Nell Freudenberger’s *The Limits* is a stunning example of ecological literary fiction that feels perfectly suited to a post-2020 world. The novel follows an unconventional family group—Nathalie, a French marine biologist living in Tahiti; her daughter Pia, who has recently relocated to New York; Pia’s cardiologist father Stephen and his wife Kate; and one of Kate’s students, Athyna. Told in alternating POVs, *The Limits* examines how these characters’ lives intersect and affect one another, exploring themes of race, class, privilege, parenthood, and colonization within the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing climate change.

I really enjoyed the ecological themes and the detail with which Freudenberger described the marine life at the center of Nathalie’s work. And while I tend to chafe a bit at literary fiction that makes COVID an integral aspect of the plot, I do think that it was done well here. The pandemic feels real, but it doesn’t dominate the novel, and the way that it differentially affects the characters feels very realistic.

I also appreciated the way that the imperialist presence of science and conservation research was presented here. The interactions between Western researchers and Indigenous Tahitians, and in particular Nathalie’s blind spots and biases, were much more nuanced than I was anticipating. There were these very interesting parallels between contemporary scientific research and the devastating effects of twentieth-century nuclear testing in the Pacific that do a great job of highlighting contemporary issues in science without being heavy-handed.

While the novel is very much character-driven, with little happening in terms of plot and action, the way that the minutiae of the characters’ lives feel important *to them* makes the daily events and tensions of the novel feel much larger and more significant. For the most part, I also really appreciated the complexity of the characters, who come across as very realistic rather than 100% likable/unlikable.

This was a novel that reeled me in from the first chapter and kept me engaged until the very end. I would definitely recommend to readers of Richard Powers or Barbara Kingsolver, or anyone else who likes their literary fiction with a sprinkling of science.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-ARC of this novel!

A very poignant story about 15-year-old Pia, her mother Nathalie, her father Stephen and her stepmother Kate. Nathalie is a marine biologist researching coral ecosystems in Tahiti. She and Stephen are divorced. Stephen is a cardiologist in New York City. He has recently married Kate, a high school teacher, nearly 15 years his junior and they are going to have a baby. Pia has been constantly shuttling between New York City and exotic locales like Paris and the French Polynesian Islands with her mother. The novel begins with her returning to a Covid-ridden New York City to rejoin her old school Lycee-Francaise. It has been a reluctant move on her part, not just because she is not too keen on living with her stepmother, but she is also still very much infatuated with a 30-year-old diver called Raffi who works with her mother back in Tahiti. With Stephen grappling with the height of the Covid pandemic and a pregnant Kate and Pia mostly confined to the luxury apartment in NYC, the stage is set for an emotional roller coaster. And then Pia goes missing...
Although the plot sounds like it, this is not a fast-paced mystery novel. This is a fabulous exploration of the relationships and dynamics between the various characters. It is a glimpse into the fascinating world of undersea ecosystems and the harmful effects on them of nuclear testing and deep-sea-mining. More than anything, it is a vivid flashback into life during Covid, the consuming panic that gripped us all and how it changed so many things forever. This is my first time reading the author and I will definitely look up her older works, I love the writing style that grips you from the beginning and keeps you going.
Thank you Netgalley, Knopf Publishing and Nell Freudenberger for the ARC.

"The Limits" by Nell Freudenberger offers an exploration of privilege, class, and family dynamics set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel follows the lives of Nathalie, a French biologist conducting research in French Polynesia, and her daughter Pia, who moves to live with her father and stepmother, Stephen and Kate, in New York City during the lockdowns.

As Pia adjusts to life in NYC with Stephen, a cardiologist working long hours to treat patients during the pandemic, she finds herself navigating the complexities of family relationships amidst unprecedented circumstances. Meanwhile, one of Kate’s students, Athyna, grapples with the intense responsibilities of her own life, which is markedly different than Pia’s seemingly privileged upbringing.

