State of Wonder

Author: Ann Patchett
Goodreads Rating: 3.85
My Rating: 3.75
Pages: 358
Reviewed by: Nicole


I received this book directly from HarperCollins for participating in the blog tour for this book sponsored by TLC Tours. The subject matter is not something that I would ordinarily pick up. I'm not a science person, and the Amazon doesn't interest me (too many scary bugs). That being said I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to give this book a chance because I really enjoyed it.


Goodreads synopses:

"Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchett's fiction."--New York Times Book Review

Award-winning, "New York Times" bestselling author Ann Patchett returns with a provocative and assured novel of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazon rainforest. Infusing the narrative with the same ingenuity and emotional urgency that pervaded her acclaimed previous novels "Bel Canto," "Taft," " Run," "The Magician's Assistant," and "The Patron Saint of Liars," Patchett delivers an enthrallingly innovative tale of aspiration, exploration, and attachment in "State of Wonder"--a gripping adventure story and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name of discovery and love.

My review is after the jump!

I have a specific kind of book that I generally read. They often involve love or something of the sort that the romantic in me can relate to and love. That being said, this book didn't really have a lot to do with romance and had more to do with science and research...which I detest. I'm not good at science, never have been, never will be. Reading Flashforward last summer was actually really difficult for me because the science lingo went over my head. This book, however, didn't make me feel like I was missing a huge part of the plot because I couldn't understand what they were talking about.

There are some scientific terms that poke their head out every so often in this book, but for the most part, it is easy to understand that what they are trying to do is increase the length of fertility for women. Since the synopses just tells you that its a great book, let me get down to the synopses part of this. 

Marina, our heroine, is asked to go down to the Amazon following the death of a colleague, by the company that she works for. At the time of her colleague's death, the company was exploring the possibility of fertility in women past the age of menopause. With this news she goes down to the Amazon on a mission to find out news of the drugs development and how Anders Eckman (her friend and colleague) died. 

It is a really interesting story as she goes from not wanting to be in the most secluded place on earth, to maybe wanting to stay. She forms bonds with the other doctors that have their own mission concerning this new drug. 

I found that this book was very well written and I really admired that. There were moments when Patchett would go from talking about present moment to the past without a transition which was both annoying and confusing, but luckily that was only in the beginning and was only used to provide us with background about Dr. Marina Signh. 

I can't go into details about why I didn't like this book because I'm afraid that it would give too much away and has a lot to do with the ending. Were it not for this one part, I probably would have given the book a higher rating. In the end, even if it is out of your comfort zone, then it is worth