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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
The premise was so exciting and it didn't really live up to the excitement for me. I don't think its a bad book, but I want so much more. The interpersonal relationships between characters really made the story for me. As far as explanations of any sort I was left wanting so much more. I did like reading from Hopes perspective and her inner monologue was a fun read. I just felt the book was alright.
Like the first fifteen lives of harry august the first half of the book is very different from the second half. You really feel like your on a journey with the characters, that I really enjoyed.
Like the first fifteen lives of harry august the first half of the book is very different from the second half. You really feel like your on a journey with the characters, that I really enjoyed.
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5
This was not exactly what I was expecting. I wasn't as gripped with this one as I was with Harry August, however Claire North's writing is so amazing and I still really enjoyed this. I greatly appreciated the discussion about feminism and racism and how society first and foremost concerns itself with men and white people. It's how I wish most books would handle feminism and racism in books when the main character has some privilege. Hope is not white so it would only make sense for her to be like 'this conversation is limited to a very narrow margin of people,' 'this line of thought neglects to include people of color,' 'perfection is promoting the idea that perfect equals whiteness.' So important and so necessary. And as much as I enjoyed those moments that addressed things that are normally not addressed, it didn't really make up for my disconnect with the story. Still, Claire North is one badass modern sci-fi writer.
This was not exactly what I was expecting. I wasn't as gripped with this one as I was with Harry August, however Claire North's writing is so amazing and I still really enjoyed this. I greatly appreciated the discussion about feminism and racism and how society first and foremost concerns itself with men and white people. It's how I wish most books would handle feminism and racism in books when the main character has some privilege. Hope is not white so it would only make sense for her to be like 'this conversation is limited to a very narrow margin of people,' 'this line of thought neglects to include people of color,' 'perfection is promoting the idea that perfect equals whiteness.' So important and so necessary. And as much as I enjoyed those moments that addressed things that are normally not addressed, it didn't really make up for my disconnect with the story. Still, Claire North is one badass modern sci-fi writer.
Really amazing concept & intriguing storyline. The characters were mysterious & interesting. But the ending? Left me wanting. I was a bit deflated after all of the action & energy that preceded it.
Disappointing, I didn’t care for the writing style and almost gave up on it at a number of places.
Not my thing.
Not my thing.
cool premise around forgettability (is that a real word?) that explores ideas around freedom, perfection, happiness and more. it reads more like a suspenseful, action movie rather than a drama - so more plot over character exploration. i found it interesting the author chose to begin with habits in place around high-end theft before hope starts to question the lifestyle; that part was difficult for me to believe. that said, i felt placed in hope's shoes many times, burning with empathy for her constant plight of being forgotten and what those ramifications lead to. there's also a climax scene on par with the red wedding from game of thrones - it's that memorable.
what felt unbelievable to me in this book is hope's ability to blend into the highest ranks of privilege and access of the wealthiest people. in spite of the book cover, i think it wasn't until page 140 or so that i understood that hope is black. people of color in the everyday world have difficulty accessing power and not piquing suspicion through regular actions. the author made it too easy for her and referenced skin color as a possible flag for people only when comparing particular countries at one point in the story line - i found this very strange - racism doesn't go away just because your wealth accesses an elite party!
pick this book up for a unique plot that will get your gears turning and take you on a quick jaunt around the world and have you questioning how we utilize technology to improve our happiness.
what felt unbelievable to me in this book is hope's ability to blend into the highest ranks of privilege and access of the wealthiest people. in spite of the book cover, i think it wasn't until page 140 or so that i understood that hope is black. people of color in the everyday world have difficulty accessing power and not piquing suspicion through regular actions. the author made it too easy for her and referenced skin color as a possible flag for people only when comparing particular countries at one point in the story line - i found this very strange - racism doesn't go away just because your wealth accesses an elite party!
pick this book up for a unique plot that will get your gears turning and take you on a quick jaunt around the world and have you questioning how we utilize technology to improve our happiness.
At the age of 16, the main character in this book started to notice that people were having trouble remembering her. First people she just met wouldn't remember meeting her, then acquaintances forgot her, then her friends, and finally her family. If she is out of someone's mind for more than a few seconds, that person forgets she exists. You can't go to school if your teacher thinks you're new every time you come to class. You can't make many friends if they forget who you are when you go to the bathroom or when they fall asleep. You can't find a place to live if the person who rented you the room immediately forgets they did it and thinks you're a trespasser. You can't get a job if your boss doesn't remember hiring you. You can't get much healthcare if the nurse forgets you're there as soon as she walks away. You do, however, make a fabulous thief. This part of the story I found to be very interesting.