Freudenberger weaves together these multiple narratives, each offering a unique perspective on privilege, responsibility, climate change, and the impact of global crises on individual lives. "The Limits" captures the heightened emotions and uncertainty of the times, and I highly recommend it to readers seeking a powerful exploration of contemporary issues.

A pandemic book for readers who are pandemic-novel adverse, Freudenberger kept me invested and entertained throughout. The novel begins in Tahiti where a French biologist trying to save the coral reefs sends her daughter, Pia, to New York City to stay with her father, a doctor. The pandemic changes everyone life; Pia’s world has shrunk and so has her stepmother’s world now forced to work with her students online. When Pia connects with one of Kate’s students, a maelstrom of conflict and emotion arise. I felt as though this was a cautiously optimistic pandemic / eco-fiction novel that left me feeling buoyed rather than deflated, which I much appreciated during these fraught times. It’s about female relationships, it’s a novel about family. A fast read for me because it was so compelling. Thank you to Knopf and to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Certain aspects of this novel were ok, but most of it just wasn't for me. Pia's character reminded me a little of the narrator in Happiness Falls, so that was an instant dislike for me. I think Freudenberger nailed the plight of teenagers (and their sometimes snarky attitudes), especially during the COVID pandemic. Having said that, I was not especially enjoy the commentary on Nathalie's scientific research and study on coral; I ended up skimming through some of those sections (I probably should have just dnf'd the book). For readers who are intrigued by that type of information, this will be an interesting and educational read; for others, like me, it may be a little difficult to get through. I'm glad that I chose to stick with it through the end but it will not likely be one that I recommend to a wide range of readers.

I really enjoyed learning about marine science in Tahiti, reminiscing about Covid, and the tension surrounding the possibility of a bomb. After just returning from NYC it was also interesting reading about sites I just walked past. The book is well-written, it was a relatively quick read for me. A lot of sadness juxtaposed with beautiful scenery. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I am a huge fan of Nell Freudenberger's work, and have read all of her previous publications; The Newlyweds remains my favorite. I thoroughly enjoyed certain aspects of this novel, especially Pia's character (reminds me a little of the narrator in Happiness Falls), and Freudenberger nailed the plight of teenagers (and their sometimes snarky attitudes), especially during the COVID pandemic. Having said that, I was not especially enjoy the commentary on Nathalie's scientific research and study on coral; I ended up skimming through some of those sections because, otherwise, I might not have chosen to finish. For readers who are intrigued by that type of information, this will be an interesting and educational read; for others, like me, it may be a little difficult to get through. I'm glad that I chose to stick with it through the end but it will not likely be one that I recommend to a wide range of readers.

🌴Not all I expected🌇🤔

3-3.5🌟 stars
The Limits definitely had its pluses and minuses for me. The contrasting settings gave it a good flow but the actual storyline in French Polynesia was somewhat lacking and petered out without the drama I had anticipated.

The NYC sections of the novel were better, mostly due to high school senior Athyna's introduction early on, her troubled family situation, her standing grief for a beloved father, and the way her story was woven into that of teenage Pia and her stepmother Kate. Pia's own story was choppy and I never got to like her or her parents.

Two elements that I felt enhanced the family dramas: 1) the realistic portrayal of the effect of pandemic fears, routines and isolation on the NYC kids and schoolteacher Kate, and 2) the facts added about the tragic effect on the islanders of the nuclear testing in the Pacific over the decades.

The down in the weeds discussion of marine biology and medical issues were distracting and a miss for me.

Thanks to publishers Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

My review has been or will be shared upon the book's publication on Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, B&N and kobo.

