Title: BellwetherAuthor: Connie Willis
Narrator: Kate Reading
First Published: April 1, 1996
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Pages: 258
Genre: Romance, Romantic Comedy, Science Fiction
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
Rating:
Synopsis:
Sandra Foster studies fads—from Barbie dolls to the grunge look—how they start and what they mean. Bennett O'Reilly is a chaos theorist studying monkey group behavior. They both work for the HiTek corporation, strangers until a misdelivered package brings them together. It's a moment of synchronicity—if not serendipity—which leads them into a chaotic system of their own, complete with a million-dollar research grant, caffé latte, tattoos, and a series of unlucky coincidences that leaves Bennett monkeyless, fundless, and nearly jobless. Sandra intercedes with a flock of sheep and an idea for a joint project. (After all, what better animal to study both chaos theory and the herd mentality that so often characterizes human behavior?) But scientific discovery is rarely straightforward and never simple, and Sandra and Bennett have to endure a series of setbacks, heartbreaks, dead ends, and disasters before they find their ultimate answer. . . .
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
I didn’t know a single thing about Bellwether when I picked it up, but I decided to give audiobooks a try while at work and remembered a friend’s glowing comments about the book. This novel was quite simply a pleasure to listen to, and I’m so glad that I took that blind recommendation. Bellwether transcends genres: science fiction, satire, romantic comedy. When I say science fiction, I mean fiction about science.
The main character Sandra is a researcher studying fads and this book screams 90s nostalgia. The book pokes fun at popular trends, from fashion fads to new work culture mantras. The characters were charming and I found myself chuckling a lot while listening. I was surprised to hear the first hints of sweet romance, which was so wholesome it made my heart melt. There is not a lot to say without spoiling anything about the story, it’s best to go in without any expectations. I absolutely loved this book, start to finish, it was witty and wild and just plain fun.
Quote
“Insecure, ill-dressed chaos theorist desires intelligent, insightful, incandescent trends researcher. Must be SC.”
About the Author
About Connie Willis
Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945), commonly known as Connie Willis, is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards than any other writer—most recently the “Best Novel” Hugo and Nebula Awards for Blackout/All Clear (2010). She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Science Fiction Writers of America named her its 28th SFWA Grand Master in 2011.
Several of her works feature time travel by history students at the future University of Oxford—sometimes called the Time Travel series. They are the short story “Fire Watch” (1982, also in several anthologies and the 1985 collection of the same name), the novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog (1992 and 1997), and the two-part novel Blackout/All Clear (2010). All four won the annual Hugo Award, and Doomsday Book and Blackout/All Clear won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, making her the first author to win Hugo awards for all books in a series.
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