Long for This World: A Novel

Follow the Author

---

The Strange Science of Immortality on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention aubrey de grey long for this world jonathan weiner live forever thousand years science writing science of immortality life spans aubrey de gray well written strange science beak of the finch living forever human life pulitzer prize field of gerontology extending human life expectancy reading this book bodies age.

Showing of 65 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase.

I'm a layperson who came to science via a diagnosis of breast cancer. I love reading mass market science books geared towards explaining medical issues. I'm fascinated with the ways cells turn themselves on and off, get rid of garbage, and slowly lose function due to aging. I think I had expectations, however, about this book going in that colored how I read it. The prose brings in references of all kinds, philosophers, poets, artists, historical figures, etc. At times, the prose, in its own self-congratulatory poetic expression, goes a bit too far out of the bounds of science to make comparisons when explaining a concept.

It sometimes just didn't make sense. Also, I was hoping for a bit more "here are some current scientific experiments having to do with aging" and a bit less "here's Aubrey De Grey and I eating breakfast in Ravenna. Don't get me wrong, Aubrey de Grey and his meeting up with the author provides for an entertaining read. However, de Grey has some theories that aren't quite practical at the current medical moment. Anyway, the book flows well, is quite readable, and the voice of the author thought-provoking if sometimes a bit full of himself as much as Aubrey de Grey.

Worth reading for the entertainment value.

Would you like to live in good health for years? The main thing I gained from reading this book was realizing that the prospect of living forever is a nightmare. One person found this helpful.

Editorial Reviews

This book is very well written. Makes you think and weigh the pros and cons of long life. Delves deeply into the science and theory of why we age. Leaving you to decide for yourself, which you would prefer, living long or short and sweet. I purchased Weiner's study deliberately after Publisher's Weekly reviewers referenced the unevenness of the text, curious about the nature of a medical journalist's imperfection; like many readers, I was initially sympathetic to Weiner's merger of character study, hard science, culture, but this professor bombed out by the middle of the book.

Aubrey is not an equivalency to the risks of Momtaigne's philosophy, or a morally flawed character out of Trollope's repertoire, and Weiner's exposition starts to drag by the time we're introduced to Aubrey's love of his life partner towards the close of the book. As a disability journalist myself, one who hasn't fed the publish or perish maw with a string of mediocre collections precisely due to what I am about to assert, while I am sympathetic to writer teachers who take risks, mixing genres, Weiner just isn't very good at his job, and unlike the more successful Lewis, of Big Short fame, Weiner doesn't understand how to shape his narratives.

As a consequence, the science, the portraiture, the moral dilemma, and the humanisn, all of this gets severely short changed. The race for longevity in recent years has been simply amazing. It is reaching a feverish state. People want to live longer and scientists are searching for quick solutions.

Some people already lived to years, including Moses. It is said that Noah lived to years! Some modern-day gerontologists assure us that they could help a person live to years by doing the right things. They are willing to show us how. Invariably, discussions about longevity lead us to questions about mortality and immortality. Why are we mortal? Is it not true that some creatures, like the freshwater hydra, are capable of renewing their life on a regular basis? Where does this progression end? Weiner reviews for us the history of our thoughts on mortality with emphasis on recent developments.

What stands in the way? What will stop it? The answers are surprising: One reason is chronic body inflammations which increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks. The other, more surprising factor is garbage - body debris! We rarely think of our bodies as infested with trash that handicaps its growth. Yet in fact debris infects our body from the colon to the macula and even into our cells.

It was all right. Character driven story, so nothing much happens. My favorite character was Jane. Her past with her family, her boyfriend view spoiler [ her miscarriage hide spoiler ] , her brother, her photography all made for an interesting character. All the other members of the family seemed flat and had bland stories. However, even Jane's story had to be sucked into novel ridiculousness. We had to go there?

This was her big finish? I almost wish she'd had the fortune to die a noble death at the hands of a random accident instead of her brother.

Hardback Editions

Speaking of her brother, and her cousin for that matter, we couldn't do better to summon some emotions at their untimely deaths? Mar 16, Edan rated it really liked it. How would I handle that? I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, and I didn't want to be dishonest either. Thankfully, I really enjoyed Sonya's novel, which read so smoothly, even as it shifted characters' perspectives, even as it went from third person to first. I love the way Chung pulled us back into the past before releasing us into a present story that felt both quiet and Since both Sonya Chung and I write for The Millions, I was kind of scared to read this book--what if I didn't like it?