The other part of the story was about an app called Perfection. It helps you eat right and exercise well and do your hair and make-up well and buy the right clothes by rewarding you with points for making good decisions and taking away points for making bad decisions. If you earn a million points, you'll pretty much be Perfect! But why stop there? Once you hit a million points you're eligible for "treatments" that will make you even more perfect! This makes a lot of people very beautiful and boring and a few people very rich. Until somebody hacks the program!! This part of the story was also interesting.
But it felt like the author had two interesting story ideas but could never quite figure out how to turn each one into a whole story. So she stuck them together to try to make a whole story. Unfortunately, I don't feel that she succeeded. While lots of the ideas were interesting, the plot never really went anywhere. It got a little boring but I kept on reading because I wanted to find out how the author would resolve the problems. But instead, it felt like the author wrote herself into a dead end and then the story just fizzled out with nothing resolved. This book needed a better end point and it needed to get there more quickly.
The other part of the story was about an app called Perfection. It helps you eat right and exercise well and do your hair and make-up well and buy the right clothes by rewarding you with points for making good decisions and taking away points for making bad decisions. If you earn a million points, you'll pretty much be Perfect! But why stop there? Once you hit a million points you're eligible for "treatments" that will make you even more perfect! This makes a lot of people very beautiful and boring and a few people very rich. Until somebody hacks the program!! This part of the story was also interesting.
But it felt like the author had two interesting story ideas but could never quite figure out how to turn each one into a whole story. So she stuck them together to try to make a whole story. Unfortunately, I don't feel that she succeeded. While lots of the ideas were interesting, the plot never really went anywhere. It got a little boring but I kept on reading because I wanted to find out how the author would resolve the problems. But instead, it felt like the author wrote herself into a dead end and then the story just fizzled out with nothing resolved. This book needed a better end point and it needed to get there more quickly.
This is my second Claire North book, and it's official, I am a fan. As with her other novel, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, I've found something original, unusual and engaging.
Hope is forgettable. As in, within 60 seconds of losing eye contact she is completely and utterly forgotten. So what's a girl to do? Life of crime it is. Until one theft becomes personal and she finds herself possibly the only person that can stop an out-of-control technology.
North has a gift for finding something new, something I haven't seen before, the unique voice in the cacophony of books out there in the world. Her characters feel real, even when their circumstances defy logical explanation. She also writes under her given name, Catherine Webb, which means I have a lot more of her stuff to explore.
Hope is forgettable. As in, within 60 seconds of losing eye contact she is completely and utterly forgotten. So what's a girl to do? Life of crime it is. Until one theft becomes personal and she finds herself possibly the only person that can stop an out-of-control technology.
North has a gift for finding something new, something I haven't seen before, the unique voice in the cacophony of books out there in the world. Her characters feel real, even when their circumstances defy logical explanation. She also writes under her given name, Catherine Webb, which means I have a lot more of her stuff to explore.
It’s a story about a woman who everyone forgets, the amount of time it takes her to be forgotten depends on how long the interaction has been but as soon as she is out of sight the process starts and after a short while they have removed all memory of those interactions. Given it’s hard to hold down a job or a place to live when everyone forgets you, she makes her way in the world as a thief. The story takes place with the rise of a social media device that aims to make people “perfect” and she gets involved with someone who wants to bring that device down.
I don’t want to go into much more detail than that because otherwise it will get too spoilery so instead I am going to gush about some other things instead.
Basically I loved this book, one of the best things I have read this year. The writing style is very interesting, there are a few places in the book where she plays with how the words are written on the page to invoke certain feelings and effects and it really works. The language is also lovely and evocative and results in a very clear idea of who the character is and isn’t.
Also, how often do we get to see a book with a female protagonist who is a thief and yet still has a clear moral code despite her situation in life and the aching loneliness that is forced on her. Hope is a flawed person portrayed in a very realistic way and you find yourself desperately rooting for her and the ending of the book is both lovely and also in some ways still unexpected.
Seriously, read this book because it is wonderfully written and carries you along with it through a fascinating and very well crafted story.
https://wordpress.com/the-geekess.blog
I don’t want to go into much more detail than that because otherwise it will get too spoilery so instead I am going to gush about some other things instead.
Basically I loved this book, one of the best things I have read this year. The writing style is very interesting, there are a few places in the book where she plays with how the words are written on the page to invoke certain feelings and effects and it really works. The language is also lovely and evocative and results in a very clear idea of who the character is and isn’t.
Also, how often do we get to see a book with a female protagonist who is a thief and yet still has a clear moral code despite her situation in life and the aching loneliness that is forced on her. Hope is a flawed person portrayed in a very realistic way and you find yourself desperately rooting for her and the ending of the book is both lovely and also in some ways still unexpected.
Seriously, read this book because it is wonderfully written and carries you along with it through a fascinating and very well crafted story.
https://wordpress.com/the-geekess.blog