I needed one more book to finish the 52 Book Club: Week 2024 Challenge, and the prompt was for "nominated for the Booker Prize." I decided I wanted to select a book nominated for the 2024 Booker (the nominations were announced yesterday, July 30), and I picked "Orbital" by Samantha Harvey, because it sounded different and interesting. I am so glad I chose this book -- it was unlike anything I've read -- while the basic premise involves the lives of a group of four astronauts and two cosmonauts assigned to the final mission of the Space Station, this book is so much more than that. The structure, the plot -- well, there is no traditional plot that most people would recognize as such -- the descriptive narrative that is beautiful and mesmerizing, the characters that you really come to relate to, the fact that world geography and climate change is a major part of the novel... I just finished reading it, and I already want to re-read it just to experience Ms. Harvey's beautiful prose. One of my favorite side stories of the book involves a postcard the astronaut Shaun brought as a personal item to the space station. When Shaun was in high school, a teacher showed her class a photo of Diego Velazquez's most famous painting, "Las Meninas." Shaun, who only wanted to learn how to be a fighter pilot, couldn't appreciate fine art, while his future wife understood the beauty and meaning of the painting and sent him a postcard 15 years prior to his trip to space, in which she tried to explain the painting to him -- he brought his postcard with him on his space voyage. I won't get into all the specifics, but Shaun shows the postcard to a a fellow astronaut (an Italian), who shows him a new way to interpret the painting -- a valuable lesson to apply not just to art, but to assumptions about life in space, life on earth and humanity in general. Another of my favorite aspects of the novel is the astronauts' use of lists, not just to pass the time but also to share personalities and opinions. There were lists of "anticipated things" (plums, slamming a door in anger, fried eggs, skiing, etc.), "surprising things" (imagination, Jackie Onassis's mode of death, a blue pen with a red lid, etc.), "irritating things" (tailgaters, tired children, lumpy pillows, stuck zips, etc.), and others. So relatable! There isn't a lot of political talk -- other than the two Russians having one toilet and the Americans, Asians and Europeans using another -- and they weren't supposed to share food or supplies -- all of which they ignored, but the underlying message is all countries and continents are connected (you can more visibly see this from low orbit), and we are all humans, no matter the ethnicity or nationality. This review really seems kind of disjointed, but the book fits that description. I loved it, not only because it was so out of the realm of most books I read (and I read a lot), but because it makes you appreciate our humanity and how we must work to save it.

This short novel has some of the most beautiful sentences -- exceptional/evocative/multi-layered descriptions of Earth as experienced -- orbit after orbit -- by an international crew of astronauts -- and all in the fewest words possible. Caveat: if you're looking for a plot-driven space/sci-fi adventure, look elsewhere, -- there's lotsa great stuff to choose from. (I recommeded Stanislaw Lem.) But if you jump aboard, "Orbital" will absolutely change the way you "see" our planet. The novel's power is its stellar, emotional beauty. It literally -- and figuratively -- shows you there's no place like our home: Earth.

there is no plot. The author simply follows six astronauts in the international space station, describing what the Earth looks like, what they think and feel as they look at the Earth and go about their duties on the space station. poetic, enchanting, mesmerizing. The complexities of being human, and encountering the earth from space. Stunning.

Strong writing, a few interesting meditations, but mostly repetitively tedious space stuff. Also, it gave me vertigo. If it wasn’t only 200 pages, I would’ve peaced out.

I am going to give a copy to everyone I love and care for, young and old! It was a mesmerizing tour de force, a pure pleasure to read. Thank you, Samantha Harvey!

The book arrived in good shape. It took over 2 weeks, but that was stated at ordering. I took one star off because I received a couple of requests for review before the projected (and actual) delivery.

This book is one long flowery description of what the earth looks like viewed from space. There’s no plot, nothing happens. The prose is beautiful at the beginning but becomes annoying and repetitive by the middle. I’m very surprised this was a Booker listed book. It’s more like a writing exercise in excessive description. There’s no action and nothing new. Skip it.

Well it is ridiculous that anyone can write this beautifully and also have it just be about a day and a night on the space station, but here we are, looking at Samantha Harvey’s portrait of six astronauts, who spend their spare moments looking down at us and never seeing us, falling toward us and never arriving.

A beautifully written gem. That's a book to read time and again.

Quick delivery; as expected. Would have liked if the packaging was a bit better because the day it was delivered, it was raining and the edges of the book were a little soggy. Not too much but they were.

Occasionally you read a book that would not have normally been on your radar- books focussing on space, technology and science have never truly appealed as they often feel devoid of human depth. Orbital is one such book! Making the Booker short list and having read the other contenders, it seemed churlish not to read the final book... and thank goodness I did. As a person who feels more closely related and connected to the natural environment and the awareness of the natural world and the human connection within, I was blown away by the meditative beauty of this book. This is an exploration of mankind- their place on the planet and beyond . Their strengths, weakness and desires to control or search for meaning. Orbital follows six astronauts on the international space station as they complete the daily sixteen ( 90 minute) orbits of the planet. Samantha Harvey's prose is poetic, moving , like a colour palette and deeply moving. The inner thoughts and emotions of the crew are explored with tenderness - each trying to connect with the person in space and the world below. The descriptions of the earth and locations are so poignant and in so few words the imagery is conveyed in such a beautiful way that you cannot be moved by what we share on this planet but also what we are killing . It sounds like a cliche to say that a book really is life changing but for me and my perspective on living and man's desire to push the boundaries whilst continue to self-destruct Orbital encapsulates so much A stunning read- whether it wins the Booker ..who knows until November ..but at this point this will be the book that lasts longest in my thoughts - thank you, Samantha Harvey and thank goodness I pushed my own barrier to read Orbital.

I wanted science fiction and I was disappointed. We have six astronauts in a space station. We have six parallel stream-of-thought narratives. They merge into one another, clouds of literary introspection and self-analysis. None of them seem to be rocket scientists. It could have been set anywhere on earth and be the same. Anywhere with psychology and literature graduates.

I don't have a good experience of reading space non-horror books. But wow! this is such a delicious treat! No plot to discuss here. Just read it for the pleasure of reading. It's so well written.