I love the way Chung pulled us back into the past before releasing us into a present story that felt both quiet and dramatic at once. The word that kept coming to mind as I was reading was "graceful. I can already think of at least 5 people who will love this one I'm going to be interviewing Sonya for The Millions, so stay tuned! Nov 14, Judy rated it it was ok Shelves: Han Hyun-Ku returns to visit his brother's family in Korea some 40 years after immigrating to America, leaving his alcoholic wife and depressed son behind but being followed by his photojournalist daughter.

The lives of various characters tangle and intersect, sometimes in tragic ways, as they each try to find their place in the family and in the world. This book has gotten very good reviews, but I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it would have been better in print so that I could keep the Korean Han Hyun-Ku returns to visit his brother's family in Korea some 40 years after immigrating to America, leaving his alcoholic wife and depressed son behind but being followed by his photojournalist daughter.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Maybe it would have been better in print so that I could keep the Korean names straight. In the audible version, they all sound too much alike and it was hard to remember who was who until well into the story. In addition, I didn't feel very drawn to or connected to any of the characters. Their motivations remained a mystery to me. Apr 13, V. Don't hide behind your camera. There's something like a realism, antiquarian, set in stone, three generations represented in a literate voice that never questions itself. There's supposed to be a moral standing here: It's all abandoned though.

We're meant to ignore the hunger for ideas and exegetical value and delve into sentimentalism Oh my. They're not long for this world. This might be comfortable to some but no Don't hide behind your camera. This might be comfortable to some but not to me. I want Hans that know they're types of something rather than just tokens. I don't know if Sonya Chung has attended a writer's workshop taught by Chang-Rae Lee and missed what made Aloft aloft but the scene seemed plausible when I wrote it.

Apr 25, Allyson rated it really liked it. I wrote my review under the comment section by accident. I feared with the lengthy cast of characters at the beginning I would lose track of whom was whom, but she outlines the feel of each character so well that I was able to recognize the confusing names without a problem. My only criticism would be that these people had some dramatically awful things happen in I wrote my review under the comment section by accident.

My only criticism would be that these people had some dramatically awful things happen in their lives which I found a little too much of a stretch to escape. One less death or major flaw would have been more believable but even with that, her story was a real gem, multi-faceted and beautiful presented. Jun 28, Jane rated it it was amazing. Not an easy read, but completely worth staying with.

Long for This World | Book by Sonya Chung | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

The writing is gorgeous, from the first sentences; and the story, while complex and heartbreaking, is completely engrossing. I needed the character list the author included in the front of the book. The names confused me for a while. This difficulty isn't helped by the fact that we jump from place to place and family to family in the beginning chapters.

These stories do merge, and the richness of so many family stories is another gift the book Not an easy read, but completely worth staying with. These stories do merge, and the richness of so many family stories is another gift the book offers. The main character, or one of them, is a photographer, and that was one of the huge pleasures of the book for me.

Long for This World

The author's writing about this character, Jane's, work as a photo-journalist, and her thoughts about her art are just beautiful. It would be a great book group book. Apr 19, Alice Shechter rated it it was amazing. Can't say enough about this book; complex, so moving, the characters are real enough to meet on the street and stick with you long after the last page--you hope to get an email update on what happened next! It is an immersion in an unfamiliar culture with none of the sometimes daunting feeling that not exactly understanding the references, or the culural code, will be a chore; yet also without tedious explanations.

The people in Ms. Chung's novel are people first: This was a wonderful read. Jun 29, Melissa rated it it was amazing. I am finding that I love to read about the experience of immigrants, especially from Asia. I imagine that is because half of my life was in the Eastern US and now, as a West Coaster for a longer period of time, my focus has shifted a bit.

Chung'a wiring is expressive and insightful. The characters are such a mix with so much information about their individual experiences, whether they were Korean-born and moved to America, or remained in Korea. The customs and manner described are so telling to I am finding that I love to read about the experience of immigrants, especially from Asia. The customs and manner described are so telling to a white American like me. I plan to try to find more books which give such a broad window into the Asian immigrant experience. Jan 24, Kelly McCloskey-Romero rated it really liked it.

The sentences were so amazing; many made me sigh or stop reading in awe. Ultimately, there's a lot of tragedy in this story, some prolonged and dull, some intense and short. I love the main character, Ai-jin, a photojournalist with true strength. The female characters in this book were quite powerful. I also enjoyed this window into Korea and the blend of Korean-American and Korean culture. She uses the language a lot in the text, and I love that. The ending line was wonderful.

