Another fantastic read from Emily St. John. The seemingly unconnected become connected in this work of speculative fiction. I’m sad that I’ve finished reading it!

What a wonderful book, Sea of Tranquility is filled with such wonderful writing and unique world building. I feel a review here can't capture the wonder and quiet moments of reflection that this book brought, it is an elegant extension of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel; I find I want to go back and read these all together now that I am done with this one. I love the time/science fiction elements as the connection to pandemic life, small moments and actions having great meaning... it all works so well to reveal a narrative filled with connection, meaning, and joy for humanity. I recall feeling this way at the end of Station Eleven, an appreciation for how the story came together, the celebration of light and life during darkness, and the intersection of complex, intriguing characters. I feel to write more is to take away the experience of reading this book; I simply want readers to know that Emily St. John Mandel has again captured my heart and reminded me that reading is filled with magical moments.
I appreciate the gift of this book from Doubleday and NetGalley; I am a fan of this author and the elegance of her simple prose and her love for storytelling.

This book is a great example of when you should read the blurb first. It's not always the case, of course, that reading the blurb first is important, or even advisable, but for this book, the blurb gave me just enough information to understand the relevance of the first sections of the book, without giving away any major plot points.

So the blurb tells us that we're dealing with people in multiple time periods, and that someone is tasked with figuring out what links the different people together. However, the blurb gives away nothing in terms of the intricacy of the plot, the loveliness of the writing, or the depth of the characters, even those of whom we see very little.

What makes this book even more enchanting is that it's very self-referential, and also refers to Mandel's previous book, The Glass Castle, putting the reader in mind of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Readers who pay close attention to the details will be rewarded with seeing those details take on extra importance and meaning in other scenes, allowing the whole picture to come together seamlessly.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

This was a beautiful novel. I loved how Mandel weaved the different characters' stories together throughout time (and space!). The theme of pandemics was prominent in this book. I especially liked the plotline about an author who wrote a novel about a pandemic and then goes through a pandemic, herself. It felt appropriately on the nose for Mandel's previous novel, Station Eleven.
I feel like the sci-fi aspect of the book gave it an interesting twist. I think it was well-done and believable.
My only complaint is that I felt like I didn't get enough time with all of the characters. There are quite a few characters in the novel and Mandel did a fantastic job with all of them, but I would have liked to read more of their stories. Perhaps some of them will show up in Mandel's later books.

"... I think, as a species, we have a desire to believe that we're living at the climax of the story. It's a kind of narcissism. We want to believe that we're uniquely important, that we're living at the end of history, that now, now is finally the worst that it's ever been, that finally we have reached the end of the world."
Sea of Tranquility is part pandemic balm for the soul, part companion piece to The Glass Hotel, part Station Eleven meta book tour and of course, part time travel mystery. I love Emily St. John Mandel's books and I feel very honored that I've been granted an ARC by the Knopf Doubleday Poublishing Group. The Sea of Tranquility was a joy to read, specially as a fan, just reading the name Vincent again her role in The Glass Hotel made me realize I was in for a fascinating journey not only through time and space but through Mandel's own work as well.

A journalist asks the writer in the story what's it like to be an author of a pandemic novel during a pandemic. I now wonder how Emily St. John Mandel feels about being an author of a pandemic novel during a pandemic while publishing a new novel set partially during the actual pandemic we're still living through now.

This book is a pleasure to read, playful, fun and of this very moment.

Emily St John Mandel, shelved under Mandel, did it once again. Station Eleven is one of 5 books that have read by both myself and my husband. Her writing style and way of capturing human kindness, fears, struggles… emotions…. dare I say, humanness… is one of perfection.

I can’t remember the last time I stayed up late to keep reading. It’s the best feeling in the world. Thank you!

True world was different when The Glass Hotel was released. And, it still is, but I will handsell like it’s 2019.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel is a beautifully lyrical novel. Mandel brilliantly leads the reader forward and backward in time as she slowly weaves together the characters and periods, creating an intertwined and connected story. I highly recommend this masterful piece of art! I could not put this book down and have continued to think about it long after reading it; I wanted to continue living in this world after the story had ended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an eARC of this book.

I hadn't read Emily St. John Mandel's works since Station Eleven, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I'm always a sucker for some dystopia and space themes, so I dove into this one head-first. It was fantastic. I loved how the chapters and time periods tied together, loved the characters, and loved the writing. I think some of our students and faculty will enjoy, so I'll be purchasing for the university library.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this one. I read Station Eleven back in 2014 when it came it after picking it up on a whim. Fairly sure it was the cover that caught my eye. I was blown away by this haunted dystopian story which jumped timelines and imagined a world picking itself up having survived a horrific disaster. What I loved about Emily St. John Mandel's idea of the future was that art was integral to this rebuilding and that it was part of what makes us human, even in the darkest of times.

The second novel in this "series" was the Glass Hotel which was the story of Vincent who married a man who turned out to be a piece of poo (not literally). He embezzled billions in an elaborate ponzi scheme and then just left her there to deal with the aftermath. Not only had he swindled strangers but he had also left their friends bankrupt. He went off to live in hotels whilst Vincent had to face people's anger and her own. We also learnt about her relationship with her estranged musician brother Paul and the hotel that they worked in. Vincent eventually disappeared from the trawler she was travelling on as a service cook.

