Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

zeerooth@ramblingreaders.org reviewed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Moving story about love, friendship and death with gamedev as its core

4 stars

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a really well written novel. Telling a story of 2 childhood friends, Sam and Sadie, reuniting to develop games together, which eventually launches them into a world of fame, business and opportunities but also hatred, dilemmas and rivalry. The character development of these two, their family and their friends is really superb, it's definitely one of the strongest aspects. There are a lot of references to games of the era and gaming culture in general. The only thing that didn't quite meet my expectations is how the actual process of developing games is a bit unrealistic and often just glossed over. While the first game that the duo makes is explained in detail, the next games just mostly happen in the background while the drama takes the stage, which for me feels like a missed opportunity, even though a typical reader might not be …

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a really well written novel. Telling a story of 2 childhood friends, Sam and Sadie, reuniting to develop games together, which eventually launches them into a world of fame, business and opportunities but also hatred, dilemmas and rivalry. The character development of these two, their family and their friends is really superb, it's definitely one of the strongest aspects. There are a lot of references to games of the era and gaming culture in general. The only thing that didn't quite meet my expectations is how the actual process of developing games is a bit unrealistic and often just glossed over. While the first game that the duo makes is explained in detail, the next games just mostly happen in the background while the drama takes the stage, which for me feels like a missed opportunity, even though a typical reader might not be interested in that aspect.

sarah reviewed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

friendship and games

4 stars

I liked this. I might not play enough games to fully appreciate it? But I was very into the complicated friendship and the emphasis on the rarity of that connection.

Jim Brown reviewed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

If-then

No rating

At it's best moments, this book does a really great job of being both about games and evoking the if-then logic of games and game decision points. It also has interesting stuff about game engines (how they shape and constrain creation) and collaboration (the Jobs+Woz dynamic of a salesperson and a designer). It also feels like it was written for late Gen-X or early Millenials - references to Donkey Kong, Oregon Trail, Everquest, etc.

I think I would've liked it more if it were shorter...I liked the first half much better than the second, and some of that is because the latter half ends up pulling in mass shootings and 9-11 in a way that didn't feel like it connected with the core of the novel.

I should add that I listened to this, and I do think reading it would provide even more of that if-then logic. It's hard …

At it's best moments, this book does a really great job of being both about games and evoking the if-then logic of games and game decision points. It also has interesting stuff about game engines (how they shape and constrain creation) and collaboration (the Jobs+Woz dynamic of a salesperson and a designer). It also feels like it was written for late Gen-X or early Millenials - references to Donkey Kong, Oregon Trail, Everquest, etc.

I think I would've liked it more if it were shorter...I liked the first half much better than the second, and some of that is because the latter half ends up pulling in mass shootings and 9-11 in a way that didn't feel like it connected with the core of the novel.

I should add that I listened to this, and I do think reading it would provide even more of that if-then logic. It's hard to pay close attention to structure (the book does some interesting stuff with chapter titles and branching logics at one point that doesn't translate as well in an audiobook).

Brian Plunkett reviewed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Review of 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

4.5 stars. I had a few doubts at points along the way, but in the end this lived up to the hype. It was just as good as everyone said (NYT, NPR, Kirkus). This great Bob Lefsetz post convinced me that I needed to read it. I was seriously hooked by the third chapter. Engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking and funny. I cared a lot about the characters.

Shannon Kay reviewed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Review of 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

It was nostalgic, with depth. I appreciate the themes of video games and theatre, and the friendship love story.

I actually related to a lot of things in this book.I married a game developer. I loved doing theatre in high school and college. I’m 9-10 years younger than the main characters, so their childhood and college years were a different timeframe, technologically, but most were timeframes that I remembered nostalgically.

I don’t know what the overlap is between those who have read this book and those who have participated in game development, but most of the reviews I’m seeing are from people who say they don’t know too much about games. That’s fine, but I’m just curious. Like, how many other people have read this book that have also, for example, opened Unreal Engine? Is it just me?

Goblin

rated it

Dec 19