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I've read many Heinlein books, but finally got around to reading "Time Enough for Love" over the past couple of weeks. I just finished it last night and am kicking myself for not reading it sooner. Has anyone else read this incredible book? I felt the polyamorous theme was stronger in this book than in any of his others. I am in awe of the things he was writing about given the era he wrote in. I didn't want it to end the way it did. What did you think of the ending?
If you haven't read this book yet, you might want to stop reading this thread so the end isn't given away!
If you haven't read this book yet, you might want to stop reading this thread so the end isn't given away!
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 20, 2004 - 7:36 PMThis is actually my favorite Heinlein book (although the tribe might throw me out since it isn't Stranger). I love this book. I love each of the characters, I adore the love story with Laz and Dora. I don't really mind the ending. This book makes me want to spend time with these folks inside the story. I have the same reaction to The Number of the Beast. What did you think of that one? -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 20, 2004 - 10:34 PMI liked the pulp adventure of Number of the Beast myself, but always hated the polyamourus stuff Heinlein throws in every books. -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Mon, July 26, 2004 - 11:19 AMSee, the poly stuff is what I enjoy most about his books. -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 27, 2004 - 6:47 PM"See, the poly stuff is what I enjoy most about his books."
Ditto. I refrained from commenting on that "poly stuff = bad" thing because I didn't think I could address it calmly - so, this is probably all I'll say about it. ;p
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, August 10, 2004 - 10:40 AMG0dddessC0mplex:
I am not sure if it is the most enjoyable thing about his books, but is is close for me.
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Sat, August 28, 2004 - 10:25 PMI'm inclined to agree. I find it hard to believe that as varied and changable creatures as humans are that we are going to love just one person forever and always. The needs of the moment change with growth and time unless you are stagnant. I do think most people are capable of loving more than one person either serially or concurrently. The number of the beast and cat who walked through walls are two of my favorites for a couple of reasons. First I love the idea of being to change realities and sleep for as long as you want without it impacting the reality you live in. I could finally fit everything I wanted/needed to do in a day. Second the idea that every character that I have really connected with is alive and well and living in their own world appeals to me on a deep emotional level. I have to say for just story level appeal my favorite has got to be the door into summer. Been looking for the door into winter since I moved to Arizona!
Linda
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Wed, March 21, 2007 - 5:14 PMI must say I agree! Heinlein almost writes just to espouse on polyamory and love and such, with the occasional bit of sci-fi thrown in for good measure. Time Enough for Love has touched me each time I've read it.
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Mon, July 26, 2004 - 7:07 PMPULP ADVENTURE!!!!? Any moron with a word processor and spell check can write pulp novel/novelette, there are thousands on the market. Anyone with half a mind would know that Heinlein was anything but a pulp fiction writer, and 50 years ahead of his time. It would seem to me that if anyoine didn't like the themes of his stories, they wouldn't read anymore after once determining they contained what the reader may have deemed objectionable.
Personally, I have read everything Heinlein ever wrote, and a lot of it when I was young. I think the man was pure unfettered genius.
MH
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 27, 2004 - 12:03 PMJimmy, it's unfortunate to hear that Heinlein's belief that Love need not be limited to being between only two at a time is somehow 'hated', by ANYONE. If it were a 'zero-sum game', maybe, but one thing we can ALL take from Heinlein's writing, is that Love is anything BUT a zero-sum adventure. Loving more than one, does NOT take something FROM another, but ADDS to what you can experience in life. Think of it as having another plate full of food handed to you, rather than taking half the food from one plate to put on another.
I wish you luck in life, and hope you someday find what Love can truly mean.
Peace to you.
Tattoo Shaman
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Mon, July 26, 2004 - 11:18 AMI love the part about Laz and Dora, too. I haven't read Number of the Beast. I'll have to pick that one up. -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Mon, July 26, 2004 - 5:19 PM
I dearly loved Number of the Beast. A delightful read!
The poly aspect is incredibly refreshing to me, giving us characters who are secure enough, real enough, and loving enough to relate to others in a way that is outside the pathetic mediocre little box into which society would place them. This is the beauty of Heinlein in so many ways, not just that one point, and to limit his characters' ability to love would be a betrayal: contrived, artificial, and out of keeping with their otherwise exceptional ethics and thought processes.
Just my opinion.
