Reviews - Universal Harvester

1.8k reviews for:

Universal Harvester

John Darnielle

3.19 AVERAGE

john_reads_books's review against another edition

2.75

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

gregorbug's review

4.0

Holy crap.

Audio book all the way, John Darnielle's reading is amazing.

sruhls's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 58%

Jumped around too much and hard to follow

seagullfloaties's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

moosegurl2's review against another edition

4.0

"If you work with or around children, you often hear a lot about how resilient they are. It's true; I've met children who've been through things that would drive most adults to the brink. They look and act, most of the time, like any other children. In this sense – that they don't succumb to despair, that they don't demand a space for their pain – it's very true that children are resilient. But resiliency only means that a thing retains its shape. That it doesn't break, or lose its ability to function. It doesn't mean a child forgets the time she shared in the backyard with her mother gardening, or the fun they had together watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the Astro. It just means she learns to bear it. The mechanism that allowed Lisa Sample to keep her head above water in the wake of her mother's departure has not been described or cataloged by scientists. It's efficient, and flexible, and probably transferable from one person to another should they catch the scent on each other. But the rest of the details about it aren't observable from the outside. You have to be closer than you really want to get to see how it works."

"Silos are the great hidden constant of the industrialised world."

"A farmhouse has a way of feeling both timeless and impermanent without ever committing to either side."

"Not everybody wants to get out and see the world. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you just want to figure out how to fit yourself into the world you already know."

svfrncs's review against another edition

3.0

this one was interesting? i found myself entirely engrossed in it to begin with. i loved the atmosphere and his writing style and it was just very enjoyable to read. but the later chapters started to feel disconnected to what i was originally reading and i finished the book and did not feel satisfied. but i wasn't dissatisfied with the entire experience? idk this was a weird one but not in a bad way. just not the kind of book i'm going to be thinking about for days after i finish it.

justine_ao's review against another edition

4.0

Not quite a 4 star read for me, but so compelling to read and wonderfully written that it deserves to be rounded up.

This is a work of contemporary fiction about relationships, connections, and loss. It's told in a way that, at the start, makes you think there is something creepy and sinister going on, but there really isn't. That said, the story still raises as many questions as it gives answers. While complete closure is never delivered, it still feels strangely satisfying.

It's not that nobody ever gets away: that's not true. It's that you carry it with you. It doesn't matter that the days roll on like hills too low to give names to; they might be of use later, so you keep them. You replay them to keep their memory alive. It feels worthwhile because it is.