Thanks to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: Available Now
352 Pages
Synopsis: If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?
It’s 1969 in New York City’s Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—-four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—-sneak out to hear their fortunes.
The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast searching for love in ‘80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.
A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.
The Immortalists is a work of literary fiction not really fantasy or magical realism as the synopsis suggests. I personally didn’t have a problem with that as I like literary fiction, but I just wanted to warn anyone thinking this was going to be more magical than it is.
The book focuses on how knowing the date of their death affects these four siblings and the life choices they make over the course of fifty years, While the debate over fate vs. self-fulfilling prophecy is brought up here and there, it’s not fully explored in depth which disappointed me.
My main issue though was with the characters. It’s not that they’re unlikable. It’s just that I didn’t find any of them particularly memorable. Simon’s story I actually found predictable and manipulative. I thought Klara who winds up in Vegas as a magician would be interesting, but wasn’t. I did like Daniel who becomes an army doctor and in the course of his work discovers something about the psychic who made the original predictions. But Varya was my favorite. As a scientist researching longevity with monkeys, I thought her story and perspective quite thought-provoking.
There were also some things about the author’s writing style that put me off such as completely random sexual references. For example, here’s how the book begins: “Varya is thirteen. New to her are three more inches of height and the dark patch of fur between her legs. Her breasts are palm sized, her nipples pink dimes.”Wait, what? Why on earth would you begin a book like this? There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to it and right there I started thinking “Uh oh.”
Overall, I thought The Immortalists to have some intriguing ideas that just weren’t fleshed out completely. When you couple that with fairly mundane characters and a predictable plot, the story didn’t quite live up to its premise. I personally think there are other books out there about families that make much more of an impact, including: Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng; and Watching Glass Shatter, by our own James J. Cudney. The Immortalists isn’t a bad book. It’s just not one I’m going to remember in the long run. That said, this is getting a lot of 4-5 star reviews on Goodreads, so if you’re intrigued, I encourage you to check, it out for yourself.
Alyssa Marie said:
It sounds very disappointing. I’m sorry it wasn’t a great read for you! I’m probably gonna grab this one from the library sometime this year.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’d love to know what you think when you read it Alyssa.😊
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raistlin0903 said:
Hmm, even though you gave this three stars, the way you described it, and that opening (seriously what the heck is up with that, as you say, why would you start a book like this?), doesn’t really make me want to pick this one up. Still..great post as always 😀
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Michel. To be honest, I waffled between 2.5 stars and 3 before finagling settling on the higher rating. There were parts that I liked. Especially Varya’s story. And there were other sections that I think had they been developed more, It would have been a much more solid story. Gah! I hate giving these “meh” reviews. They’re worse than bad ones.😡
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raistlin0903 said:
Haha, yeah I agree, reviews like that are usually the hardest to do, completely agree. But, you managed to pull this one of just right in my opinion 😊 Hopefully your next book will be a more enjoyable read for you 😀
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you my friend. I’m actually reading the new book in one of my favorite series right now and loving it, so my next review will be a much happier one.😊
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raistlin0903 said:
Cool, looking forward to reading it 😀
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😊
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Carrie said:
Great review! This is one I kept going back and forth on whether or not I should click it and now seeing your review I’m kind of glad I held back.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Carrie! I’m very much in the minority, so you may like it. I reviewed Pretty Dead Girls too and I remember you liked it, but it was a miss for me. 😞
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Carrie said:
I did see your review for Pretty Dead Girls and thought I’d left a comment. I wonder if it didn’t go through or if I got sent to spam? 😦
Anyway, I said I was sorry it was that bad for you and I think I gave it 3.5 but with knowing the killer as soon as they hit the pages of the book that might have been a tad high. Otherwise I didn’t find it that bad overall so Im sorry it annoyed you so much. 😦
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Sorry Carrie. I just so your comment now.
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Carrie said:
Oh good, I hoped it wasn’t a problem on my end!
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James J. Cudney IV said:
It sounds like it had such promise, but didn’t work out… almost got me to read it!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’m definitely in the minority Jay, so don’t just go by my opinion.
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fragglerocking said:
It is indeed a creepy way to start a book, doesn’t sound too grand, so am glad your having a better time with your next!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Fraggle.
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beetleypete said:
Shame that a great idea appears to have been squandered. I used to often wonder how we would live our lives, if we knew the exact date of our death.
