The Calculating Stars is an alternate history of a meteor hitting the earth in 1952, in what will eventually become an extinction-level event. So earth must fast-track its efforts to colonize space. And there is a group of amazing women astronauts ready to kick ass. Sounds awesome, right? Well, it turns out to be terribly disappointing.
First, the main character Elma isn't very likable or relatable. She wants to become a woman astronaut at a time when women weren't really considered for more than housewife duty. But instead of being written as a strong character, she's meek and dithering, constantly hiding behind her husband and letting him take care of things for her. She is scared of everything (people she doesn't know, her boss, reporters, talking to media and having her pictures taken), and has panic attacks and vomits constantly. She doesn't think what she has is a problem and refuses to see a doctor, instead reciting the number pi or the Fibonacci sequence to try to get over it.
The plot of this book isn't what I thought it would be either. What I wanted is female astronauts kicking ass; what I got instead is a meek mouse saying she wants to be an astronaut while hiding and shaking with fear. The majority of this book is mundane, driven forward with dull dialog between uninteresting characters. Hardly anything happens in it. The author also chose to include a few sex scenes with truly cringe-worthy nerdy dialog, and random religious tidbits through every scene, as if trying to convince the reader that Elma is very Jewish and you better not forget it.
In all, the premise of this book was good, but that's about it for positive things. The meandering plot, dull and uncomfortable dialog, the meek main character who's afraid of her own shadow, and the random religious tidbits all combine to make this not for me.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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