The Heavens

By: Sandra Newman

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

New York, late summer, 2000. A party in a spacious Manhattan apartment, hosted by a wealthy young activist. Dozens of idealistic 20-somethings have impassioned conversations over takeout dumplings and champagne. The evening shines with the heady optimism of a progressive new millennium. A young man, Ben, meets a young woman, Kate - and they begin to fall in love.

From their first meeting, Ben knows Kate is unworldly and fanciful, so at first, he isn't that concerned when she tells him about the recurring dream she's had since childhood. In the dream, she's transported to the past, where she lives a second life as Emilia, the mistress of a nobleman in Elizabethan England.

But for Kate, the dream becomes increasingly real and compelling. And soon she's waking from it to find the world changed - pictures on her wall she doesn't recognize, new buildings in the neighborhood that have sprung up overnight. As she tries to make sense of what's happening, Ben worries the woman he's fallen in love with is losing her grip on reality.

Transporting the listener between a richly detailed past and a frighteningly possible future, The Heavens is a powerful reminder of the consequences of our actions, a poignant testament to how the people we love are destined to change, and a masterful exploration of the power of dreams.

©2019 Sandra Newman (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

how did this make any best list?

Completely non-engaging. After finishing it I don't get what is the point of this....story? I really feel let down by the NY Times for recommending this.

Glad that's over...

This was a great example of wasted opportunity. While the author certainly did some innovative things with time travel and or mental illness, her approach to storytelling made it really hard to enjoy and take in. Her characters are mostly vapid and arrogant. Her depiction of sensuality is - simply put - crass. And her attitude toward people who look at the world differently than she does is utterly disrespectful and ignorant. Anyway, many will like this book, and there are elements enough to keep even those of us who didn't staying till the end. But the author has some growing up to do.

Difficult to stay with.

The story had the sense of being undeveloped, a bit like a series of high plot points waiting for development. Character arc was absent, plots points flat, and narration monotone. I was unable to continue listening.

Makes no sense

I found this book to be terrible. it was not a good storyline... The characters were extremely frustrating.... And, it felt never ending.

Don’t go to The Heavens!

I am so sorry to have been seduced into this book by a ad in the NYT Book Review. It is a twisted, sometimes poetic, jumble of everything and yet nothing with no real story or point. Do not waste you time.

Wonderful

Beautiful, vivid, heartbreaking. I found the sci-fi elements intriguing, but the book is character-driven rather than plot-driven, so if you like shoot-em-up sci fi this may not be your thing. I was entranced by the depth of feeling and the writing — precise and lyrical but not pretentious. The narrator is excellent.

This is a perfectly creative book about schizophrenia

I’ve read a lot of books about people who struggle with reality. This is the best so far.

All over the place

I'm sorry but I just didn't get it. Read it for a book club and several of us had to muscle through. Author was all over the place. Felt like I needed flow charts and graphs. The ending, let's just not talk about it.