Did not read. Sorry, Star rating is given only because it was necessary to provide one in order to submit this. But Boyle is a pretty reliable author, so it is likely it is a five-str read.

My first T.C. Boyle but not a huge fan. I simply couldn't get into the characters. Plot felt a little unimportant. DNF, maybe it would have picked up later on

In Blue Skies, Boyle explores the complex dynamics within a family against the backdrop of climate change and environmental challenges. The story follows the lives of the main characters as they navigate personal and societal issues in a world increasingly affected by ecological crises. The plot revolves around two siblings, Cat and Cooper, who face various struggles in their personal lives while also dealing with the broader impacts of a changing climate. Cat lives in Florida and is dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane, while Cooper, living in California, is grappling with the effects of severe droughts and wildfires. Their mother, Ottilie, provides a link between their disparate experiences as she tries to keep the family connected despite the physical and emotional distances. One notable part in the book is a dramatic scene where Cat, facing the imminent threat of a hurricane, decides to stay behind to protect her home and pets. The tension builds as the storm approaches, and Boyle's vivid descriptions capture the raw power of nature and the fear it instills. This scene is particularly impactful as it highlights the personal stakes involved in the broader issue of climate change and showcases the resilience and determination of the characters in the face of overwhelming odds.

A reader won't want to turn their back on this book! Itchy, urgent and compelling all at once. Will have you looking at every moving thing on the windowsills, screens and walls.

Nature is having her day with these characters, having the last word without a moment of regret. A family of determined members each headed into the world driven by their own spirit of curiosity and discovery - from bugs, to weather, to snakes, to alligators. . . .abused nature will have her way with them. Come hell or high water.

Um-hum. A read guaranteed to make you feel guilty - in a good way.

*A sincere thank you to T. C. Boyle, W. W. Norton & Company, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #BlueSkies #NetGalley

This didn't captivate me. I think a lot of it was down to style/tone; this wasn't a book that fit my usual types, but it was still something that I wanted to try. In the end, I didn't enjoy it, and struggled to stick with the story.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy!

Bummer! Eco-thrillers are becoming more common now because… well, the climate? And our quickly careening toward total climate disaster? And I’ve read a few of ‘em. I thought I’d really like this, as it was advertised as a family drama about life in a rapidly changing California, where it’s getting ever hotter. Drama ensues. The characters suck, they’re all totally self-involved to the point it’s painful to read about them. I can dig a good purposefully unlikable character—even an unlikable main character, maybe even especially the main character—but when your entire cast is varying shades of awful and selfish it all becomes a headache to read.

Some points for the author’s writing—it was quick and snappy and, at times, cutting. Too bad the plot was a snore and the characters were terrors. Maybe I’ll check out something else this author has written.

What an interesting story! TC Boyle masterfully writes about the issues of climate change and how they plague our world. The story focuses on one family in the not-too-distant future and how they experience the effect of climate change. Main character, Cat, struggles with an unfaithful boyfriend, whom she's trying to gain a serious commitment from. She decides that, since she's struggling in so many areas of her life, the answer is to purchase a snake and attempt to become an influencer with said snake. Her brother has been investigating and preaching about climate change for a long while and has convinced their mother to take steps to reverse the negative effects of climate change.

Despite their efforts, they are still impacted by droughts, fires, and various tropical storms. They are only so much in control of their own lives. The characters were developed well and had interesting insight and lives. The experiences of these characters could be felt through the pages. It's a bit dark, and there are moments that are tough to read, but it is an interesting tale! If you're invested in climate change or climate fiction, and don't mind some dark humor paired with odd families and their dynamics, this might be the book for you!!

I have been a fan of T.C. Boyle since I was in college in the '90s. I cannot think of a novel or story that he has written that I have not enjoyed. His writing is always razor sharp. I love his mix of humor, plot-driven narrative, and not shying away from social issues. This book was no exception. Here Boyle takes on climate change and it is a rousing--if at times depressing--success. I could not stop reading this one and have been suggesting it to my fellow readers since I finished it several months ago. Boyle just seems to have that indescribable something that keeps me happy as a reader and always coming back for more..

This one looks at climate change. I was pretty bogged down reading this and Demon Copperhead at the same time. I had trouble relating to Cat. But it was interesting to see through the eyes of someone so different from myself. This one didn't hook me in the way that Tortilla Curtain did. But it was a good read and important material to get out there. I hope this format will make it more accessible to everyone. Good narrator.

Boyle delves into the "World of Hiaasen", an absurd and rollicking romp through the eyes, beliefs, and the culture of a Floridian, who in today's world is just as crazy and who's worldview is just as convoluted as the real thing. Funny, charming, and nauseating all in one go.

As a TC Boyle fan I was thrilled to receive this ARC. Thank you Net Galley. This book did not disappoint -another classic. Climate change is raving California and Florida and in the midst of the chaos is a family who is grappling with love, science and dysfunction. There were moments where I held my breath, and one scene in particular will stay with me forever- let's just say, I will never be comfortable around snakes. This book worked its magic like only TC Boyle can do it,You think you are reading a family drama, but there are bigger questions about what we owe this planet, what we owe our families and what are we going to do?
I have recommended this book widely- do not miss it.

