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cindypepper's review against another edition
3.0
Don't let the bright cover or the very relevant topic of social media fool you: this one is pretty bleak.
Followers is a dystopic novel. Except instead of knowing exactly what has plunged America into the dystopia that Marlow is living, we don't completely uncover those differences until the very end. The pacing is interesting, in that Orla and Floss' story keeps escalating toward a doomed crash-and-burn of an uncertain "future", and Marlow, decades later, is furiously pacing backward to uncover the mysteries of her past. Which means that, as the reader, we're scrambling to get to the middle of the timeline, aka the real meat of the story, aka The Spill, aka where it all goes horribly wrong. Unlike Fahrenheit 451 or Hunger Games, we're not exactly certain on what exactly Marlow is running from until she has already escaped. 85% of the novel = so what happened in The Spill, anyway?
This narrative structure (whatever the opposite of in medias res is!), though unusual, does seem to work. Or at least, it still held my attention as I shuttled between Floss/Orla and Marlow, eager to cut to the middle.
However compelling the story may be, the main characters (Floss, Orla) were so unlikable that I had kept reading solely to uncover the puzzle pieces. It was hard to reconcile why Floss and Orla were as strong friends as the story suggested; even discounting all the awful shit Floss did, the parasitic nature of their relationship felt icky, such that you could see all the red flags from a mile away. Orla herself isn't exactly a victim, as she knowingly benefits from her relationship with Floss and willfully ignores her own warning signs.
The ending left me partially-satisfied (whelmed? Yeah, let's say whelmed.), in that I was glad Marlow got to find Orla (though, I had cottoned onto the possibility that Orla had some sort of connection to Marlow earlier on), but I couldn't really buy the ending as a reunion of Floss and Orla's "friendship". Even when Floss makes it to Atlantis, her flaws and ugly habits that had poisoned their friendship are still evident: she overstays her welcome, she wills herself not to interrupt Orla and Marlow's reunion but her venom is still well and alive.
Overall, I actually did enjoy reading this. The outrageousness of the plot and development didn't feel eyeroll inducing, but rather tongue-in-cheek, due to the smart and self-aware tone in the narration and refusal to claim a moral high ground. Followers doesn't make any pretensions about the vapidity or the trash fire nature of its own characters. However, the dystopia that Angelo has created doesn't feel prescient or ominous in the way that 1984 or Fahrenheit 451 or even the Hunger Games aimed to communicate about government control and privacy and free speech. Followers doesn't feel like it's trying to make a statement or even tread into political territory (siphoning off Atlantic City as the de facto District 13 of the USA? Right.), but rather, it feels like it's trying to say something about our intrinsic, emotional need for real connection. Hopefully we don't have to wait 35 years to reconcile that need.
Followers is a dystopic novel. Except instead of knowing exactly what has plunged America into the dystopia that Marlow is living, we don't completely uncover those differences until the very end. The pacing is interesting, in that Orla and Floss' story keeps escalating toward a doomed crash-and-burn of an uncertain "future", and Marlow, decades later, is furiously pacing backward to uncover the mysteries of her past. Which means that, as the reader, we're scrambling to get to the middle of the timeline, aka the real meat of the story, aka The Spill, aka where it all goes horribly wrong. Unlike Fahrenheit 451 or Hunger Games, we're not exactly certain on what exactly Marlow is running from until she has already escaped. 85% of the novel = so what happened in The Spill, anyway?
This narrative structure (whatever the opposite of in medias res is!), though unusual, does seem to work. Or at least, it still held my attention as I shuttled between Floss/Orla and Marlow, eager to cut to the middle.
The ending left me partially-satisfied (whelmed? Yeah, let's say whelmed.), in that I was glad Marlow got to find Orla (though, I had cottoned onto the possibility that Orla had some sort of connection to Marlow earlier on), but I couldn't really buy the ending as a reunion of Floss and Orla's "friendship". Even when Floss makes it to Atlantis, her flaws and ugly habits that had poisoned their friendship are still evident: she overstays her welcome, she wills herself not to interrupt Orla and Marlow's reunion but her venom is still well and alive.
Overall, I actually did enjoy reading this. The outrageousness of the plot and development didn't feel eyeroll inducing, but rather tongue-in-cheek, due to the smart and self-aware tone in the narration and refusal to claim a moral high ground. Followers doesn't make any pretensions about the vapidity or the trash fire nature of its own characters. However, the dystopia that Angelo has created doesn't feel prescient or ominous in the way that 1984 or Fahrenheit 451 or even the Hunger Games aimed to communicate about government control and privacy and free speech. Followers doesn't feel like it's trying to make a statement or even tread into political territory (siphoning off Atlantic City as the de facto District 13 of the USA? Right.), but rather, it feels like it's trying to say something about our intrinsic, emotional need for real connection. Hopefully we don't have to wait 35 years to reconcile that need.
towandajane's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
girlygirlreader's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While I enjoyed most of this book the endings fell a bit flat for me
carryfiasco's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aepritchard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
magyklyxdelish's review against another edition
4.0
This truly felt like a Black Mirror episode.
