Emily St. John Mandel has done it again, folks. I love that she's included a couple of characters from The Glass Hotel, weaving in the continuity without making it essential to have read The Glass Hotel. Olive Llewellyn's storyline was my favorite, as she feels like a self-insert for Mandel herself--having a pandemic book that became a bestseller, then for it to circulate again when a pandemic actually arrives. I'm also a sucker for time travel, especially when an aspect of it is that the act of traveling itself is inevitable. Though not quite as magical as Station Eleven was, I will always be happy to read anything Emily St. John Mandel puts into the world.

A beautiful book about time travel, pandemics, and the choices that people make. The book has familiar characters as seen in Emily St, John Mandel’s previous novels which adds to the story, especially if you were curious about what happened to some of the characters. Overall, a gorgeous story and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Wow. I read this in one sitting. Pandemic. Time Travel. Suspense. Told from different spaces and times, it's one of those books where there are different stories going on, but they all connect at the end. It had it all. If you liked Station Eleven, this is right up your alley. While I thought that reading a book that had a pandemic element would be really heavy, it wasn't. Highly recommended.

Such a great story!! I love time travel tales. I love reading stories with different timelines and this one had 4 and they blended together so nice.
This story takes you through time, sailing across the ocean on steamship to pandemics and living on the moon all with fluidity and likeable characters. And asking the question all time travel asks and the end brings you to a satisfying conclusion.

A gorgeous arcing and looping novel set in four different eras. I devoured this in a weekend (it’s blissfully short and also unputdownable) and can’t wait to recommend it to anyone who happens to ask if I can suggest a book for them. I haven’t read any of the author’s previous books but will circle back to those immediately.

Four characters are linked by an inexplicable experience. In 1912, Edwin St. John St. Andrew is in the wilderness of British Columbia when he experiences a flash of darkness, feels like he’s in some vast interior, and hears a violin and another incomprehensible sound. In 2020, Mirella is at a performance in which there’s a video which shows something similar. Then in 2203, Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour on Earth where a strange virus is spreading rapidly around the globe (hmm - sound familiar?) Finally, in 2401, a hotel detective living in a colony on the moon, goes to visit his sister who works at the Time Institute.

The author brilliantly draws each era and each character swiftly and surely, and the writing flows so effortlessly it made me realize how much harder I’ve had to work reading other novels. Though the novel is quite short (276 pages), there is enough detail for us to feel we know these characters and understand their lives and worlds. That these stories all link together comes on the downward slope of the novel as we reverse back through the timeline. The plotting is ingenious and also gave me several brain-twisting “ah yes” moments, but it is not tricksy or flashy. Questions about reality, love, life, and time are organically woven in.

All in all, this was a fabulous read and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

This is a beautifully written, complex novel set in not one, but four time periods, which examines what it is like to live though a pandemic, our perceptions of what is real, time travel, and the ways our small actions can bleed into the larger world. The plot is peopled by characters from diverse backgrounds and from lives lived in eras from 1912 to the distant future in 2401, and all of the characters are wholly formed and dynamic, and their worlds are believable and built with care by the author so that even the switches in time feel seamless - except when they aren’t, which is part of the plot. An expertly crafted novel, and one that offers interesting points to ponder long after the last page is turned - what is the nature of reality, what will life be like when we move beyond the confines of earth to survive, how do our actions now ripple outward and touch the lives of others, what is fulfillment and how do we find it? This is a haunting, layered, beautiful novel.

This was my first time reading a book by Emily St. John Mandel, and what an absolute delight it was. Not only did I find it to be beautifully written, nearly bordering on poetry at times, but I found she did masterful work crafting a plot in which several different timelines were braided all together. Also, for a book that mentions several past, present and future pandemics, I actually ended up receiving a lot more hope from it than I anticipated going in.

I think I finally need to give her oft-praised “Station Eleven” a long overdue try. In the meantime, I’m happy to recommend “A Sea of Tranquility” as a gorgeous sci-fi escape.

Sea of Tranquility is another great success for Emily St. John Mandel! I was immersed in the characters right away, and I enjoyed the movement through different eras.