I Beautiful and sad. I would almost go 5 stars on this, but it's a bit depressing. Not gratuitously so, but nonetheless. Mar 01, James Boo rated it really liked it. Long for This World is as much a testament to the craft of fiction - voice, setting and structure - as it is an artifact of genuine feeling. As Chung unravels the intertwining lives of an extended and multi-generational family of immigrants, each coming to terms with old challenges as he discovers new ones, she deftly immerses readers in memories of an all-too-real world, rather than simply leading them through it by the nose.

Reading this book is something like discovering what Murakami's stori Long for This World is as much a testament to the craft of fiction - voice, setting and structure - as it is an artifact of genuine feeling. Reading this book is something like discovering what Murakami's stories might have become if they weren't so obsessed with American pop culture and supernatural plot lines: Jun 24, Laura Jones rated it really liked it. Though this is an undoubtedly sad and heart-wrenching novel, it begs the reader to acknowledge the sides of being human that aren't always easy, and see the beauty in the diversity of human life.

The characters are all-too-human and relatable and the author's experience shines through. Definitely worth Though this is an undoubtedly sad and heart-wrenching novel, it begs the reader to acknowledge the sides of being human that aren't always easy, and see the beauty in the diversity of human life. Definitely worth a read. Grateful for the character list in front, though, as for a native-English speaker the names were a bit hard to keep track of.

Aug 08, Tilon Sagulu rated it it was amazing. I picked up this book in August, and when I was reading the last part of it, I left it at a foodcourt and of course I lost it--hopefully the person who took it reads. I've waited about a month for the new copy, and yes it was a painful wait!

This story does that to me. It is such a beautiful prose I learned a lot, not only about wri I picked up this book in August, and when I was reading the last part of it, I left it at a foodcourt and of course I lost it--hopefully the person who took it reads. I learned a lot, not only about writing, but most importantly, to be really stubborn on persisting and chasing beauty in life despite the situation I'm experiencing in this uncertain world.

Oct 03, Lynn Kanter rated it it was amazing. Long for this World is about a war photographer who is injured in Iraq and goes home to recover in New York. When she learns that her father has abruptly left her mother and gone to visit his brother in Korea — the first time he has returned to his home country in decades — the daughter goes to find him, bringing her cameras, her childlike Ko Long for this World is about a war photographer who is injured in Iraq and goes home to recover in New York. When she learns that her father has abruptly left her mother and gone to visit his brother in Korea — the first time he has returned to his home country in decades — the daughter goes to find him, bringing her cameras, her childlike Korean, her weariness and her curiosity about this mysterious notion of family.

Mar 03, Lisa rated it it was amazing. This was really lovely, a story of Korean and Korean-American families -- how they come together and pull apart -- and art and loss, all done with a true and light touch and no excess sentimentality. Chung has a great ear for language and an eye for nuance, and pulled me in steadily and surely -- by the end of the novel I was a bit surprised at how much I cared about every single character.

There's a lot of heart in this book, and nothing overplayed. My full review is here. Mar 24, Abby rated it really liked it Recommended to Abby by: I was drawn into the world of the Korean Hans, sensing how would I know for sure? I had less interest in Jane, the young American, who is selfish, egotistic, and seemingly oblivious to, or lacking in appreciation of, her privileged position in society.

Does she redeem herself in my eyes by the end? As for the rest, it is a well-crafted story peopled by a variety of well-realized I was drawn into the world of the Korean Hans, sensing how would I know for sure? As for the rest, it is a well-crafted story peopled by a variety of well-realized characters. It was a compelling read.

Questions?

The author is a friend of a friend. Many family members, many tragedies and triumphs, more than 2 or 3 countries, and different times make up this lovely book. A Korean family connects and then reconnects with its American members. Cultural choices are available to the younger generations, but not the older. Many types of love appear here, there, alive, and dead. Mostly the love of Sonya Chung directs this cast of characters in this wonderful book.

Dec 05, Odessa rated it liked it. The novel did not hold my interest.

Paperback Editions

It might be attributed to the scattered sets in part and the rest was because what appears to be the quintessential case of muti-culturalism gone awry. Somehow the author's attempt to celebrate that type of panoramic view and an approach to omnibus POV paradoxically killed her utmost strength--good writing and eyes to precision--and what it could have achieved potentially. Odds are these could all work if they were presented in short stories. Dec 31, Susan rated it really liked it. A successful American doctor returns to Korea, his birth home looking for the peace, predictability and stability for himself within a familial home, and finding you can never go back.

• A tuo padre (Italian Edition)
• My Brothers Wife : An Old-School Soap
• Hüter des Friedens (German Edition)
• The Hansa Towns
• You Oughta Be In Pictures
• REFLECTIONS OF A WOMAN’S HEART: A JOURNEY