I didn't mind that this was slow and domestic, but it's a drastic tone change from every other Vorkosigan book, which range from "energetic" to "madcap."

(mild spoilers from here on)

It's also more conventionally heterosexual than you would believe that a novel about two members of a poly triad reconnecting years after the death of the third person could be. I actually prefer Dira Sudis' (fanfic) version of how Aral and Jole got together; their story is almost completely omitted from Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, on the basis that Jole doesn't want to go into it with Cordelia and she respects that. Like, ok, fine, but it comes off as a cop-out instead of an exploration of boundaries within a poly relationship.

The only boundaries that actually get pushed are the futuristic possibilities (biological, social, and legal) for reproduction. I've long suspected that this is a special interest of Bujold's. Still... I would have liked to actually see some of the conflicts and awkward social situations play out, instead of having to be satisfied with Cordelia and Jole discussing how they might handle theoretical issues. ( )

Not what I was expecting, but it was quite nice! It was light-hearted and not at all the action packed space sorcery of the past books. But - It was good to read about an accomplished older woman and a middle aged man at the heights of their powers beginning to plan their next stage in life. I love seeing myself in characters and since I became a middle aged person, I rarely see it now.

I very much hope that we see the adventures of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. It would be such a nice switch. ( )

My “let’s re-read the Vorkosigan saga” project - done!
And this last entry is even more brilliant than I remember :) It is slow and wise, letting us see the beloved characters in new ways. It is about what marriage can be, what family can be, about love and choices. I’m so glad I read it again. ( )

August 2019 reread: I still find this final book in the Vorkosigan series a let down. While the concept of using the uterine replicator mentioned below is still interesting, the relationships were troubling. I feel that Bujold has suddenly changed the way we are supposed to view both Aral and Cordelia (well, Jole as well but he was such a minor character before this that in his case it doesn't matter). Yes, Aral's bisexuality was mentioned before several times and yes, Aral & Cordelia were hardly present in most of the series after the first few books but to have it suddenly revealed 3 years after Aral's death that he had been in 20 year relationship with Jole and that for a large part of this time, it was a threesome with Cordelia came as a shock to me as much as it did to Miles. Plus the age differences I mentioned in my original review... Even knowing this time around what was coming, I found it unhappily disconcerting.

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3.5*

It was nice to see many of my favorite characters from the Vorkosigan series again. While I found the idea of using the uterine replicators to allow older people to have children an intriguing thought, I missed the adventure space opera aspect which all of the other books of the series had. This latest book in the series is much quieter, perhaps fittingly so as all the family has aged.

I also had some internal struggle with the ages of the lovers -- both Aral & Oliver and then Cordelia & Oliver. Aral would have been in his 60s when Oliver was in his 20s at the time that their affair began. And in this book, when Oliver is turning 50, Cordelia is in her mid-70s. ( )

This book is part of the Vorkosigan Saga. The main characters are Aral Vorkosigan’s wife, Cordelia, and his former relationship partner, Admiral Oliver Jole. Cordelia offers Oliver a chance to become a father through the use of the oft-mentioned external uterine incubator and leftover DNA from her own efforts to continue her family. This book is full of melodrama and descriptions of past and present relationships. It is basically a (bisexual) romance. I prefer more traditional science fiction. In fairness, I have not read all the prior books in this series. I know there are many fans of this series, but it is not my cup of tea. ( )