UK, with her husband and son, some goldfish and two cats called Ginger and Milo; likes old movies, practices yoga & has done some extreme tourism in her time. Hobbies include gardening and cooking, and playing with her websites.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Life- a thought provoking book, May 11, 2005

By 

K. Desino (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life (Paperback)

Life is a novel about a woman, Anna Senoz, as she makes her way through life as a scientist, a wife and a mother. The underlying theme that seemingly connects all these aspects of her life is sexuality. As a college student she freely explores her sexuality, in ways "nice girls" are not supposed to. During this time she winds up in a series of emotionally charged situations. As a wife, she struggles with the loss of a child due to miscarriage and the issue of infidelity. Anna finds herself in a situation familiar to many working women- she must decide how to balance career and family. Furthermore, she deals with the role reversal of having a husband who stays at home and is the primary child care-giver. Lastly, as a scientist she studies human reproduction as well as the underlying genetics of gender. Throughout the book, Anna's research leads up to the discovery of an interesting (though fictional) genetic finding that could have major implications on the definition of gender in our society. Along with this discovery, Anna is forced to deal with skepticism within the scientific community as well as unethical, discouraging mentors. The author chooses to have Anna focus narrowly on the science of her discovery, and as a result glosses over the social implications of such a finding. Although this book is entertaining and has some quality character development, I believe the true value of this book is as a catalyst for discussion. The author briefly touches on a myriad of interesting topics such as gender equality, the definition of gender in society, and even the expectations of marriage-all of which are thought provoking issues.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life is dynamic, April 14, 2005

By 

David Hart (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life (Paperback)

As someone who usually spends most of their time reading scientific literature instead of reading for fun...I truly enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and multidimensional. Jones truly cares for her characters and uses them to illustrate a series of fables, or in some cases folleys. It proposes a general theory that is plausible (though scifi), and encapsulates the variety of differences we see in everyday life from person to person. I highly recommend this to anyone who is currently or has endured graduate school in the sciences. If you enjoy the dynamics of life, not just in terms of evolution, but how people change toward difficult situations to cope and manage...you will enjoy this book as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really satisfying and rewarding read, December 30, 2004

By 

George (San Francisco, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life (Paperback)

Anna Senoz is a young idealist at a south coast British university. Afraid to fall in love she turns to her friend Spence, an American exchange student, and makes him an offer he can't refuse...

"Life" is a science fiction novel with very little sci-fi, and a "big idea" that is a bit too subtle, and which takes rather a long time to become clear. But it's an incredibly satisfying read, and a wonderful, naked , painful picture of enduring love in an absolutely believable day-after-tomorrow world.