Bellwether

By: Connie Willis

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2010

Pop culture, chaos theory, and matters of the heart collide in this unique novella from the Hugo and Nebula Award - winning author of Doomsday Book.

Sandra Foster studies fads and their meanings for the HiTek corporation. Bennett O'Reilly works with monkey group behavior and chaos theory for the same company. When the two are thrust together due to a misdelivered package and a run of seemingly bad luck, they find a joint project in a flock of sheep. But a series of setbacks and disappointments arise before they are able to find answers to their questions - with the unintended help of the errant, forgetful, and careless office assistant Flip.

©1996 Connie Willis (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Connie Willis deploys the apparatus of science fiction to illuminate character and relationships, and her writing is fresh, subtle and deeply moving." ( New York Times Book Review)
"Willis's story builds slowly but is realistic and engrossing." ( Midwest Book Review)

Smart Short Diversion

Connie Willis can do no wrong… Even those quiet and clever short novel provides great enjoyment.

Utterly delightful!

I'm a huge Connie Willis fan so, of course, I'm biased about all her books. And Bellwether, a slightly older title, did not disappoint. It was well-researched, entertaining, and kept me wanting more -- all with that special Connie Willis lightness of touch.

The characters are delightful, I learned more about fads than I would have believed possible - and the ending was totally satisfying.

I heartily recommend Bellwether!

Love the book, but not the reader

Would you listen to Bellwether again? Why?

No.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bellwether?

Many. The skewering of the sheeplike behavior of humans is fabulous.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator delivers lines to emphasize the critical and snarky aspects of the book, which makes me dislike the first-person narrator. It's true that the narrator _is_ critical and snarky, but she's also generous and idealistic, but the narrator doesn't convey that aspect of the character as well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I stopped listening to it. I'd rather read it.

Fun couple of hours...

I enjoyed the read, but doubt I'll ever read it again.

Complaints:
* Excessive use of the word "slouched"
* Overly predictable story progression
* The assumption that just because a behavior/opinion (in the book, it's anti-smoking) is a fad at the time, that there is no validity behind it.
* Inclusion in the Science-Fiction section

Otherwise, there were several hilarious moments involving office-life and the horrors of interacting with a younger generation. Also, sheep. Flip deserves her own sequel-- I wish she had been a bit more fleshed out in this one, but she is fantastic as a background character.

I intend to look into other Connie Willis books, but I wouldn't suggest this one if you strongly dislike smoking.

Mildly InterestIng

Great narration. Good story, too. It’s told in first person POV, which I rarely like, because the viewpoint character — “I, me, my, we, our” — usually becomes repetitive and begins to feel almost neurotic.

Here, the focus is on how fads and trends develop, and on learning and chaos theory. A bellwether is the sheep that perhaps unknowingly leads the flock. It’s also supposedly the agent provocateur inside the machine. Not quite the same as the butterfly effect.

This particular offering by esteemed Willis is low on science fiction and high on humor, management satire, and romance. It felt like The Office. I felt it went on a bit long — Flip got rather old — and it felt finally like it was just going nowhere really. But it did resolve itself and along the way it was an amusing and mildly interesting journey. I liked the historical fad anecdotes.

I didn’t pay for this — it was included free to audible members. If I had purchased it, I probably would have returned it. A bit boring. But instead, I let it play on while I worked.

surprisingly clever. give it 5 min.

if you are at all interested in anything historical from the 1900s this clever book will keep your interest. if you like mysteries or references to literature this book is full of them. I was on the fence but I am delighted I took a chance with this book.

Typical Connie Willis Farce: Great

Connie Willis is the master of the romantic farce or SF screwball comedies. Witty, well researched, scientifically and psychologically inspired, romantic and just plain fun.

Unique

This was different than anything I’ve read. Super clever. Intelligent humor. I loved it! Well done Connie Willis!

Loved It!!!!

This is kind of a running inner dialogue of a single, female scientist researching trends and or how they get started. Her interactions with colleagues and the nuggets of how various trends have started and why, are often incite full, humorous and informative. The inquiring mind. Eureka!

loved it!

great narrator.
she realy understands the book and read it beautifully.


Connie Willis has a wonderful ,sharp, mind.
she is amazing.