I'm a fan of Lionel Shriver but really struggled with this book. I didn't like the main character, her voice, her opinions, her outlook on life. There was nothing to engage me and I gave up after about 100 pages.

I have long enjoyed Shriver’s writing but this failed to pull me in as her other books have done. That said, Shriver’s razor sharp observations were present as always. Thanks NetGalley!

This was my first Lionel Shriver, but it won't be my last.

There were a couple of places where my interest waned, but it's worth 4* just for the DOT tribunal and Deacon meeting the tri-group scenes alone :)

Beautifully written, very funny, biting satire that captures modern life so well. And as a long-married 73 year old with a dodgy knee (wife has 2 dodgy knees) it's all very relevant, especially the sweet afterword.

This novel raises interesting issues about white privilege and has some very wry observations on the 21st century, for the full review go to https://joebloggshere.tumblr.com/post/627174310068551680/the-motion-of-the-body-through-the-space-by-lionel

This is the first of Shriver’s books I have read - I became keen to read it after hearing her on a podcast talking about her motivations for writing it. Parts of it are laugh out loud funny and parts of it are too tragic to be funny. It is beautifully written and its universal topics (aging, relationships) were interesting to read about.

This is a very enjoyable book for Lionel Shriver. Often hilarious but with plenty of viscous barbs thrown in to spice it up.

Lionel Shriver never fails to write interesting and thought-provoking novels, and this is no exception. Following a few years in the life of Serenata and Remington, a late middle-age couple, this book encompasses many themes, predominantly those of ageing and the cult of super-fitness. Not the most likeable characters, this novel can at times feel like merely an instrument for Shriver to grandstand about chosen issues, but it is nevertheless hugely entertaining and thought-provoking.

Great to have a older protagonist as the cornerstone of the story, which is well constructed and as literary as you'd expect from Shriver. Also great to to have a plot deal with a unique challenge on a longstanding marriage, beyond the predictable. However, for me the balance between celebrating diversity/fighting prejudice whilst avoiding pandering to current agendas wasn't quite struck for me and the tone felt slightly off and defensive in places - gives pause for thought though, which is always good.

I enjoyed the latest from Lionel Shriver, although her usual humour and acerbic tone likes to prod social issues. She has insight on ageing and letting go of the past. I would have liked a more forward-looking conclusion for the main character, whose growth felt curtailed.

It seems to take me about a third of a Lionel Shriver book before I get immersed in the story and want to know more. This book was no exception. Dealing with the petty jealousies, competition, love of a long-time married retired empty nest couple, I almost think this should be necessary reading immediately post-retirement.

Excellent story highlighting our contemporary obsession with exercise. Satirical, cutting and very, very funny. It could have been slightly shorter, but that's a minor criticism when I really enjoyed this novel.

A weird time to be reading this book, which has some discussions on race that left me feeling uncomfortable.
The story follows a couple who are arguing as one of them takes up extreme exercise (iterations of Iron Man and marathons) as the other is slowly losing mobility.
The novel is populated with unlikeable, irritating characters, and as Serenata and Remington bicker constantly it feels like reading the longest most boring disagreement ever. "Your exercise is expensive, bad for your health and futile". "No it's not!" and so on. For a whole book.
The ending is written in a different style to the rest of the book and left me feeling distanced. I read through all the conflict so why not give me a payoff from the same perspective?

I've read only one of Lionel Shriver's books before and I know I loved it, so whay has it taken me so long to read another? I don't know, but I've been missing out for sure.
This is a book about excercise - running in particular and the how obsessive it can become amongst other things.
This is also a book about relationships - marriage in particular and how we change as we get older because our bodies change no matter how hard we fight it.
For me this book was all about the beautiful writing - clever, descriptive, engrossing. Excellent dialogue, characters that are real.
Brilliant book, really enjoyed it.

I like her books and style of writing. A slow burn but beautifully composed. You can’t go wrong with her. A strong 5/5.

Overall I liked this book and thought the narrative was very compelling. You can slowly see how addicted Remington is becoming too attending races. It is very true to life, once you start doing races you can't stop! Not sure if it's the fact that you get a finishing t-shirt and a medal that makes you feel like you have accomplished something. I'm still not convinced that him taking not sure about taking on such mammoth activities was ultimately a good idea- especially pushing himself so far.

I didn't really relate to any one character specifically and at times a lot of them were verging on stereotypical. The nagging wife, the weak husband who succumbs to a classically physically attractive personal trainer. They seemed to lack depth at times. Serenata's views and rants are long and get quite tedious towards the end. I found Remington to be quite selfish (then I guess a lot of men do when they are going through a mid life crisis! I also didn't like the generalisation of personal trainers as though they are all narcissistic. In real life I think they are important motivators to get people exercising and although some charge a high fee i think in such a lazy society these key motivators are needed.