Now we have the 'Sea of Tranquility' which brings together all these stories and ones we had not been introduced to yet. I devoured this book and I feel I didn't come up for air until I had finished it. It was an epic novel and finish to this series. There was so much rich and lush detail in the book that every scene felt vivid and real. I think the fact that is set during a pandemic in parts and in the before period and post-period just resonated in a way that it may not have if we were not going through our own covid-19 experience. The emotions, the questions, the thoughts, the fears felt so real and relatable. I don't know when St. John Mandel wrote this but it was so true to our reality. You have to wonder if she had her own Gasperry visit her and warn her! For such a small novel it manages to encompass such an ambitious and detailed story. I was engrossed throughout and I am still thinking about the moon colonies and the ideas of anomalies. I think that St. John Mandel should be very proud of this beautiful book.

Time travel, a moon colony, a steamship, and, no surprise here, a pandemic, are all on display in the latest from Emily St. John Mandel. If you're into sci-fi and the concept of disrupting the timeline of the universe (with potentially devastating consequences) this is the kind of book for you. Readers of Mandel's previous work - namely, Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel - will be delighted to find Easter eggs sprinkled into characters and minor storylines. This book reads quick and that, by its nature, isn't necessarily a bad thing. But what does seem to happen here, like the plot, is an anomaly: There just isn't enough time given to developing the characters and justifying why we should care.

Mandel does well describing pandemic living and what it's like to be an author with a successful pandemic novel that has surged in popularity, no doubt drawn from her own experiences. But I'm conflicted: While I liked this, I can't get past how glossed over certain elements are. After finishing, I wondered if this was Mandel's first draft, not the polished gem it could be. Regardless, this is still a well-written book that may take a couple read throughs to fully appreciate.

I really like this author and the characters were well developed but time travel makes me really confused so I had a hard time keeping things straight. But overall I enjoyed the book and will still read anything she writes. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was glad that I had read Mandel's two previous novels, Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel, prior to reading her latest book. There were characters and nods to both of those books included in this novel. I enjoyed Station Eleven but wasn't a big fan of The Glass Hotel. So the carryover of characters from that book was not a plus for my reading experience.

I enjoyed the themes the author explored in this book. Overall, however, I found that the characters were not fleshed out enough for me to care about them and the story. I appreciated the author's cleverness in this book, but ultimately it was just an okay read for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

A captivating futuristic novel of time travel, love, plague, and a selfless commitment to humanity. Spanning from earth in 1912, to a Moon colony in 2401.

In 1912 Edwin St. Andrew, having been exiled from his home, finds his way to the Canadian settlement of Caiette. There he encounters a phenomenon that is so incredibly shocking that alters his perception of reality. It continues with Mirelle Kessler in the year 2020 who is in search of her best friend Vincent. In 2203 on the planet earth, Olive Llewelyn is in the process of a book tour for her bestselling book “Marienbad” when a plaque strikes. In 2401, Gaspery-Jacques Roberts lives on one of the first Moon colonies with his sister Zoey. Their childhood home is close to where Olive Llewelyn grew up. This is where Gaspery meets Talia Anderson for the first time.

These characters lives intertwine through time and circumstance to create a truly intriguing story that left me a little stunned but, with a very peaceful feeling that I still find hard to explain.

I thank NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishers for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this astonishing read. Love, life, literature AND time travel...what more could one ask for? Mandel's language just flows from one time frame to the next then back again. In short, a "time detective"(my understanding) is sent to investigate an anomaly that can change aspects of the world's history. No spoilers but there is resolution for the people met during the different time frames. I have never read anything like this novel...EXCEPTIONAL !

I loved this book! It had the beauty and humanity and imagination of Station Eleven, plus time travel and an investigation of the nature of reality. What more could anyone ask for? Although the year is still young, I have a feeling this will be one of my favourites of 2022. I will recommend Sea of Tranquility widely and heartily.
Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance read!

St. John Mandel’s tale begins with sparse writing of seemingly unconnected short stories that introduces characters and then moves on. In 1912 a British young man is banished to Canada by his wealthy family. In the wilderness he hears five violin notes echoing in an airship terminal. Two centuries later author Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour promoting her novel about a pandemic that includes text about an elderly man playing a violin in an airship terminal. From these odd openings, the novel becomes increasingly intricate as time travel is clarified and moon colonies play an important role. In center of it all roams Gaspery-Jacques Roberts who appears in different locations asking pointed question to these characters. St. John Mandel (author of Station Eleven, now a hit HBO Max series) weaves time travel, pandemic disasters (We Knew It Was Coming is an especially poignant phrase) and dependence on technology into a remarkable tale. It would not be surprising if this novel sticks a landing on all best-of-the-year lists.

I love a good time travel novel and this one was just different enough to keep me guessing. It did end rather abruptly which threw me for a loop, I kept trying to turn the pages in the ebook thinking it was glitching...

I expect, because i've read this author, an oddly disconnected narrative that connects in the the most unexpected way. What gets me, what really makes my socks roll up and down, if you will, is the grace with which the ties are eventually made. This reads like a beautifully wrapped gift.

Sea of Tranquility was absolutely incredible. Even though this is another novel featuring a pandemic, Mandel brings a new twist to it that is a meditation on the world we live in today and what time beyond may look like. It's sad and hopeful and so purely Mandel. Can't wait to recommend this to everyone!

I dont want to give anything, at all, away from this book. That being said, it was amazing! Beautifully written and engrossing. I couldn’t put it down. Days later I am still thinking about it. 5 stars for sure.