bellwether   by Connie Willis

Jan. 2005     Christmas gift from my Literature-addict Mother.

Well, I started this book out thinking SF... as there's fractals and butterflies on the cover, and mention about how this woman is one of the best SF writers of the times. But... it's just science. Well, it's fiction too, isn't it? But, it's still not SF. -I suppose that the distinction for me, is that all the science is already discovered, and known. To better put that: none of the science here was conjecture. Allright: at the end, there was One little conclusion which I think might not be accepted in scientific fields as proven.

Anyhow, as one has by this point made out, it's a book about science, and the protagonist is a researcher, who ends up having a joint project with someone else, which deals with chaos theory. (And there's a little love story that goes on as well, but I didn't find it to be either here nor there: in that it did not especially add to the novel or subtract from it.)

To be more specific though, the Protagonist is studying trends, or actually Fads. So, there's a good deal of information about them, and amusing cases of them from history. Also, myself being against trends, and conformitism for it's own sake, I have a great deal of sympathy for the protagonist, and her views on the subject. I can't think of anything else to say about the content though, So, I move onto the general... style.

This was one of the strongest point of the book. It was... gripping, and involving. And I can not tell precisely how or why it did it, but the truth of it, is that these last couple of days, I've gotten very very little done, only because I was "wasting" my time reading this book. Honestly, it was getting to be a problem, because I'd be up every night until after One in the morning reading, and then, put off breakfast in the morning, reading, and then sit around in the theater after rehearsals, reading. All I can say, is that it fortunately is a habit that can not last for ever: because I'm certain to get to the end of the book quickly, when I behave in such a way.

Is there anything else that wants saying? It was enjoyable, and engaging, (Which is one of my favourite words, for good books.) And, well, I had to laugh with the author at the way styles are followed by the masses. With blind devotion, and moral assuredness, although without any thought.