I think although the world of extreme races and challenges is booming (Mettleman made me think of Tough Mudder- especially the war talk about going out, living your potential etc) there are problems with it becoming almost 'cult' like and Shriver does a great job at diving into this world, especially from the perspectives of an older person.

Really enjoyed this. I love how the book.covers both points of view in a nice fiction form. The relationships between all the characters really forms well and you see a nice development of character and a range of arguments. I'm personally not that into sports but found it very enjoyable.

Serenata doesn't "want to belong to any club that would accept" her as a member, a feeling exacerbated as her estranged daughter gets religion, her husband finds exercise just as she herself develops a condition that precludes it, and her job is threatened by what she sees as political correctness.

Beautifully written, thought provoking and hugely funny in places. The book even seems to predict 'Coronavirus' in the last chapter.

I have no doubt that Serenata would indeed be very good at social distancing.

#TheMotionoftheBodyThroughSpace #NetGalley

I loved this book, as I hoped I would, as I've enjoyed everything else Shriver has written. The story addresses exercise, extreme exercise, ageing, and our relationships to all of these experiences and how we relate to others around us. Highly recommend.

I have just finished this book which I enjoyed a lot partly due to the humorous descriptions of the physical challenges of growing old in a body which however much we try, may have different plans from our mind and will.
that perhaps doesn't sound like much of a great read but perhaps especially for those of us over 40, it is very comforting to follow the story of one full on athlete and one would be athlete, trying to outrun time and biology.
Serenata and Ray are a happy married couple whose partnership has long depended on a form of ironic banter which gave them the sense of ‘Us against The World’ . But a career crisis sets Ray on a path of self discipline- to complete first a marathon and then a MettleMan- which his wife, a more private and solitary athlete, finds ridiculous. Its never a good plan to ridicule the later life passions of your husband and the couple start to unravel as both of them move in different directions.
I liked the writing a lot even though I found the couple’s banter uncomfortable to witness. Perhaps that is also what drive both their children away?
Here is a scene where Deacon speaks with his mother as he drops her off at hospital for a knee replacement, while Ray has inexplicably failed to return from a training bike run.
“Ducking in, she supported her right leg by holding on to the door. “I don’t know, maybe it’s a good sign that he can still hurt my feelings.” “Your honeybunch may not be able to make you feel all warm and gooey inside anymore,” Deacon said. “But the ability to fuck you up, well—it’s the last magic power to go.”“

It wasn't a deep read, but it made me laugh and was entertaining enough to keep me engrossed over two days. I enjoyed this book.

Lionel Shriver writes about issues, and casts her sardonic, caustic and sharply observant eye over those issues that affect so many of us – from school shootings, to obesity, to health insurance. In her latest novel she skewers the current obsession with fitness and exercise, especially exercise to the point of obsession. I have never yet read one of her books that doesn’t speak to me to a lesser or greater extent and this one is no exception. The narrative on which she hangs her acerbic attack is the story of a marriage, that between Serenata and Remington. Serenata herself, now in her 60s, has always been a fitness fanatic but now finds that her knees have given way. Remington has just lost his job and to her surprise announces out of the blue that he plans to run a marathon, even though he has never done any running before. Serenata finds she simply cannot sympathise with his new ambition and the strain this puts on their marriage soon starts to show. So far so good. Shriver’s lampooning of the fitness and running community is withering and perceptive and darkly funny. But I found that whereas in previous novels the balance between narrative and the issues was held in equilibrium, here I feel she just goes too far, and her attack lacks subtlety. Her characterisation begins to smack of caricature, and some of the dialogue, usually one of her strengths, here begins to sound like mini-lectures. And then she widens her brief to attack other ills of our age. There’s a long sub-plot about Remington’s dismissal from work due to an altercation with his new boss – a young, unqualified black woman who is portrayed purely as a stereotype. His tribunal is certainly amusing and few of us will fail to relate to how his words are misinterpreted but it has nothing to do with the core narrative. Shriver also brings in the couple’s two children, both of whom have “issues” of their own and who are interesting characters, but no attempt is made to explain how they became who they have turned out to be. I feel they could easily have been left out, or else should have been explored in more detail. All in all, this one just didn’t seem to have the coherence of Shriver’s other novels and her constant sneering became wearing. However – I did in fact really enjoy the book, even though I got irritated at times, not least because I agreed with Shriver’s sentiments, but it would have been a better book with a bit less sermonising and a bit more nuance.