The Cassandra Complex: The unforgettable Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

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Holly Smale is an exceptional writer and this book is a treasure. Everyone should read it and everyone will love it' Lindsey Kelk According to Bolen, the archetypes of Cassandra and Apollo are not gender-specific. She states that "women often find that a particular [male] god exists in them as well, just as I found that when I spoke about goddesses men could identify a part of themselves with a specific goddess. Gods and goddesses represent different qualities in the human psyche. The pantheon of Greek deities together, male and female, exist as archetypes in us all... There are gods and goddesses in every person." [10] I didn't want it to end, but I also couldn't stop reading. I really, really loved it' Keris Stainton

this book had a lot of greek mythology references and analogies, which completely went over my head because my knowledge of green mythology is at approximately a zero. so unfortunately that didn’t work well for me, but i think it definitely could for someone who’s interested in that! I liked the family/sister/parents storyline (however overdramatic it was) and all of the Greek mythology references, in the names and in Cassandra’s thoughts and its importance to her.I ended up liking the female roommate. Yes, the “message” of accepting yourself as you are and expecting that also from others is a good one as is being fine not being neurotypical. There are some quotes that I loved! Smale [] combines well-developed characters with laugh-out-loud humor….Readers will be drawn into Cassie’s life and won’t want to leave. This neurodiverse tale is ripe for discussion.” —BOOKLIST, Starred Review About Time meets The Rosie Project: A unique, heartwarming and life-affirming novel about one woman's unlikely journey through love, again and again... My main gripes with this book are to do with how much it does feel very white, cis, and heteronormative—especially given that it’s set in London, which is such a cosmopolitan city, and also given how queer the autistic community tends to be. This also made the book feel initially less like something I’d get into: A novel that on the surface seemed to be about an autistic girl chasing a guy, with some Greek mythology thrown in. But if that impression had made me put the book down, I’d have missed out on a surprising, fun, and very enjoyable read with many thought-provoking depths.Cassandra Complex" redirects here. For other uses, see Cassandra Complex (disambiguation). Painting of Cassandra by Evelyn De Morgan

Cassandra, the main character, has some great philosophical, original thoughts that effortlessly pulled me into the story. As she begins her narration, she even breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the reader. It was a really promising first impression, and even better, she only became more interesting the more I read. I could see how many people might be frustrated or annoyed with her horrible interactions with everyone around her. After all, she hasn't a clue how to engage in small talk or polite, casual conversation. She inevitably manages to offend or anger the person she is speaking to-completely unintentionally. Still, for me, her clumsiness at personal and professional relationships made me feel so sympathetic towards her struggles. The author spent a lot of time explaining Cassandra's differences, daily challenges, and feelings of despair that she couldn't stop pushing people away. Based on all of these things, it became crystal clear very early on that Cassandra is autistic, but was never diagnosed.

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Cassandra] is smart and often funny, and her chaotic attempts to set the world to rights are poignantly rendered' THE TIMES It's a very readable book. There's quite a lot of Greek myth references but they're interesting rather than distracting. Its not a re-telling by any stretch of the imagination. Its simply the story of a woman who has struggled to be heard, to fit in, to be accepted her whole life. The mystery woman, Diana, set the story on a whole new course that I was not expecting. After Cassandra's reconciliation with her, the storyline with Will is completely altered. At first, I was extremely annoyed. After all, wasn't this book partially a romance? Now it wasn't feeling like one so much. Then the more I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that maybe there was a reason she and Will keep having issues in every alternate reality she creates. As sweet as he is, perhaps they really are too different, and she was wrong about fate. She can keep altering it, but in the end, things will eventually realign in the way they were meant to go. Different journey, same results. So I adjusted my thinking about her new projected ending. This is all about her deciding not to time travel anymore because she finally accepts herself for who she is, differences and all. Except...she starts making mistakes again with Diana, time traveling again to fix it (after declaring that she won't anymore), and then deciding to contradict everything she claimed to have learned and start COMPLETELY over again.

if i could choose, i’d roll around in mud and laugh easily and be covered in puppies and take the world in my stride, but i can’t —i have never been able to— and the judgment i feel about that has always been for me.”

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However; I found it to be so incredibly tedious. To be fair I am finding it hard to find the right book at the right time this year but for me this book fell short. Cassandra Dankworth is a character as unique as she is endearing ... An absolute gem of a novel' Margarita Monitmore Cassandra is an absolutely brilliant character and I completely fell in love with her' READER REVIEW ***** Fear Before the March of Flames, Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party (song) on album The Always Open Mouth 2006

Witty, touching and totally absorbing. Cassandra is a funny and sharply-observed character who I loved spending time with.” —Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project Next, I didn't understand how the concept of time travel worked in this novel: Cassandra just closes her eyes? This is a science fiction novel of enormous scope, filled with wonders. Set earlier in the same "future history" as Inherit the Earth, Architects of Emortality, and The Fountains of Youth, The Cassandra Complex is the independent story of events crucial to the creation of the universe in which the others take place. It is the twenty-first century, a world of rapid change and biotech threats and promises. World War Three, the biotech war, is on the horizon and the world as we know it is going to end. The fateful question is, who is going to choose the kind of future that will follow, and who gets to live in this new world to come? First off -I love Holly Smale's writing style - I have read lots of her YA/middle grade books previously and she writes so personably. Its like reading a diary. Her characters are always so vivid and this book is no exception.Speaking of Art, I know it was suggested that Cass could have tried to save lives but I think Cass still did save lives in her own way! Sal decided to believe Cass over that trash boyfriend, Sophie got better recognition and (intentional or not) helped Art find her perfect match.