I didn't believe in it, but I liked it. How's that for confusing? On the one hand, it's got many things I like in a book - alternative history, a post-apocalyptic story, a strong female protagonist, space - on the other hand, Kowal throws in every social issue of the 1950s plus nods to a few modern-day ones, which makes it just a bit Too Much. I liked Elma; Kowal has given her a sympathetic voice, she's not perfect but she is determined. Told from a first-person POV, we know Elma better than any of the others as Kowal doesn't give us a lot to go on with them. I liked how Elma fell back on her Southern "how to be polite and rude at the same time' training a lot. And I think including the racism and misogyny of the day was really important. Elma's uncomfortable realization that she didn't even notice no black people were being rescued was a good scene. I'm sure women were treated even worse than Kowal shows here. The mental health thing...eh, not necessary to the story perhaps. I was kind of interested that Michael and Elma have no children, and this is never addressed except in one small part where Michael asks her if she's pregnant. In fact very few of the women have kids...hmmm.
It's nice to read a post-apoc story without cannibals shambling through the landscape, but Kowal doesn't spend much time dealing with what would be horrific problems. Granted that they are among the privileged few, but with the climate changing as she describes food would be a major issue as would refugees. IMO there could have been less time spent on Elma's stage fright and more on that, but that's probably just me. I liked all the science bits, even if I don't understand the math, and the descriptions of the training they had to go through.
Anyway, I did like it quite a bit even with its flaws. I'll definitely read the sequel.

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