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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
3.5 read. Read in one sitting for a book club. Very good. Quite interesting take on social media and the use of the internet. I listened to the audiobook and read along as there is a timeline change and I wasn’t sure how I would keep up (it did prove difficult on occasion) Different snippets from timelines helped link the story.
I really wanted to like Followers because the Bad on Paper Podcast hosts Grace Atwood and Becca Freeman spoke highly of it. However, I had a really hard time getting through the book. The novel follows two characters Orla, a young woman in the present timeline living in New York City, and Marlow, a young woman living in the 2050s in a town set up as a Truman Show-type Influencer town.
The idea is really interesting, but I did not like the execution of it. The book is painfully long and neither Orla or Marlow have enough personality to really get the reader invested in their lives (with Marlow that's at least understandable in the beginning, but she never develops). Full disclosure, I kept picturing Orla as Lena Dunham, and I think that probably contributed to my intense dislike of her. There was also just too much commentary on different trends. It's a commentary on social media, influencer cultural, advertistments, Caroline Calloway type of people, BuzzFeed, the publishing industry, Aaron Paul type characters, etc. It was just so much commentary on those different aspects of media now, that it all gets lost in the noise.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
The idea is really interesting, but I did not like the execution of it. The book is painfully long and neither Orla or Marlow have enough personality to really get the reader invested in their lives (with Marlow that's at least understandable in the beginning, but she never develops). Full disclosure, I kept picturing Orla as Lena Dunham, and I think that probably contributed to my intense dislike of her. There was also just too much commentary on different trends. It's a commentary on social media, influencer cultural, advertistments, Caroline Calloway type of people, BuzzFeed, the publishing industry, Aaron Paul type characters, etc. It was just so much commentary on those different aspects of media now, that it all gets lost in the noise.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
This book is a deceptively intricate Black Mirror-esque tale that unfolds slowly yet whacks you over the head with social commentary... in a good way. Hard to explain/describe but I was sorry when it ended.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Entertaining plot propelled by the perspective changes. Great premise, just wish it would have gone a little deeper or hit more emotionally.
This reads very much like an episode of Black Mirror, if not lengthy. It's an interesting and all too true take about the effects of social media and the internet. I like reading about the complicated friendship between the two characters in 2015, and finding out how they are related to the starlet in 2051. I was eager to find out what the major event In any case, it was a fun and slightly disconcerting read.
Spoiler
called the Spill was and what caused it, but honestly it was a let down. It sounded so far-fetched and half-baked.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into this thinking it was a more contemporary book about social media, so it took me a chapter to really get in the groove. Once I did, it blew me away. I love the subtle commentary about social media and recording our lives. Then Angelo takes it a step beyond, taking it all away and showing how detrimental yet positive that can be. Kind of haunting, very fascinating.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Quite honestly I read this pre-pandemic in the US so I don’t remember all the details right now but I remember I flew through this! It’s set between two timelines: the current one where an entertainment writer is trying to escape her dead end job, and the future where a woman lives in a California town and is essentially a government-appointed celebrity with 12 million followers. The timelines converge in a pretty cool way. I was really intrigued by The Spill mentioned in the book, an event that led to the destruction of technology as we know it, and I wanted to know more about that. Beyond that I flew through this book and I thought it was an engrossing story.
Many thank to the publisher for the advanced copy. Now how about an honest review!
Good writing and interesting concept but not my cup of tea.
Good writing and interesting concept but not my cup of tea.