Big hugs,
:-)
Grandma
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Wed, March 21, 2007 - 5:19 PMOh indeed you should! It's wonderful, although I get a little tired of the characters talking about their degrees and qualifications. IMHO, it's unique in Heinlein's works, and not long after it was written, I believe he had brain surgery. The point of it is that we all create reality, which is of course true, and in saying so, Heinlein was so incredibly ahead of his time like he was with his concepts of love and brotherhood.
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 27, 2004 - 12:00 PM"Time Enough for Love" is, for me anyway, Heinlein's signature novel. He devotes that many pages to the different aspects and meanings of what it means to Love, without once getting 'cheezy', and often causing some of us 'harder' folks to tear, as with the loss of Dora to old age.
"The Number of the Beast" is NOT a 'pulp', it's a wonderful story, incorporating all the best of fiction, from all of our favorite stories over the years. You'll be doing yourself a favor by reading it, Goddess, dear.
Enjoy.
Peace to all. Love and Respect.
Tattoo Shaman -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 27, 2004 - 3:50 PMTIME ENOGH FOR LOVE is my all time favorite book.
Just a quick question: Wasn't THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST written by Heinlein's wife based on his outline after he died? It was definately a great story.. but the style was quite different.
Thanks,
David -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 27, 2004 - 4:07 PMNo, the closest Mrs. H came to that was publishing "Grumbles From The GRave," a compilation of his letters. In one of the letters (I believe to a publisher or editor) RAH makes mention of a posthumous book to be called GFTG. -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 27, 2004 - 4:24 PM
I believe Spart is correct on this.
NumberOTB was interesting because of the 4 viewpoints, but each of them did have similarities to the flavor of other RAH characters, such as Friday and Hugh Farnam for example. Just demonstrates how versatile Heinlein really was. The artwork in Number was lovely.
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, July 27, 2004 - 7:17 PMWritten by Ginny, from Robert's notes? Definitely not. Nor, really, was anything else.
The closest thing to that would be the "restored" version of _Stranger_ itself, which I do not regard as an improvement on the originally published edition. And even then - it was Robert's writing, exclusively; it was just stuff that had been edited out of, or rewritten for, the first release.
_Number_ was published in 1980, 7 years *before* his death.
But _Number_ *was*, IIRC, the first book he did after a near-death experience/major illness. That might explain any slight differences (and IMNSHO, they *were* slight, if one could even argue they existed at all) in style.
I personally found the style of _Beast_ to be sort of a blend of _Glory Road_ & _Time Enough_, both of which preceded it by some years; and, of course, quite congruent with his *later* work (_Friday_, _Cat That Walks Through Walls_), as well.
But maybe that's just me. <shrug> -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Fri, March 3, 2006 - 2:22 PMI wonder if the question about "written by Mrs H after Robert died from his notes" isn't alluding to Jane Lindskold's finishing several of Roger Zelazny's novels, particularly - Lord Demon and Donnerjack.
Peace
T
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Mon, August 16, 2004 - 9:30 AMYes read every thing RAH wrote.. then just to throw a wrench into the mix try "Steel Beach" by John Varley. Who was in love with RAH to. 8 )
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Fri, July 22, 2005 - 10:42 PM
The ending was no ending at all. It felt like the beggining of a new adventure. One we all will face one day when it is our time to "Hear the wild geese honking."
Time enough for love is my favorite of RAH's books with Stranger a close second tied with "I will fear no evil." -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Mon, November 7, 2005 - 3:26 PMI loved this book so much that I did the research to find these charecters in all of the other books he wrote. Farnhams Freehold is the story of Laz & Dora, his only non Howard wife. An excellent read. If anyone is interested I can tell them where to find some of the other charecters. I have just re-read TEFL = Time enough for love; I think it is a dozen times now.
One of my personal favoriets is "I will fear no evil" quite the twist!
TANSTAFL!
Gigi -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Fri, January 27, 2006 - 12:15 PMi am afraid that farnham's freehold didn't apear to have anything at all to do with laz or dora. not that i wouldn't like to read more about them, but sorry. it just didn't. -
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Wed, March 21, 2007 - 5:22 PMI must agree, the characters seem unconnected, but Farnam's Freehold is a fantastic book none the less. :)
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Re: Time Enough for Love
Tue, March 27, 2007 - 3:19 PMThere's probably more Heinlein in "love" than in all the other books combined. I think He thought so, anyway.