The further we get from the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, the weirder it is to read books set during it, but Freudenberg does an admirable job with this family drama. French marine biologist Nathalie is researching coral on the small island of Mo'orea and sends her teenaged daughter, Pia, off to NYC to live with her ex-husband, Stephen, and Stephen's new young wife Kate. Stephen is a surgeon, overwhelmed with COVID cases at the hospital where he works. Kate is teaching online school and ill-equipped to deal with Pia's supreme brattiness. There's a smaller storyline with a struggling New York teen, Athyna, who is struggling with anxiety and the responsibility of taking care of her young nephew. I loved Athyna and her storyline, I was not at all in the mood for the selfish, spoiled Pia, and I found the interactions and behaviors of the adults well-written and interesting. Freudenberger did a great job juxtaposing a family in crisis against the greater crisis going on in the world at the time, but I did find myself wishing for more Athyna and less everyone else, especially Pia. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for a digital review copy.

An interesting premise that started strong but ultimately ended up being very slow and lacked direction. Characters were underdeveloped and uninteresting. I was largely very bored and disappointed.

A captivating story that spans continents and passions, weaving together the lives of three characters against the scenery of a changing world. This is a story that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed Freudenberger's last book, Lost and Wanted, and this book had some similarities in them: people within and outside of family getting through life together. The previous book had more of a narrative thrust, whereas this book's plot seemed to be following a different pattern. I enjoyed the different families and the ways they interacted, but the storytelling was more diffusive than in the previous book. COVID plays a big factor in this book.

This had an interesting premise but ultimately fell a little flat for me. I couldn't connect with the narrative with most character’s viewpoints, and there were maybe too many points of view. I also constantly felt dropped into a setting without context and struggled to get my footing. Just not a compatible style of writing for me.

I went into this one a bit skeptical because I already knew going in that I don't particularly like reading books that revolve around the COVID pandemic. I was hoping that connecting with the characters would over power my dislike of the COVID plot. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to connect with the characters and become invested in their lives. The book had a lot of more technical references to COVID and I feel that distracted me some from the story. It was very descriptive to the point that if someone read the book in 20 years they would understand exactly what we went through during the pandemic. In that sense it was very well done, I just don't particularly like that topic. I know many will read and love this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A thrilling novel with a strong sense of place — and a Covid novel that perfectly captures the singular experience of those first few years with this haunting new disease. Nell Freudenberger pulls a lovely magic trick out of her hat: I related so strongly to both Pia and Kate. My inner teenager identified with Pia's need to explore her own boundaries — all the while deeply understanding Kate's ambivalence about taking on the parenting duties of a challenging teenager.

Vividly rendered settings, richly drawn characters, and a story that will stay with me for a long time.

A vast yet intimate COVID novel that just wasn’t quite for me, I’m beginning to feel that Freudenberger is an incredible novelist but just not my cup of tea. I had a hard time connecting with this cast of characters, It is certainly literary fiction operating at a high level, but it didn’t draw me in as much as good lit fic novels usually do. I didn’t get the overall thesis of theme of the book, and unlike some COVID books which I honestly don’t mind, I didn’t like revisiting the time period in this particular one. I think it was just too slow for me, and the divorced couple at the center, with a teen going between Tahiti where her mom lives, and NYC where her dad and new stepmom live, wasn’t enough to keep my attention.

Thank you to @netgalley for this digital Advanced Reader Copy. This story takes place during covid, between Tahiti and Manhattan. Nathalie is a marine biologist who lives in Tahiti, her ex husband Stephen lives in New York with his new wife. Their teenage daughter Pia has been sent to live with her father, the book starts with the news that Pia has gone missing. It is a thriller, with good characters as well. I liked this one, definitely kept me interested and guessing. #thelimits #nellfreudenberger #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #arc #covidnovel #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

Enjoyed the concept and the family drama set across different locations and cultures but the details and depth of writing left me confused at times, having to rewind to follow the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Limits by Nell Freudenberger is an entertaining and very exciting story.
A phenomenal story of race, class, and family.
Poignant and merciful this well written work from one of America’s most prodigiously gifted novelists.
This masterful story will immediately enfolding you in its world.
I loved reading this story and look forward to reading more from Nell in the future.

Thank You NetGalley and Knopf for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

interesting book about a very complex family draama, very fun literary fic. thanks so much for the ARC, and I loved watching the characters.