I really enjoyed this novel...but I feel like enjoyed may not be the best word. It's bleak, really traumatic and depressing. I thought the pacing was perfect, Boyle takes the time to set up everyone's situation and to let you really get to know the characters. I also loved how his characters are so imperfect, sometimes terrible, but I still really cared about what happened to them. I guess their flaws made them feel like real people to me, especially Cat. I felt like I was just waiting for the next terrible thing to happen throughout the whole book. Definitely check trigger warnings before going into this one, some of the TW will be spoilers though. Thanks so much to NetGalley and WW Norton for the ARC of Blue Skies!

An excellent book about a family in California and Florida dealing with life traumas and climate traumas.

Almost read like horror vs satire - very grim but I do think it’s reality with climate change. Surprised I haven’t heard much about this - maybe it’s hitting too close for some!

Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for letting me enjoy this early in exchange for my honest review.

This book sounded very intriguing and the writing style was great but I never really latched onto the story itself. There was drama, comedic moments and a lot going on (cricket tacos and pet snakes) not to mention the overall themes surrounding global warming and the effects of climate change but for some reason, I couldn’t get into it.

Global warming is real and T.C. Boyle highlights some of the unfortunate consequences in this seriocomic, climate fiction (cli-fi) novel. California is getting drier, Florida is getting wetter, and we observe the effects through the eyes of a family split between the coasts.

*****

Ottilie and Frank raised their children, Cooper and Catherine (Cat), in Santa Barbara, California, a coastal city that lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains. Cooper, a Ph.D. student in entomology, now lives in the nearby Santa Ynez Valley; and Cat, a would-be influencer, lives in a beach house near St. Augustine, Florida, with her fiancé Todd.

Until Ottilie retired three years ago, she'd run her husband Frank's medical practice, overseeing everything, 'hiring and firing, the supply chain, billing, insurance, even rotating the dracaena and umbrella plants in the waiting room.' Ottilie's life is more relaxed these days, with laps in the pool every morning; socializing with her best friend Sylvie; cocktails, wine, and gourmet dinners; etc. Now, at the behest of her environmentalist son Cooper, Ottilie has taken up cricket farming - growing the insects in a home cricket reactor.

According to Cooper's mantra, this would produce an 'endless supply of high-fiber, low-fat protein' and would 'reduce the methane load produced by the earth's billion or so cattle and the felling of all those forests to provide pasture for them.' Ottilie prepares insect recipes like cricket chapulines and cricket tacos for her family, and even (clandestinely) serves disguised cricket dishes at a dinner party.

Unfortunately, home insect farms don't do much to attenuate climate change, and California has been experiencing a drought for four or five years. This results in water shortages, wildfires, and widespread death and destruction. The converse is true of Florida, where the constant humidity and frequent storms result in wetness and mold everywhere, and the ubiquitous odor of mold, rot, and decay.

Thus Ottilie, Frank, and Cooper have too little water; and Cat has too much.

The story is told in the rotating voices of Ottilie, Cooper and Cat, all of whose lives are (more or less) unstrung over the course of the story.

When Cat first moves to Florida with Todd, she's at something of a loose end. Todd is a brand ambassador for Bacardí rum, which involves hosting parties all over the world. Todd's frequent travels often leave Cat home alone, and though she picks up a little work here and there, Cat's ambition is to be an influencer. Thus Cat is trying to build up followers, but it's slow going, and she needs a 'hook.'

Cat is wandering around the local shopping district one afternoon, planning to drop into Bobo's for a mojito or two, when she spots a shop called 'Herps.' The reptile store has a huge, eye-catching snake in the window and Cat hits on the idea of buying a snake - a beautiful brown and gold serpent she can drape around her neck for social media pictures.

Cat ends up with a Burmese python named Willie II, and the photos of Cat and Willie II collect like after like. Cat thinks she's stumbled onto an identity that will elevate her as an influencer, 'the Snake Lady here to sell your line of tops, or jewelry or designer tees or whatever it was.' Todd isn't thrilled about having a snake in the house, but he lets it go, and the serpent is installed in a glass cage in the living room. Willie II plays an important role in the following chain of events.

In the meantime, things get worse and worse along Florida's beachfront. Because of the rainstorms, hurricanes, and tides, Cat can't trust her driveway or even the peninsula road, a whole section of which keeps washing out as fast as it's repaired. So Cat often leaves the car (Todd's showy Tesla) in Bobo's parking lot, and pilots a skiff to town.

Cat also has to deal with 'the mold creeping insidiously up the walls and the pilings rotting under the house.' Add to that the threat of termites, 'a kind of metastasizing arthropodal cancer that would devastate everything if you didn't get right on it', and Cat has troubles galore. Cat's lucky in one way, because her mother Ottilie is a force of nature. When Cat needs her mom, Ottilie hops on a plane and hurries to Florida, which isn't always easy with hurricanes and flight changes.