This was a gripping look at a possible future we could all face, shaped by social media and the internet. A world where the celebrities are living in a place called Constellation and are filmed 24/7 practically. Everything they do is mapped out by the network.
This book follows Marlow in this creepy future and Orla and Floss 35 years before. This book has a lot of heart and I appreciated how fleshed out the characters were. One particular theme I enjoyed was how no one was really truly bad or good. Everyone had good and bad to them. It made the characters seem more real.
There were a couple parts where it felt the story dragged but overall I would totally read this one again.
4.5/5 ⭐️
This was a gripping look at a possible future we could all face, shaped by social media and the internet. A world where the celebrities are living in a place called Constellation and are filmed 24/7 practically. Everything they do is mapped out by the network.
This book follows Marlow in this creepy future and Orla and Floss 35 years before. This book has a lot of heart and I appreciated how fleshed out the characters were. One particular theme I enjoyed was how no one was really truly bad or good. Everyone had good and bad to them. It made the characters seem more real.
There were a couple parts where it felt the story dragged but overall I would totally read this one again.
4.5/5 ⭐️
billymac1962's review against another edition
DNFing at 33%. While this is a terrific premise, I feel absolutely nothing for any of these characters. So I’m out.
slichto3's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, Followers was truly an electric novel! I haven't had the privilege of reading a book that gripped me so hard, that left me wanting to read deep into the night, in a while, so Followers was a wonderful breath of fresh air (with Terry Gross).
The story alternates between the perspectives of two women: Orla and Marlow. In the 20teens, Orla is a fame blogger but dreams of becoming a serious writer. Blogging does not seem to be the best route for her, until she meets her new roommate, Floss Natuzzi. Floss aspires to be famous, however she can get there. Orla and Floss seem some synergy - Orla can talk up Floss on her blog, and Floss can give Orla unlimited access for juicy stories. It's perfect! Except both women have some obsessions - Floss with fame, Orla with Danny, a crush from high school - that lead to problems for them and for others.
In the 2050s, Marlow lives in a town where each resident is a professional celebrity. Almost 24/7, they are recorded and watched by followers around the US. It's great, except not so much. Marlow's relationships with everyone in her environment - her husband, Ellis, her mother, Floss - are all superficial and unfulfilling to Marlow. She wants freedom and reality, and she gets that by running away.
Both women's stories end up connecting in an exciting ride. Thinking back on it, I suppose not that much really happens in Followers, but I was locked in to everything that did. After each chapter, I wanted to get right on to the next. And it was, mostly, a satisfying journey. I had hoped for a grander conclusion, but I was happy where it ended up. I also felt that the characters didn't always stay consistent, and that some not-so-realistic things happened, but these are mostly minor quibbles. I'd recommend Followers as a fun, exciting read.
The story alternates between the perspectives of two women: Orla and Marlow. In the 20teens, Orla is a fame blogger but dreams of becoming a serious writer. Blogging does not seem to be the best route for her, until she meets her new roommate, Floss Natuzzi. Floss aspires to be famous, however she can get there. Orla and Floss seem some synergy - Orla can talk up Floss on her blog, and Floss can give Orla unlimited access for juicy stories. It's perfect! Except both women have some obsessions - Floss with fame, Orla with Danny, a crush from high school - that lead to problems for them and for others.
In the 2050s, Marlow lives in a town where each resident is a professional celebrity. Almost 24/7, they are recorded and watched by followers around the US. It's great, except not so much. Marlow's relationships with everyone in her environment - her husband, Ellis, her mother, Floss - are all superficial and unfulfilling to Marlow. She wants freedom and reality, and she gets that by running away.
Both women's stories end up connecting in an exciting ride. Thinking back on it, I suppose not that much really happens in Followers, but I was locked in to everything that did. After each chapter, I wanted to get right on to the next. And it was, mostly, a satisfying journey. I had hoped for a grander conclusion, but I was happy where it ended up. I also felt that the characters didn't always stay consistent, and that some not-so-realistic things happened, but these are mostly minor quibbles. I'd recommend Followers as a fun, exciting read.
traceyelder's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - this book is nothing like what I expected. Perhaps it’s because I read the synopsis a year or more ago and saw that it was available at the library so I just picked it up and read it near-blindly. It was good, though. I enjoyed the back and forth present (2015-2022) and future (2051) stories, but found so much of the book eerie and a bit scary because of how real they felt. The present day line covers influencers and sharing data on a private internet, and the future storyline takes place in a “post apocalyptic” world where there is no privacy and data is controlled by the government. It made me think a lot about what our world would be like if we go through a similar “Spill.”