Emily St. John Mandel's novel Sea of Tranquility should be greeted with enthusiasm by fans of her earlier works, Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel. The author uses the engaging plot device of time travel to continue her exploration of themes of fate, mortality, and the relationship between life and art. The intersecting and overlapping story lines connect the work to St. John Mandel's novelistic universe in ways that reward readers familiar with her other works, and Sea of Tranquility may well inspire many to reread those novels with a new set of assumptions. The new novel draws heavily on the recent history of the Covid-19 pandemic, in ways some readers may find distracting but others may welcome as a framework for reflecting on their own life experiences. As she relates stories set in different times and places, the author provides tantalizing glimpses of future political landscapes, technological innovations, and social norms, taken for granted by characters but sparking curiosity and speculation in the minds of readers. Sea of Tranquility is highly recommended for those who have enjoyed St. John Mandel's other writings and will likely draw new readers to her work as well.

This book was very unique, and beautifully written. I loved how the author wove the narrative through different time periods. The book centers around a mysterious anomaly that occurs in the remote Canadian wilderness, and as we explore the mystery of the incident, we meet and get to know the characters that are impacted by this event. With elements of science fiction, and references to her previous novels, St. John Mandel weaves an enthralling story that kept me hooked all the way through.

Emily St. John Mandel's work is really astonishingly beautiful, with so many fine threads that all link together in such interesting and human ways. Sea of Tranquility is no different, and takes those thread to a logical conclusion in a story that combines time travel and the author's real life experience in a way that feels totally masterful. It really does work best when read after Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel, because there are a lot of recurring characters whose stories in those books add a lot of depth and richness to this one, but I think it could be read as a standalone.

This was such an amazing book. All the different character were so interesting and well written and the way that the storyline of all the characters came together was so well done. I loved that we got to revisit some of the character from The Glass Hotel. All together an amazing book and one of the best books I’ve read in awhile! I highly recommend.

Be aware, the clues are there but you still might have to re-read to make sense of this post-apocalyptic sequel. It's a romp through time and space with a strong brother/sister dynamic. If you loved it's relatives, you will love this one, too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication.

I am stunned after reading this book, and I am having trouble with words to explain how amazing of a reading experience I just had. Mandel follows up her novels Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel with another one with loose connections to those worlds she made. It's a novel about art, the pandemic, metaphysics, and love. Edwin moves suddenly to Canada in 1912 and while walking through a forest encounters the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal. In 2020 a composer is sharing a creepy video with an audience - of his sister walking through that same forest and hearing the same sound. In 2203 Olive is on tour on Earth for one of her previous novels being optioned for film, and a portion of the novel includes a strange scene with a vision of violin music and trees and airships. In present day, 2401, Gaspery and his sister are researching whether or not they were all living in a simulation. Each section moves to a different time period, and the pacing and writing are exquisite. As soon as I finished the novel, I wanted to start over again and understand how she wove it all together so well! This is absolutely a 5 star read for me and may be my favorite of the year. I DNFed The Glass Hotel, and now I want to go pick it back up to see the connections between these novels. Outstanding.

*No star burns forever.*

I will start by saying that Emily St. John Mandel is probably my favorite author. Every book she has written I have read, pondered, and loved. Her new book, Sea of Tranquility, is no different. It is subtle, it sneaks up on you, and you think “how will this all possibly work out?”, but Mandel is a very skilled writer. She fits the disparate strands of this story together like a beautiful puzzle. This novel is an excellent example of literary science fiction; the element of time travel is seamlessly woven throughout the story. The future of human habitation in space is a big part of the plot as well, as a good chunk of the book takes place on the future moon colonies. The plot arches over several different eras of human history, and it can be a bit confusing to keep them all straight as the story goes forward and backward in time frequently. It does all mostly make sense at the end though; she brings everything together most beautifully and poignantly.