Ottilie is most often home in California though, where she struggles to be environmentally conscious and bemoans the increasingly dire drought. Ottilie starts to rear mealworms and to host beehives, while she severely limits water use. Eventually Ottilie limits herself to one three-minute shower a week, 'wet the hair, twist off the faucet, lather up, then turn it back on for a quick rinse....and forget the hair conditioner.' Ottilie also does her best to help her grown son Cooper, who has troubles of his own.

Cooper is doing his Ph.D. research on monarch butterflies, which are becoming increasingly scarce. This year, Cooper has seen precious few of the lepidopterans, 'which was beyond worrisome, considering they were reaching the point of no return, one more species sinking into the void.'

In fact all insects seem to be enduring a crisis, with a mass disappearance of many types. For Cooper, this signals 'the food chain imperiled, the world in collapse....doom atop doom.' Besides that, Cooper experiences personal troubles, one of which begins when he's helping his girlfriend Mari, a science nerd who studies ticks.

Cooper's fellow researcher Elytra, who does research on kissing bugs, does have a suggestion to curb climate change. Elytra posits, 'The solution [to global warming] is simple,' she says. 'You go up twelve miles in a fleet of jets and spray sulfuric acid, which combines with water vapor to form sulfate aerosols to reflect sunlight back into space.' But this notion infuriates Cooper, who calls the idea delusional.

I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but there's plenty of drama - and some comedy - in the book.

The story is compelling, and Boyle does a good job bringing home the (possibly) horrific consequences of human despoliation of the earth. Some of the main characters, however, are not especially likable, with a tendency to be selfish, and to dull their lives with alcohol. The story seems very realistic though, and I highly recommend the book to interested readers.

Thanks to Netgalley, T.C. Boyle, and W.W. Norton & Company for a copy of the manuscript.

I'm a huge fan of T.C Boyle and this is one of his best book in years and will even say it's the best novel about the the environmental climate crisis to date. He tells a story about a family stuck in the crisis as if they are everyman. The main characters in the story are a brother and a sister. The sister Cat sort of goes through life drunk and not really paying attention to the word around her but just her own bubble. The brother is the opposite. he sees the dangers of climate change and works as a scientist trying to make the world a better place, The story takes off when Cat decides to buy a very large snake. It's kind of metaphor for how selfish humans are. I read this book in two days and found myself terrified, laughing out loud, and angry at the stupidity of humans. I hope this book gets a large audience because it's a great way for people to be educated you on how we have to do better for our children. A lot of recent climate change novels that are out there are slogs to get through and are not really going to get people to pick them up. This is not one of them. It's a perfect book club pick because it will really bring forth great discussions on our climate. Thank you to #netgalley and #liverlight for the ARC. Let's hope it sells millions of copies!!

Sometime in the not so distant future, a family is dealing with the effects of climate change on each coast of the US. Ottilie and Frank live in California near their son, Cooper who is an entomologist tracking the wild swings in the insect population. Ottilie is dedicated to environmental protection and does her part by conserving water in a severe drought and learning to cook with crickets and bug flour to avoid meat. Meanwhile, in Florida, their daughter, Cat and her husband, Todd live in a beach house and are dealing with constant rain and rising tides. Feeling bored with Todd’s constant travels as part of his job with Bacardi Rum, Cat decides to buy a Burmese python as a pet and fashion statement in her quest to be a social media influencer. Unfortunately, as a result of climate change and some poor decisions, the family experiences some unusual tragedies that definitely give readers some food for thought about what could be in store for the future. As tensions rise in the extreme environments, each family member also deals with relationship challenges with their friends and significant others.
As a big fan of T.C. Boyle, I found this book to be one of his new classics. In his typical fashion, he takes on a current issue, exaggerates the storyline just enough to make it entertaining yet believable and gives us some quirky and well developed characters. This story is very engaging while taking on a very real concern. Boyle’s unique writing style somehow combines some humor in absurd situations with human tragedy and makes the story work. I anticipated Cat’s tragedy and hoped the book wouldn’t go there but that event (no spoilers) definitely demonstrated the consequences of poor decisions related to shallow and selfish priorities. This will surely be a turnoff for some readers but the overall message is very powerful.
#NetGalley #W.W.NortonandCompany-Liveright

4.5 stars

Pro:
* Boyle’s prose has the most perfect flow. There is nothing forced or overwritten about it.
* Eco-discussion without losing the storyline and becoming didactic
* Realistic blend of humor and tragedy and poignancy
* Manages the current trend of multiple points of view brilliantly
* Excellent audiobook narration

Con:
* Well, bugs and snakes ;)
* Current trend of multiple points of view
* Bogs down a bit in the final 25%

Thank you to T. C. Boyle, Alyssa Bresnahan, Liveright, RB Media, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.