I first read this book as part of a course I took in college called "Alien Sex: A review of non-normative sex in mythology, fantasy, and science fiction throughout history." This may have biased my perception of the story. I wrote a paper in which I discussed the parallels between this story and the myth of Narcissus: comparing a hero who falls in love with a mirror and therefore falls in love with himself, and a young girl who falls in love with a robot who is programmed to be exactly what she wants him to be. The story is an exploration of love and free will. How can the robot fulfill his programming to be what she wants, when what she wants is for the robot to want her DESPITE its programming? It is an exploration of desite, attainability, and free will.

So maybe it's not surprising that I thought that there was more to this book than just a whiny girl engaged in a teen romance plot-line. Sure, the characters might be a little flat, but to make up for it the world in which they live is detailed and fantastic. This book was first published in 1981, but the future world it portrays is not out-dated at all. And the writing is poetic and beautiful.

I definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in thinking about the meaning and character of love and attraction, and the ways in which interacting with a computer is like looking in a mirror. ( )

http://fantasycafe.blogspot.com/2009/... ( )

I was seriously disappointed in this book and Tanith Lee, despite the fact that this is one of her earlier efforts. Had I read it when published, I would not be reading her works today. The story is banal--rich (emphasized often!) teenaged girl under mother's thumb with small circle of friends, some of whom are not friendly, sees a sophisticated robot and falls in love. When robot is threatened with destruction, she wheedles true friend into buying it, and robot and girl run away to become street musicians. They are found out and girl must go on, knowing she had her true love.

The heroine weeps copiously, at every opportunity (it's her main character flaw in the story). She also whines incessently, which, while typical of a 16YO, is also very annoying. The robot is handsome, true, faithful, has a great sense of humor, and is doomed. True friends are true friends.

This is a book for fans. ( )

One of my favorite books ever--the perfect combination of science fiction, masterful writing, and romance. It's too bad Tanith Lee penned a sequel to this, as this is one book that should have been left alone. In fact, I would recommend you not read the sequel, as it rather spoils the effect of this book. ( )

Perhaps there are others like me, who missed reading this lovely classic, first published a quarter century ago. Then this review is for them.

The heroine, sixteen-year-old Jane, comes of age in the book, so I suppose it would be classified as a teen or young adult novel in the Science Fiction genre. It is also a funny and moving romance, a commentary on what it means to be human, and a satire on political expediency.

In some future world, where the rich have escaped to mansions in the clouds, and the poor live like New York City poor in the depression years, two unlikely people find love and fulfillment in the slums. Although the plot is about love between a girl and a robot, the novel is not erotic. The crux of the novel is about a young woman asserting her identity. Tanith Lee uses a light but deft touch to show Jane's overbearing mother, and Jane's shallow friends. Lee creates a convincing world, one where Jane's choices make so much sense, that they seem normal and not bizarre at all.

I read the novel a month ago, but Lee's poetic descriptions are vivid to me now as I write this. Lee understands how to build empathy for her characters and tension in her scenes. She keeps her part of the writer-reader bargain: she delivers the magnificent climax, the fulfilling ending.

Tanith Lee is a prolific writer, and this book, although one of her earliest, is still a favorite among her fans. It reads like a dream, one that I didn't want to end. Don't miss it.

(My original review was first published at Forward Motion and on my blog, Pandababy.) ( )