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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
This book had me captured so quickly. I had no idea what I was getting into and I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed how the sci fi aspects came out slowly so it felt like the story was unwrapping like a present.
I’m taking away one star cause although the ending wrapped up nicely, I wanted a little more of a confrontation. But I love this book soooo much and I’m definitely going to recommend it to all my friends!
I’m taking away one star cause although the ending wrapped up nicely, I wanted a little more of a confrontation. But I love this book soooo much and I’m definitely going to recommend it to all my friends!
A realistic look at our probable future rife with warning signs about social media, security, and our concept of privacy.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars! Interesting concept and extremely relevant but something was lacking. Can’t put my finger on it.
This was a WILD, complex, and darkly funny story that I don’t really know how to process. What there’s absolutely no question about is that I was impressed and obsessed with the concept of this book. The setting, the basic plot, so many of the story lines and small details. It just has so many elements that I love. So, I enjoyed the book, I couldn’t not.
However, I also felt a bit lost, and I still don’t feel as if I fully caught everything I needed to or was supposed to. I am not sure if it was just me or even why it felt like this if it is a “thing”, but I struggled to follow along at a lot of parts and just felt like I was constantly scrambling to catch up with what was going on and who was who. Because of this, this is one I’d be interested in maybe rereading in the future, after some time has passed and I’m ready to give it another go. I was also quite disappointed with aspects of the story, particularly the ending, but I still think I could have enjoyed it more.
For now, I’m going to give it 3.5 stars, but it’s so difficult because the concept of it all is easily 5 stars for me. I just didn’t have as much enjoyment reading it as I would have liked.
However, I also felt a bit lost, and I still don’t feel as if I fully caught everything I needed to or was supposed to. I am not sure if it was just me or even why it felt like this if it is a “thing”, but I struggled to follow along at a lot of parts and just felt like I was constantly scrambling to catch up with what was going on and who was who. Because of this, this is one I’d be interested in maybe rereading in the future, after some time has passed and I’m ready to give it another go. I was also quite disappointed with aspects of the story, particularly the ending, but I still think I could have enjoyed it more.
For now, I’m going to give it 3.5 stars, but it’s so difficult because the concept of it all is easily 5 stars for me. I just didn’t have as much enjoyment reading it as I would have liked.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Oh man, I see that I'm in the minority regarding how I feel about Followers...and I'll admit that I actually thought that the idea of the book was cool and the first chapter was actually very gripping. However, the actual execution and the pacing of the book wasn't that great and I actually found myself being pretty bored for most of it.
Orla
Orla's perspective takes place from 2015 to 2016, before the Spill where we're told something bad has happened regarding the Internet and social media. Orla is a small-town girl made good in New York, but she finds herself working at a low-budget website that basically trades in celebrity gossip and tearing down reality stars. What Orla wants, she believes, is to become a writer. And the path to get there seems to be teaming up with her roommate, Floss, who desires to become a star:
This sets Orla and Floss down a path of conniving ways to get Floss more publicity. Initially, these are seemingly innocuous lies that Orla spins about Floss's image but they become increasingly complicated, with repercussions that they can't imagine.
Marlow
Meanwhile, Marlow is living in 2051, in the aftermath of the Spill, and is a star of the Constellation Network. Marlow's entire existence is basically government-sanctioned: she takes medication that a pharmaceutical company that sponsors her show promotes; her entire day except for the hours between 3am to 4am are live-streamed to everyone and even the man that she married was picked by the network:
Even though Marlow has 12 million followers who are keen to see every move, the announcement that her new arc will involve her pregnancy sends her spiralling and seeking an escape, especially when she's taken off her medication.
Followers
Eventually the path races from the past to the present. There's basically two mysteries at the center of the story: about Marlow's parentage and about what exactly happened during the Spill. However, it's also pretty clear that the mysteries aren't intended to be driving force of the book. Instead, it's intended to be more of a character study of both Orla and Marlow, about why they behave the way they do. The problem is that both Orla and Marlow are pretty unpleasant people, as Orla is fixated on becoming a writer but isn't actually interested in putting any of the work and Marlow can't decide what she wants. I guess I just never really felt that invested in figuring out why Orla and Marlow are the way that they are and what happened to them.
Oh man, I see that I'm in the minority regarding how I feel about Followers...and I'll admit that I actually thought that the idea of the book was cool and the first chapter was actually very gripping. However, the actual execution and the pacing of the book wasn't that great and I actually found myself being pretty bored for most of it.
Orla
Orla's perspective takes place from 2015 to 2016, before the Spill where we're told something bad has happened regarding the Internet and social media. Orla is a small-town girl made good in New York, but she finds herself working at a low-budget website that basically trades in celebrity gossip and tearing down reality stars. What Orla wants, she believes, is to become a writer. And the path to get there seems to be teaming up with her roommate, Floss, who desires to become a star:
"I've done the actual math. There are eight million people here, and all of them want something as bad as I want what I want, as bad as you want what you want. We're not all going to get it. It's just not possible, that all these people could have their dreams come true in the same time, same place. It's not enough to be talented. It's not enough to work hard. You need to be disciplined, and you need to be ruthless. You have to do anything, everything, and you need to forget about doing the right thing." She released Orla with a little shove and put her hands on her hips, "Leave that shit to people in the Midwest."
This sets Orla and Floss down a path of conniving ways to get Floss more publicity. Initially, these are seemingly innocuous lies that Orla spins about Floss's image but they become increasingly complicated, with repercussions that they can't imagine.
Marlow
Meanwhile, Marlow is living in 2051, in the aftermath of the Spill, and is a star of the Constellation Network. Marlow's entire existence is basically government-sanctioned: she takes medication that a pharmaceutical company that sponsors her show promotes; her entire day except for the hours between 3am to 4am are live-streamed to everyone and even the man that she married was picked by the network:
She was so pleased about earning the label of cool - her, the girl whose reputation could not, for so long, outrun one violent impulse - that she missed what a stupid thing it was, marrying someone to celebrate impressing him.
Even though Marlow has 12 million followers who are keen to see every move, the announcement that her new arc will involve her pregnancy sends her spiralling and seeking an escape, especially when she's taken off her medication.
Followers
Eventually the path races from the past to the present. There's basically two mysteries at the center of the story: about Marlow's parentage and about what exactly happened during the Spill. However, it's also pretty clear that the mysteries aren't intended to be driving force of the book. Instead, it's intended to be more of a character study of both Orla and Marlow, about why they behave the way they do. The problem is that both Orla and Marlow are pretty unpleasant people, as Orla is fixated on becoming a writer but isn't actually interested in putting any of the work and Marlow can't decide what she wants. I guess I just never really felt that invested in figuring out why Orla and Marlow are the way that they are and what happened to them.
This book felt very relevant to today's culture. Will it stand the test of time? Maybe not since it has a lot of references that are specific to the 2020s. However, it asked good questions and made me think about the chaos that social media and people's pursuit of social media can have.
I didn't love the first 75% of this book... but something kept me going. The ending was a good payoff, so I'm glad I persisted.
While this felt like a promising commentary on the state of the world--an obsession with our screens and our followers, sponsorships and celebrities--the problem for me was that this close observation brought me in contact with self-serving and vacuous characters I'd rather not know. That's not meant as a comment on the quality of the writing, though--Angelo can write a damn good sentence.
While this felt like a promising commentary on the state of the world--an obsession with our screens and our followers, sponsorships and celebrities--the problem for me was that this close observation brought me in contact with self-serving and vacuous characters I'd rather not know. That's not meant as a comment on the quality of the writing, though--Angelo can write a damn good sentence.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes