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The Heavens
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
New York, late summer, 2000. A party in a spacious Manhattan apartment, hosted by a wealthy young activist. Dozens of idealistic twenty-somethings have impassioned conversations over takeout dumplings and champagne. The evening shines with the heady optimism of a progressive new millennium. A young man, Ben, meets a young woman, Kateand they begin to fall in love. From their first meeting, Ben knows Kate is unworldly and fanciful, so at first he isnt that concerned when she tells him about the recurring dream shes had since childhood. In the dream, shes transported to the past, where she lives a second life as Emilia, the mistress of a nobleman in Elizabethan England. But for Kate, the dream becomes increasingly real and compelling until it threatens to overwhelm her life. And soon shes waking from it to find the world changedpictures on her wall she doesnt recognize, new buildings in the neighborhood that have sprung up overnight. As she tries to make sense of whats happening, Ben worries the woman hes fallen in love with is losing her grip on reality. Transporting the reader between a richly detailed past and a frighteningly possible future, The Heavens is a powerful reminder of the consequences of our actions, a poignant testament to how the people we love are destined to change, and a masterful exploration of the power of dreams.
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blurb
Ambl1966
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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I‘ve just started this, I love stories about New York and New Yorkers, this is about to twist as well

review
MuteSwan
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
Pickpick

Quite stunning. The language is wonderful and the construct of the novel is audacious! And she almost pulls it off. I read the book in a couple of sittings, was gripped. Really enjoyed it but the ending felt a little flat. As I said, she almost pulled it off. Would recommend and definitely look to read more from Sandra Newman.

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rmaclean4
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
Mehso-so

2.5 🌟for me. I found the structure of this novel interesting but as the book went on I found it very repetitive. I stayed disconnected from the main character. It is not a long book but felt too long.

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rmaclean4
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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#bookreport #weeklyforecast
Finished:
The Professor: Charlotte Bronte 4 🌟
Long Bright River: Liz Moore 2.5 🌟
Ongoing:
The Heavens: Sandra Newman 📖
A Distant Mirror: Barbara Tuchman🎧
Started:
Say Nothing: Patrick Radden Keefe🎧
Next up:
Weather: Jenny Offill📖
Dominicans: Angie Cruz📖
Agnes Gray: Anne Bronte📳 (have never read on my phone before)
I just need to quit my job and read full time!!

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BookishTrish
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Mehso-so

I really liked the dreamy quality of this book but there was something not quite satisfying about it at the same time. I‘m not 💯 sure what Newman was trying to do here, but I‘d read another novel by her.

BookDragonNotWorm Love your picture! Mysterious shot! 5y
70 likes1 comment
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BookishTrish
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Fighting a virus with an old (fictional) friend and a new book. The book‘s dreamy time travel reminds me of The Lathe of Heaven and pairs well with cold meds

maich Hope you feel better soon😘❤ 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hope you feel better soon 💗 5y
66 likes2 comments
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BookishTrish
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Cinfhen Hope you‘re feeling better soon 5y
60 likes1 comment
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Mogoeg
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

I went in with only a vague notion of what was going on. I recommend reading it this way! By the time I figured out what was up, I was fully invested in Kate/Emilia's journey. When I got to the end I flipped back to the beginning & read with a fresh eye & a smile.

Newman is phenomenal writer & brilliantly conveys being young & in love & finding your tribe in the big city. It reminded me in all the right ways of the Netflix show Russian Doll.

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readingjedi
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Mehso-so

This scraps a So-So. It's not bad as such but it tries too hard to be something it's not & gets utterly derailed in the effort. It's all a bit vague & under-done & taken with it's own supposed intellectualism but it actually delivers very little of notable substance. The plot is in there somewhere but it gets very lost at some points. The idea is intriguing, how did it translate into something so dull & pointless? Shakespeare cameo? Oh please.

readingjedi The time travel sections, with the cod Tudor language, can only be described as ' cheese on cringe toasty and suffer greatly in comparison to the far superior Summer of Impossible Things I read very recently. 5y
Butterfinger I enjoyed reading your review. 5y
diovival @readingjedi cheese on cringe toasty 😂 5y
89 likes3 comments
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LauraBeth
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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“I noticed that you had Reese‘s Peanut Butter cups for breakfast...”

Did y‘all know that every single person on Litsy who has reviewed this has rated it a “Pick”?

Soubhiville That‘s quite an accomplishment! Now I have to stack it! 5y
ravenlee Every move you make, every bite you take, I‘ll be watching (and judging) you... 5y
82 likes6 stack adds2 comments
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rachelsbrittain
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Day 3 of #7days7covers #covercrush

This beauty has been on my shelf for months, and I still really need to read it.

Tagging @KirstieE if you haven't been already-- just post about 7 book covers you love in 7 days if you want to join in. No explanations needed, and tag another litten if you can to spread the fun!

KirstieE Thanks for the tag !! 5y
46 likes1 comment
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JanuarieTimewalker13
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

This book was...different. Very well written, enjoyable, but a bit strange. 3.5⭐️ set in 2001 and the 16th century. Cameo appearance by Shakespeare. Protagonist time travels via her dreams and each time she comes back, her real time existence is altered, leading others to believe she is mentally ill.

AlaMich 😻 5y
JanuarieTimewalker13 *cameo is not quite the right word. Shakespeare appears quite a bit. 5y
57 likes1 stack add2 comments
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mrozzz
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

The story required much attention as the present changes each time Kate wakes up from one of her dreams in the olde world of Albion & Shakespeare. Her boyfriend & her best friend are the only constants for her in 2000 where her sanity is questioned as she becomes more & more invested in her 16th century life & the actions she could take which, hundreds of years down the line, may prevent the collapse of civilization. I was rapt.

megnews Great pic! 5y
79 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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AnneCecilie
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

In the year 2000, Kate and Ben meet at a party, but this isn‘t your standard love story. For Kate has dreams where she returns to 1593, and wakes up as Emilia. Every time Kate returns to 1593 something changes in the present.

And I‘m just gonna leave it at that.

charl08 I liked this one. The cover is gorgeous! 5y
72 likes7 stack adds1 comment
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Redwritinghood
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

I love time travel novels. This one was challenging and somewhat sad, though, because it‘s not an optimistic book. Kate travels in her dreams from modern-day America to 16th century England. When she wakes, her present has changed, often in tragic ways. She tries to change the future in her dreams, but can‘t seem to change the ultimate fate of the world. #hoopla 3.5⭐️

JennyM I thought this was exceptionally clever! Great review and glad you enjoyed 😊 5y
Redwritinghood @JennyM Thanks. It was quite clever. 5y
74 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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rachelsbrittain
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Wasn't able to organize bookshelf #2 quite like I wanted, but considering the very limited space and how much better everything looks, I'm happy with it for now

Hestapleton I love your LOTR set! 5y
49 likes1 comment
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Karkar
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

Well this was a quick read. Very interesting story line. I gave it 3.5/5.

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charl08
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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I like to time travel at the weekend...

MrBook Love the cover. Sounds intriguing! 6y
charl08 @MrBook it's got me gripped from the start. 6y
53 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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rachelsbrittain
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Purchases from Blackwell's in Oxford, and I would just like to say I showed remarkable restraint 😂

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avalinah
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

The Heavens is a story spanning a lot of centuries and it touches upon the ideas of how easily the world can crumble, how perishable our own realities are and how it feels when nobody else believes your reality, and instead thinks you just have an addled mind. It's magical and vast: http://bit.ly/2WDqzgH

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KikiLovesBooks
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
Pickpick

Fantastic novel--I love getting this excited about a book!

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JennyM
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

A fantastical book that bends genres and makes you think in the best possible way. The more I reflect on it, the more I appreciate Newman‘s ideas about individual actions and it‘s consequences on wider humanity. Very timely. If you‘re after something clever, different, and also relatively short, this might be just the book.

TrishB Great review 👍🏻 6y
JennyM @TrishB thanks, Trish. It was an unexpectedly good read - the butterfly effect through the lens of NYC 2000. 6y
batsy This is on my TBR! Lovely review. It sounds so unique and interesting. 6y
See All 7 Comments
JennyM @batsy it‘s really different but in a good way. Super clever...I‘m in awe of these authors and their ideas. Hope you enjoy when you get to it. 6y
Tashreads This has been on and off my TBR a few times. But I think your review swayed me 😊 6y
BooknerdsLife @JennyM Thank you for the great review! And now I‘m curious...putting it on my TBR 😊 6y
JennyM @Tashreads @booknerdslife it‘s so cleverly done. I can‘t say more because of spoilers, but there were a few times when things were revealed & had me really 👏🏼 the author for her ideas. 6y
69 likes4 stack adds7 comments
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Theaelizabet
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

This one is tricky. It has some beautiful writing, a clever premise that asks the big questions (do love and art really have power? What defines a well-lived life?, and so on.) and a wrenching portrayal of 9/11. But...overall it seemed a bit too cerebral and clever for its own good, its characters too removed. Not sorry I read it, just not as wowed as I thought I‘d be.

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Bleebleblop
The Heavens | Sandra Newman
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Pickpick

It‘s great. If you‘re not sure about that, keep reading. It‘s a good book throughout, but near the end Newman‘s themes and insights snap into place in a way that is jarring and unforgettable.

JennyM Great review - I‘ve just finished it and how she brought all her ideas at the end was excellent. 6y
9 likes1 comment
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Liberty
Heavens | Sandra Newman
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OHHHHHHH MY GOODNESS! A new Sandra Newman! I am *obsessed* with The Country of Ice Cream Star. 🎉❤️📚

102 likes8 stack adds