Best wishes, Pete.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’ve read a few books with this theme Pete, and I’ve decided I don’t want to know.
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beetleypete said:
Me neither, Kim. Let it come as a surprise! 🙂
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Beware Of The Reader said:
Excellent review Kim but too bad it did not meet your expectations! Happy Tuesday!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Sophie. They can’t all be stellar. Happy Tuesday!🤗
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Lisa said:
Disappointing! This books is showing up on all the hyped book lists for 2018. I have a hold request in at the library. I’ll probably still read it, but it’s too bad to hear that you didn’t think it lived up to the buzz.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It could be just me. I’d love to know what you think when you read it.😊
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abbywd said:
Great review! The graphic gay sex scenes made me squirmy, probably because I wasn’t expecting it. I thought that the writing was very good, but I agree with you – as a reader, I didn’t feel that the characters were as engaging as I expected.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Abby! I just read your fantastic review. I hate it when this happens. You know, when everyone else seems to love a book and you don’t.😕
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abbywd said:
I loved your review, and I respect your opinions. The diversity is what makes reviewing fun!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
👍🏻
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Plot Monster said:
That is a strange way to start a book. I really can’t decide if I would have kept reading after that, lol. Great review!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you! It was definitely off putting.😕
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ItsGoodToRead said:
I was watching this one with some interest, but less excited now. Thanks for the great review!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Just keep in mind that it’s gotten a lot of positive reviews, so don’t just go by my opinion.😊
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
Fantastic Review Book Sister and very honest!😊👏📚💖 I always enjoy your reviews and miscellaneous posts!😍
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Book Sister!🤗
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
You’re welcome Book Diva!📚💙📚💙📚
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theorangutanlibrarian said:
It’s really good to know that this is literary fiction- I’ve not got anything against that either (in fact I often like it) but I don’t like when I think a book is one thing and it turns out to be something else- so it’s good to know that it’s not magical realism (I really got that impression from the blurb and cover!!) That said, even if it is thought provoking, I’ve decided against this book entirely now- that sentence you quoted showed me I’m going to have wayyy too many problems with the writing style. And it’s not cos it’s sexual or describing puberty- there’s actually a very similar moment/description in Steinbeck- yet that’s beautifully written… this has more of an icky factor and I’m not keen on literary fiction books (it’s always literary fiction) that do that. Also the sentence structure is convoluted and no, just no. So thanks for inadvertently helping me reduce my tbr 😉 (and sorry for rambling) Great review though!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I don’t an issue either regarding sexual scenes or descriptions of puberty, but to start a book like that was beyond awkward.😒
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theorangutanlibrarian said:
Fair enough, not judging, it’s more the way it was done than the content, like I said.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Exactly!😊
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LizScanlon said:
This is one of those books I kept thinking I simply need to read and I am glad I read your review because… instead of just scrambling to get it, I will think on it a while longer 😀 hahaha…
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I think this is one of those books I’d suggest checking out from the library instead of buying it.😊
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LizScanlon said:
Sound advice! Thanks 🙂
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robbiesinspiration said:
An excellent review, Kim. I appreciated your thoroughness and honesty. It is a most interesting topic. I have James’ book and am going to get to during the next month or so.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Robbie! I hope you enjoy Jay’s book. It was one of my favorites from last year.😊
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Raven @ Dreamy Addictions said:
Great review, Kim! This book sounds very interesting! I’m sorry it didn’t live up to your expectations! I hope you enjoy your next read!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Raven!😊
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Diana said:
What a strange way to start a book, uncomfortable to read too. Sorry to hear that this one didn’t meet your expectations Kim. All the best with your next read.
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Heena Rathore P. said:
Well, that is not the smartest way to start a book. Most definitely not. Thanks for the detailed review, Kim. I’m going to pass on this one (for obvious reasons) though I loved the cover illustration.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Heena!🤗
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lostartofreadingblog said:
Oh man I had such high hopes for this one, I think I will still pick this one up…hopefully this year. I really enjoyed the review, I like to see both side not only the praises.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you. I would definitely recommend trying this. I’m definitely in the minority regarding my disappointment.
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lostartofreadingblog said:
Maybe I’ll get it from the library though, just in case
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
That’s my favorite option.
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lostartofreadingblog said:
Saves me so much money 🙂
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