What will happen to life when science identifies the genetic basis of happiness? Who will own the patent? Do we dare revise our own temperaments? Funny, fast, and magical, Generosity celebrates both science and the freed imagination. In his most exuberant book yet, Richard Powers asks us to consider the big questions facing humankind as we begin to rewrite our own existence.
New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2009
Chicago Tribune Favorite Fiction of 2009
Finalist, Arthur C. Clarke Award, 2011
Washington Post Best Books of 2009
Booklist Editors’ Choice 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Best Books of 2009
Kansas City Star Best Books of 2009
King County Library System Best of 2009
American Library Association Notable Books 2010
San Francisco Examiner 10 best Book Club books of 2009
Finalist, Indies Choice Book Award for 2010 Adult Fiction Book of the Year
“Provocative . . . fascinating . . . dazzling.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
“No writer of our time dreams on a grander scale or more knowingly captures the zeitgeist.” —The Dallas Morning News
“An excellent introduction to Powers’s work, a lighter, leaner treatment of his favorite themes and techniques . . . An engaging story-teller . . . even as he questions the conventions of narrative and character, Generosity gains in momentum and suspense.”—Jay McInerney, The New York Times Book Review
“Powers is a brilliantly imaginative writer, working here with a lightness of touch, a crisp sense of peace, and a distinct warmth. . . . Powers shows both his reach as a student of humanity and his mastery as a storyteller.”—O, The Oprah Magazine
“When written by Dostoevsky, Dickens, or Richard Powers at his best, one may feel that [the novel] can contain every facet of the world.”—Michael Dirda, The New York Review of Books
“Powers fuses riveting narrative and spot-on dialogue with thought-provoking social analysis.”—Dan Cryer, Newsday
“One of our most exciting contemporary novelists.”—Amanda Gefter, Philadelphia Inquirer