Machines Like Me

Name: Machines Like Me
Brand: Vintage Publishing
SKU: 9781529111255
Price: 26.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lessons

By Ian McEwan

3.59

( 32,277 ratings, 3,899 reviews)

Summary

Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan is a thought-provoking novel set in an alternative 1980s London. It explores a complex love triangle between a man, a woman, and a perfect artificial human. The story delves into themes of realism and morality, intertwining human emotions with the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$26⁰⁰

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Machines Like Me

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are fascinated by themes of artificial intelligence, ethical dilemmas, and complex human relationships set in an alternative history. It offers thought-provoking insights into what it means to be human, with the characteristic literary flair Ian McEwan is known for.

Machines Like Me

**Number One Sunday Times Bestseller**

Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret.

When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans.

Our foremost storyteller returns with an audacious new novel, Machines Like Me.

Description

Our foremost storyteller returns with an audacious new novel, Machines Like Me.

Number One Sunday Times Bestseller

In an alternative 1980s London, Machines Like Me unfolds in a world where Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher is clinging to power, and Alan Turing has made breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, we meet Charlie, a directionless man avoiding full-time employment, who is hopelessly in love with Miranda, a brilliant postgraduate student harbouring a painful secret.

Upon receiving a financial windfall, Charlie purchases Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda's guidance and input, Charlie meticulously co-designs Adam's personality, weaving in qualities they admire and crafting what they hope will be the perfect being. Adam quickly proves to be almost too perfect – beautiful, strong, and strikingly intelligent. As the trio's lives become increasingly intertwined, a complex love triangle develops, leading to a profound moral quandary that challenges the very essence of what it means to be human.

Through the lens of this electrifying love triangle, Ian McEwan provokes readers to question: Can the perfect partner be designed? Do our actions define our humanity, or is it our internal landscape that makes us truly human? Machines Like Me bravely explores the boundary between artificial intelligence and the human soul, pushing readers to ponder the mysterious nature of consciousness and emotional connection.

Critically acclaimed, Machines Like Me has been described as:

'Funny, thought-provoking and politically acute...' - Sunday Times

'Dazzling' - Guardian

'An unsettling examination of the human condition. Bold, clever.' - Sunday Telegraph

Provocative, moving, and deeply engaging, Machines Like Me is a masterful novel that invites readers to glimpse into an alternative history while questioning the future of human and artificial relationships. Immerse yourself in a spellbinding narrative that blurs the lines between man and machine.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Machines Like Me is highly acclaimed, showcasing McEwan's unique talent. Critics praise its cerebral incisiveness and engaging readability, blending dark themes with crowd-pleasing elements. The novel's exploration of human-technology interaction, gripping plot, and moral complexity are highlighted as standout features. Reviewers find it compelling, disturbing, and masterfully crafted, underscoring McEwan's intelligence and storytelling prowess.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529111255

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 March 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 258g

Pages: 320

Collections

All Books Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Ian McEwan Literary Fiction Sci-Fi & Fantasy

About the Author

Ian McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of seventeen books. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; and Nutshell, which was a Number One bestseller. Atonement, Enduring Love, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach have all been adapted for the big screen.