4.5 Star
She’s a Democrat, he’s a Republican. She spends her days fighting global warming at an environmental non-profit, he makes his living doing PR for Bell Motors and their fleet of SUVs. But as soon as they meet, Emily Crossley and Robert Drake realize they have encountered their intellectual match. You’re never challenged, he tells her. You’ve surrounded yourself in a cocoon of people who think exactly the same way you do. She hurls the same accusation back at him, and the fiery debates begin. Despite both of their attempts to derail it, there is no denying that they are falling in love. But their relationship is threatened by political differences, Robert’s excessive work hours, and Emily’s fear of losing her identity as she falls deeper in love. Can their love survive? The Drake Equation is a tale of modern love and all its complexities.
Rebecca - 4.5 Star
The world of publishing is an utter mystery to me. There is plenty of published drivel out there, of which I've read more than my fair share, and then there is this gem of a book that is self-published because of a lack of interest from the all powerful publishing houses. It's frankly ludicrous. When the author approached me asking for a review, I was immediately intrigued by the premise. I proudly admit to being something of a tree hugging environmentalist type but one who also confesses to liking the finer things in life that a consumer capitalist society provides, you know useful nice things like cars, wine, holidays etc. So what happens when you try squaring that circle in the context of a relationship? The Drake Equation explores this in detail and I found it captivating.
Generally I like books that have more than just a romantic theme and The Drake Equation is thought provoking without being too preachy. Most of all I enjoyed Emily and Roberts fiery dialogue where they test out the other's ideology; their verbal sparring even reminded me of Darcy and Elizabeth pithy exchanges. My only criticism is that I felt I wanted to know more of the story and the themes could have been developed for further and longer into Emily and Robert's lives. But perhaps it's not a bad thing to leave your readership wanting more; it leaves scope for a sequel.
Last year when it was leaked that JK Rowling had her latest book rejected many times as she had tried to publish under a pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, there were some red-faced publishers left kicking themselves. I'm secretly hoping that in a few years time there will be a Galbraith-esque moment in one or two publishing houses on this side of the Atlantic - "so it was you who turned down Heather Walsh!" Here's hoping.
Thank you to Heather Walsh for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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