G’day Bookworms,
Remember back to Valentine’s Day when I crowd sourced a Top Ten Tuesday list of bloggers’ favorite romances? One of the suggestions that came from Sarah of Sarah Says Read was for The Mad Scientist’s Daughter
It’s the future. Some sort of apocalypse has come to pass leaving the human race rather depleted. To make up for the lack of people to keep the world operating, science supplemented with androids. Of course, there’s going to be a rogue scientist somewhere trying to push the envelope of android manufacturing. This led to the creation of Finn, the most human-like robot ever created.
Cat’s father brought Finn home to their little cottage in the woods when she was 5. Her eccentric scientist parents weren’t keen on sending her to the local public school, so they enlisted Finn as Cat’s personal tutor.
Cat grows up with Finn as not only her teacher, but also as her closest friend. As she grows up things get… complicated. Kind of hard to have a straightforward love story when half of the equation is mechanical, you know?
The Mad Scientist’s Daughter was certainly an unconventional take on a love story. It brought up all sorts of issues to do with discrimination and the difficulties with loving someone you’re not supposed to love.
I wish I could say this book didn’t creep me out on some level, but it did. Maybe it’s just because it reminded me so much of that awful Robin Williams movie, Bicentennial Man… Maybe it’s because Finn was less engaging than Iko, the robot BFF of Cinder. Maybe it’s because I watched that weird episode of Jack Van Impe where he blamed “robits” for the fast approaching End of Days. LOL, nah it’s not that. Still, it wasn’t quite my cup of tea. That said, it could be yours. If you dig science fiction romance or scandalous forbidden love, The Mad Scientist’s Daughter may just be your new favorite love story.
Tell me, Bookworms. Anybody else think the last time Robin Williams was fun to watch was in Mrs. Doubtfire 
Ashley F
Yeah don’t know how I’d feel about this one.
I’m more than a little horrified by the potential sequel to Mrs. D. Personally the last time I enjoyed Robin Williams was in Dead Poets Society. He ruined Hook for me.
Words For Worms
Yeah, just like… Why? Why are they revisiting a classic? What could the storyline possibly be? I live in fear.
Megan M.
It sounds interesting but I don’t know… cyborgs/robots just aren’t my thing. I did recently read a book about homeschooling though. When you see some of the news stories about what happens in public schools these days, it starts to look like a very attractive option.
The Mrs. Doubtfire sequel is a terrible idea. Just terrible.
Words For Worms
I know a few homeschoolers. It’s not for everyone, but it can be a great option… Or so I hear? I have no children to educate, I’m not sure I’m allowed to have an opinion ;). Of course, having the homeschooling done by a robot is another ball of wax entirely.
AMB (Koiviolet)
It sounds interesting–and I like the tagline (“A Tale of Love, Loss, and Robots”)–but I don’t think this one is for me. I’m always looking for books that take me out of my genre comfort-zone, but I suspect that it might creep me out a little too much. BTW, I can’t remember the last time I saw anything with Robin Williams in it!
Words For Worms
Robin Williams has a sitcom out right now, with none other than Sarah Michelle Gellar. I saw an episode… And never watched another. I’m finicky about TV though. I don’t know. He did some great stuff, but it all seems forced and weird now.
Charleen
Aww, I liked Bicentennial Man! I really haven’t seen Robin Williams in much recently… I’d say Jumanji and The Birdcage are two of my favorites. (And of course Aladdin, if you want to count voices…)
But yeah… a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire? I just… I mean… why? Are there any examples out there in movie history of a sequel made twenty years later that totally lived up to the original?
Words For Worms
Ooooh all great picks from the glory days of Robin Williams (except, of course Bicentennial Man, LOL). I can’t fathom a script for a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel. Just… Yikes.
Rachel
Did you see they also want to do a sequel to the Goonies too!? No. You don’t need to. It’s been 20 years…I just don’t see how either movie sequel could be good.
Words For Worms
That simply cannot end well.
Jenny @ Reading the End
Truth: I have never seen Mrs. Doubtfire. How much am I missing out by not seeing Mrs. Doubtfire at this stage? I know enough about it to pick up (most of) the cultural references to it.
Words For Worms
I’m not sure how well Mrs. Doubtfire would hold up watching it as an adult. It’s got a hefty dose of nostalgia for me, but I think if I saw it for the first time now I’d think it was an epic cheesefest.
Melinda
Wow, and here I thought I’d like this one, but now that you explained it… maybe not. I loved Robin Williams in Mrs Doubtfire and I’m not sure how the sequel will be – it better be good!
Words For Worms
I think the reason I’m so leery of the Mrs. Doubtfire sequel is that I don’t think I’d have liked the original at all if I’d seen it as an adult.
Katie @ Doing Dewey
I think this sounds very interesting, although I can certainly see where the premise might be creepy too!
Words For Worms
I can see people really loving it, I just got a bit too hung up on the robot-ness of it all.
Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews
Love the cover art but yes, probably not my cup of tea.
On Mrs Doubtfire – agree and agree.
Words For Worms
Thank you. Great minds 🙂
Andi (Estella's Revenge)
This one is in my Kindle app, and now I’m even more intrigued!
Words For Worms
I’ll be interested to hear what you think!
Sarah Says Read
I have not seen or read either of the creepy things you mentioned, so maybe that’s why there wasn’t really a creep factor for me! I mean there should have been… she grew up with this robot… and he’s a robot… but for some reason I was just all “AWWWWWW BE TOGETHER!” the entire time.
Also, Mrs. Doubtfire is so great.
Words For Worms
You weren’t at all weirded out by the magical switch revelation at the end?