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The World of Tomorrow

Brendan Mathews

2017 · 560 pages · Historical fiction

melancholy moodmoderate paceheavy and literary tonebittersweet ending

How it reads

The World of Tomorrow is historical fiction (historical family saga, specifically), and its dominant mood is melancholy. It's quietly sad, wistful and reflective. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in an international setting, in the historical past, told in the third person across several viewpoints. Its central concerns are family, love and loss and grief. In weight it's heavy and literary — denser, more serious, and more demanding of you.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is bittersweet: it resolves, but at a price. At 560 pages it's a real commitment. It's a hidden gem — known to relatively few readers.

Pick it up if…

  • you're in the mood for something melancholy
  • you want something to chew on
  • you like finding books before everyone else

Maybe not if…

  • you need something funny or hopeful
  • you want something you can finish this weekend

All 15 dimensions

Author gender
male
Author experience
debut
Setting: place
international
Setting: time
historical
Mood / feeling
melancholy
Pace
moderate
Tone / weight
heavy and literary
Length
long
Narrative style
third person, several viewpoints
Publication era
recent
Popularity
hidden gem
Series vs standalone
standalone
Themes
family, love, loss and grief
Ending style
bittersweet

What these mean: the 15 dimensions of a book.

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