I really enjoyed this novel. I received a promotional copy of it at a Kerry Meetup in 2004 and started reading it, but during the craziness of that election year I put it aside. I picked it up again recently and was astonished at how easy it was to resume where I left off. "Losing Gravity" is a funny, sad and profound tale of environmental disaster, delivered with eloquent and witty prose. Author Kamala Ramy expertly integrates humor with serious themes, adding a dose of mysticism to create a surreal atmosphere. With "Losing Gravity," Ramy handles environmental issues in the way "Dr. Strangelove" depicted the Cold War: she conveys with dark humor the deadly seriousness of the dangers that face our planet. Ramy deftly handles a wide variety of characters: renegade lawyer Iroquois Jefferson, unapologetic capitalist Connery Deloy, Native American earth mother Sadu Qwa, buffoon-like Senators, and various extremists on both sides of the environmental debate. The story centers on Grace Ivanosky, a corporate lawyer who initially defends polluters, but who experiences an epiphany over the course of the story. The trials experienced by Grace and her family provide the emotional nucleus that propels the novel to its powerful climax. Ramy wittily depicts handles courtroom scenes, Capitol Hill debates, tribal rituals and wilderness excursions with equal panache. She isn't afraid to explore the absurd, but exerts enough control over characters and events to perpetuate a suspension of disbelief. Ramy's love for the planet is evident and she clearly sides with the environmentalists, but she respects the reader enough to avoid preaching or pontificating. Kamala Ramy deserves praise for bringing a new approach to the environmental debate. I eagerly await her future efforts.
On target fiction re: environment
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Remember when you went to see the China Syndrome and you weren't sure which was real - the movie or the event at Three Mile Island? Well, it's similar here. Everytime I put on the news there is yet another strange / destructive natural happening. This novel gives you a sense of what real evironmental horror is.
The REALITY version of Deep Impact / Armegeddon
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
This is a beautiful mother earth story; I found myself contemplating its poetic vignettes over and over. I look at the planet and mankind a lot differently.
A quirky mother earth novel: frightening & funny & mystical
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
This book was given to me as a gift. At first, I was disappointed. Who wants a book for Christmas? However, I was pleasantly surprised. I am not an environmentalist type. I don't like being preached to but this novel was able to convey the drama of environmental degradation and the humor of human nature. I found myself crying and laughing. I liked the slant of the novel. It critiqued mankind without necessarily criticizing. The thrust was that humans are also native to the planet. Sometimes I wasn't sure where I was in time and space. I think this was intentional. The characters are engaging and the dialogue is catchy. I felt a little suspended at the end - not disappointed and not let down - but suspended, like I was preparing to ascend to my next destination. That's it. It left you with a sense of destiny, of purpose [ Robin ]
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