Orbital

This was fantastic in parts and very slow in others. Literally no plot. Just musings.

I get what the book is trying to do, but this is not a style I usually enjoy and is not something I want to read right now. This is going back into the TBR pile; I will come back to this later.

Looking through a lens at people looking at our planet through a lens. Who needs a plot?

Orbital is more than a book; it is a meditation. The plot is unimportant; what’s remarkable about this novel is just how moving it is as it explains the mundanity of the extraordinary. You would think that living in a space station orbiting the earth would be astounding—and it is, at moments in this story—but the real narrative driver here is the interiority of those astronauts, their every-orbit lives that are filled with science and domesticity and so much room to think and reflect. And because of this, the novel forces us to reflect along with them, to grapple with the enormity of our own lives while embracing the everyday mundane. Quite simply one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

This isn't a book about anything. Nothing happens. There is no adventure and the author forgot to add the content of a story. However, there are endless descriptions of the earth from orbit. Page after page of run-on sentences, no paragraph breaks, and lists of things. Also lots of reflections on what it is to be human, what is humanity, and our role in the cosmos. Tedious stuff but an extra star for being relatively short.

A beautiful, thoughtful analysis of mankind and us individuals that make up the whole.

The book’s construction is fascinating in that pretty much all plot has been removed to give space to this contemplation of the planet and its place in the universe. The use of repetition is also really striking - putting us in the position of the astronauts and their 16 sunrises each day.

I’d have preferred more a storyline I think, but maybe that’s just out of habit…

The book tells the story of six astronauts on the International Space station It covers a range of topics including the feeling of detachment from each other and their detachment/attachment to their families and of earth itself. Extremely well written and the boredom of the daily routines are brought to life without boring the reader. It is easy to see why this book was short listed for the Booker Prize and why it won the prize.

one of those rare reading experiences where you get so engrossed you forget where you are – the construction is brilliant and beautiful – so lyrical she took me to orbit with her and i loved every minute of it

In Orbital, Samantha Harvey explores the vast unknown, while remaining tethered to the kaleidoscope of human experience. Set in the near future, the novel follows a group of astronauts orbiting Earth as they reflect on life, love, and the ephemeral nature of humanity. The narrative seamlessly moves between the personal, the cosmic, and the terrestrial, exploring the fluidity of identity in ever-changing contexts.

Harvey's lyrical prose enhances the meditative quality of the setting, and it's here where Orbital both shines and stumbles. The themes of loss, time, and the search for meaning are deep, but the circular narrative sometimes feels more exhausting than insightful. For a short book, there's a lot of filler posing as profundity.

While the novel's ambition is to explore the vastness of space and self, I found the lack of narrative momentum made it hard to invest deeply in the characters. Orbital is beautiful, but frustratingly elusive - bright and shiny like a star, and just as distant.

Space Oddity: The Book—a title that might feel slightly trite—is an engaging read. There are many moments where the prose feels like it could slot into the lyrics of the song. In fact, "lyrical" is perhaps the most fitting word to describe this ode to the planet.

It wasn't for me. And the worst part about that is knowing that, as much as I disliked it, if I wrote a book, it would be much the same. Damn it.

Exercise in navel gazing, trite metaphors. Some nice moments but overall not a fan

A creative writing grad student writes about the first time she saw a globe.

Occasionally poetic, largely aimless, plotless, and characterless. Decidedly not for me.