I felt like Mandel was talking through her author character, Olive. Through Olive’s story of “the last book tour on earth” – she seemed to be telling her audience how she (and other authors) might feel during different points in a busy book tour. Also, Olive has a large pandemic that the world must contend with, so Mandel may have also been describing what it might have been like to be a mother and an author during times of uncertainty and quarantine. Though it takes place many, many years in the future – the reader will still be able to relate it to something happening in the present. I’m focusing on Olive, but she is not the only character or even really the main character of the novel, I just liked her a lot. I found her to be authentic and thoughtful. I love how Mandel also connects this novel to her previous novel, The Glass Hotel, by using some of the same characters and locations. This book is deceptively simple. You might read it quickly, but it will stick with you after you’ve read it.
I haven’t really written much about the actual plot because you gotta just read the book! I really, really enjoyed reading it and finished it quickly. Emily St. John Mandel proves once again that she is one of the most thoughtful and interesting authors of the moment. I recommend this novel (and her previous novels) whole-heartedly!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As with all of St. John Mandel’s novels, this is beautifully written, but my biggest issue is there are too many characters, too many storylines, and too many timelines, to the point that I wasn’t really invested in anyone’s story. I didn’t see the point in having so many different stories that didn’t connect in a meaningful way.

Rarely do I feel compelled to reread a book, but the moment I put down Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility, I knew I'd soon be picking it up again.

The plot is difficult to describe without giving too much away. Taking place over centuries, the story weaves in and out of lives, places, and times. It's fantastical, but feels relevant to today and is infinitely relatable. It's brilliantly and eloquently crafted in a way that the author should be known for.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title and will be highly recommending it to everyone.

Sea of Tranquility is a trip. Take this trip across national and international borders, and the boundaries of earth and time. Gaspery-Jacques Roberts interacts with a British second-son, an author of a fictional pandemic and characters from Emily's most recent bestseller the Glass Hotel. The story takes the reader on a fantastic journey across time and space and asks the question 'What would you do?'
Fans of Emily St. John Mandel won't want to miss this one.

E-arc provided by the publisher through Netgalley for an honest review. Thanks!

Since I read Station Eleven I have read most of St. John Mandel novels. I think I have one or maybe two of her backlist left to read which I feel like I'm saving for a rainy day in some way.
Station Eleven was a bomb when it came out. I remember everyone at work reading it. At the time I was working in a bookshop. We talked about it all of the time and I made friends just because of that book. There was a lot to talk about and I feel like that is one of the things St. John Mandel does the best - all her books spark conversation.

Now it's many years later and a couple St. John Mandel novels later and I started reading "Sea of Tranquility" with both many expectations but at the same time trying to keep them low. I knew nothing about this book going in because I didn't want to. I want St. John Mandel to surprise me. In hindsight, going in knowing nothing, was genuins.

The book is set in different times from 1912, 2020, 2203 and 2401. The first half or so I was confused, not knowing what was going on and how the timelines would connect. At the same time I was glad to read that some characters from The Glass Hotel where mentioned. By no means to you need to read that book before this but I thought it was nice how St. John Mandel connected her own work.

I'm not going to get into the plot, both because this novel isn't out until April and because I think it is the best way going in, not know what to expect.
But I will write this: time travel is a big element in this. Some of the novel takes place on another planet. And you will want to talk about this once you finished it.
I would recommend this if you want to read a novel that will take you by surprise, be a bit weird and yet at the heart have characters that will stay with you.
So if that sounds like your jam, do pick it up and read it.

I'll leave my initial review below with my thoughts right after reading.

Initial review:
I have a problem reading St. John Mandel novels before publishing date and have no one to talk to them about.
This happened with "The Glas Hotel" as well and I haven't learned my lesson for "Sea of Tranquility" which was kindly given to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
All I want to do is to talk about this with someone. Or talk time travel and problems with time travel with someone.

St. John Mandel went there and I couldn't be more happy to have read this novel.
Also would suggest reading "The Glas Hotel" before this. It isn't really necessary but I thought it was fun to meet some of the characters of that novel in this one too.
If you like St. John Mandel's work from "Station Eleven" and forward, I don't think you will be disappointed. Drop me a line (in the comments) if you have read it and want to talk about it.

I always look forward to reading Emily St. John Mandel for her masterful prose, her original characters, her surprising plots, and her ability to keep stretching what fiction can do. I absolutely loved reading Sea of Tranquility. A truly epic puzzle of time travel, from 1912, to 2020, and beyond 2203, characters deal with fear, loneliness, issues of shifting climate disasters, love, art and how to find connections when pandemics change the nature of our perceived realities. A thoughtful, perfectly paced, captivating novel.