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The Margarets (Gollancz S.F.)
 
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The Margarets (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

by Sheri S. Tepper (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz (17 Jan 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575080469
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575080461
  • Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 413,258 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #18 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > T > Tepper, Sheri S.

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Product Description

Jonathan Wright, FOCUS

"Updating the edgy, dystopian vibe of the 1960s new-wave SF, this is a sprawling, widescreen eco-parable that's also, thanks to veteran US novelist Teppers's keen eye for character, intimate and genuinely moving. Just extraordinary."


Review

"Updating the edgy, dystopian vibe of the 1960s new-wave SF, this is a sprawling, widescreen eco-parable that's also, thanks to veteran US novelist Teppers's keen eye for character, intimate and genuinely moving. Just extraordinary." (Jonathan Wright FOCUS )

"Tepper is adept at social detail and coming of age stories. I'd recommend this." (Andrew McKie THE TELEGRAPH )

"Tepper is an artful storyteller who makes you believe in technologies very close indeed to magic. Amid gruesome flashes of imagination, she has a heartfelt environmental message. Her resonant fable lingers in the memory." (David Langford SFX )

"An engagingly inventive and readable fairytale for our troubled times." (Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES )

"Part fable, part daydream, it is rich with the wisdom of grandmothers. There's a wry humour throughout and you feel Tepper has taken her own life apart, and examined it thoroughly and reassembled it gladly, not having found it wanting in the least." (Guy Hayley DEATHRAY )
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A Failure, 6 Aug 2007
By vortexreader (Bowral, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Margarets (Hardcover)
Tepper is one of only a handful of authors whose new book gets an automatic pass to the top of my 'to read' pile. I haven't liked every one of her novels but I've certainly read them all. In some ways you always know what you're going to get with Tepper: she's an angry, issues-driven writer with a lot to say. On the other hand, you never quite know what she's going to deliver. She is a skilled writer - even at her worst she's better than most - who always manages to entertain even if her message isn't convincingly conveyed.

The Margarets has an unnecessarily convoluted plot that is spread out over far too many pages. The story is about the need for mankind to be able to learn from its mistakes via the intervention of a god-like entity. This involves a quest that, naturally, comes down to one person - you guessed it! - to succeed. The reasoning behind Margaret's role in this scheme is not adequately explained and the whole scenario seems preposterous.

Not that 'preposterous' is unusual for Tepper. At some point in just about all over her novels, usually when the reader feels most comfortable that they have a handle on the plot, she introduces a twist that flips the book on its head. That twist comes mercifully early in The Margarets. For reasons I'm still not clear on, Margaret splits off personalities from herself at various points. These are not split-personalities but living breathing versions of Margaret. Eventually there are seven different (but the same) 'Margarets' using different names on different planets, all initially unaware of the existence of the others. You will either accept this and just allow Tepper to take you on a journey...or you will throw the book down never to be picked up again.

I'm not likely to ditch a Tepper novel - the rewards for placing yourself in her generally assured hands are usually worth a bit of silliness...but not this time. The Margarets is a failure. The plot seems as though it has been made up on the run and the different 'Margarets' are poorly written. Tepper's message is lost in over-writing and the entire effect is underwhelming. I'll eagerly await Tepper's next novel...and hope it's a worthier book than The Margarets.

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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Feminist eco-fiction at its best., 10 Sep 2007
By Pinkkat (North West UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Margarets (Hardcover)
"The Margarets" reminds me of "Six Moon Dance" in its complexity of character and plot. I had to read both novels a couple of times to really appreciate them - it's easy to get bogged down in the personality-splitting aspect on the first reading. I think the book is worth persevering with, as I was left thinking about the implications of the life choices we make: The "what if"s and "if only"s, and the wondering if we've wasted our chances. Tepper's Margaret lives a myriad of lives and experiences several of her "potentials". The concept reminds me of J.B. Priestley's preocupation with time, choices and perspective, especially in his play "Time and the Conways": The notion that at any one time we are the sum of all our past and future selves and posibilities.

This is far from being my favourite Tepper novel, but it is still a brilliant read and an intelligent contribution to modern fiction.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Persevere with The Margarets, 8 Feb 2008
It's good to know that there are other Tepper devotees around. I also felt bewildered by the book, but the second and probably third reading will make a difference. Sheri writes on so many different levels that it's impossible to take it all in the first time round. That's one of the reasons I have to keep reading her.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous Margarets
This is one of those books which makes you return to it and read just a little more, even though the chores are waiting. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Freeman

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating & different
I have read almost all of Sherri Tepper's books and enjoyed them, but I found The Margarets different and completely fascinating. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Browneyes

4.0 out of 5 stars Complex to start with!
This is a complex book which requires very careful reading, especially for the first few chapters until you get into the swing of it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Pema

5.0 out of 5 stars Older and better?
It is true that some of Sheri Tepper's books take several readings before one really appreciates them; I found this with The Companions and Six Moon Dance particularly. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Sad Classics Teacher

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheri S Tepper back on form
I was impressed by The Margarets. I found it a compelling read that was difficult to put down, beyond that I felt the same kind of passion and excitment I got from Beauty, Six... Read more
Published 17 months ago by B. Adlington

2.0 out of 5 stars Tepid book
To be blunt from the outset I have to say that I really expected more from this prolific author than what was delivered. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Gareth Wilson

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