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purplepierogi's review against another edition
3.0
I think it's probably hard to have your post-deadly-pandemic-themed book come out exactly as our real world is enveloped in a life-altering pandemic. I feel for the author; I don't know if I would have wanted to read this a year (or two -- ! fuck) ago. that being said, I don't think this book is what I, personally, look for in a read. what is meant as heart-warming feels maudlin; the themes are repetitive, the plot melodramatic. pretty similar to [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404._SX50_SY75_.jpg|28098716] in theme and structure, but divergent in character development and tone, and for that I give it a solid 'meh' three stars.
davinanelson's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
1e5eratte's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
4.0
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I still don't have enough words to do this book justice. Wow. Just wow. I love post apocalyptic books and books where society is trying to get back on it's feet after something horrible happens. A Beginning of the End is something fresh in the post-apocalyptic genre. Society is rebuilding from a flu epidemic that killed 5 billion people and left the living traumatized. It's about finding a family when there is no hope and even the darkest moments could have beautiful outcomes.
The story is told in four distinctive point of views: Moira, Krista, Rob and his daughter Sunny. Each voice is unique and you didn't need to be told what character you were reading from, you just knew. Each character was flawed and imperfect and trying to find their way in a world that was coming back together while it was still falling apart. Each character has their own secrets and regrets that have gotten them to where they are now and that have shaped them into the character they are upon the end of the novel. I do wish however that we did get more chapters from Sunny's POV, granted she is seven but I really enjoyed being in her head. Her reasoning skills, the way she perceived the scraps of what is left of society.
There is so much I wish to discuss but I am going to leave for the reader to find out. I found it fascinating the society Chen created in the aftermath of this epidemic. The structure of society, safety protocols, quarantines and government programs created to make sure society gets back on its feet and stays there. It's fascinating because this book is 100% plausible and not just a wild work of someone's imagination. (As I read this I thought about the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the many what ifs that could have been if it hadn't been contained.)
I jump at post-apocalyptic books and though I expected this book to be different (more about the virus, ect.) I am glad that I read the book I did. Chen wrote a beautiful story about people coming together and that family isn't always blood. Society will never be perfect, even when it gets to rebuild itself. But also, that there is always something else out there waiting, another epidemic waiting to come to light. A Beginning at the End will be a book that I will be recommending for a long time to come. If you are looking for a breath of fresh air, this is the book for you.
I still don't have enough words to do this book justice. Wow. Just wow. I love post apocalyptic books and books where society is trying to get back on it's feet after something horrible happens. A Beginning of the End is something fresh in the post-apocalyptic genre. Society is rebuilding from a flu epidemic that killed 5 billion people and left the living traumatized. It's about finding a family when there is no hope and even the darkest moments could have beautiful outcomes.
The story is told in four distinctive point of views: Moira, Krista, Rob and his daughter Sunny. Each voice is unique and you didn't need to be told what character you were reading from, you just knew. Each character was flawed and imperfect and trying to find their way in a world that was coming back together while it was still falling apart. Each character has their own secrets and regrets that have gotten them to where they are now and that have shaped them into the character they are upon the end of the novel. I do wish however that we did get more chapters from Sunny's POV, granted she is seven but I really enjoyed being in her head. Her reasoning skills, the way she perceived the scraps of what is left of society.
There is so much I wish to discuss but I am going to leave for the reader to find out. I found it fascinating the society Chen created in the aftermath of this epidemic. The structure of society, safety protocols, quarantines and government programs created to make sure society gets back on its feet and stays there. It's fascinating because this book is 100% plausible and not just a wild work of someone's imagination. (As I read this I thought about the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the many what ifs that could have been if it hadn't been contained.)
I jump at post-apocalyptic books and though I expected this book to be different (more about the virus, ect.) I am glad that I read the book I did. Chen wrote a beautiful story about people coming together and that family isn't always blood. Society will never be perfect, even when it gets to rebuild itself. But also, that there is always something else out there waiting, another epidemic waiting to come to light. A Beginning at the End will be a book that I will be recommending for a long time to come. If you are looking for a breath of fresh air, this is the book for you.
esem's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amandae129's review against another edition
4.0
What a time to come out with a book where most of the world's population is wiped out by a new flu strain...
alexisrt's review against another edition
4.0
Hey, a pandemic novel! Man, what it must feel like to publish this right before Covid.
Not bad. I appreciated that he was trying to do something different--not the pandemic itself, not a dystopian social collapse story, but what happens down the line when people are trying to move on. It's more character focused SF than a plot or world-building one, and the characters are generally well done.
Not bad. I appreciated that he was trying to do something different--not the pandemic itself, not a dystopian social collapse story, but what happens down the line when people are trying to move on. It's more character focused SF than a plot or world-building one, and the characters are generally well done.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
For my full review (along with some musings about how this relates to our current pandemic) check out my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
In this alternate version of reality, a good portion of the population has been wiped out, and those still living are left with serious PTSD from having lived through the horrors of seeing so many of their loved ones die, not to mention the breakdown of society. Needless to say, not everyone has handled these transitions well.
The story follows a former pop star who used the chaos of the pandemic to escape her controlling father—but she still finds herself running, a wedding planner who is living at the edge of her means, and a father who has been lying to his six-year-old daughter for years about her mother (she thinks she’s still alive!). The lives of these three collide right when news of a possible new virus hits.
I don’t even know how to do this book justice, honestly. It’s truly a character study—one of three people making desperate (sometimes very poor) choices because of the extraordinary circumstances they’ve been put in. Moira (the former pop star) and Rob (the father) have obvious plot arcs since Moira is trying to stay out of her father’s clutches and Rob is dealing with the aftermath of the lie he’s been living with his daughter. It would be easy to assume that Krista (the wedding planner) is less important since her story revolves around her trying to help Moira and Rob (in an unplanned sort of way). But Krista’s internal struggles are just as compelling as her counterparts’: she has spent her life pushing people away due to her traumatic upbringing by a drug-addicted mother.
In the end, the book gives us hope in the midst of tragic and chaotic circumstances and it highlights the resilience of the human spirit. Moira, Rob and Krista find that human connection and empathy are the true cures for the hopelessness of a pandemic. We might just be able to learn from that.
In this alternate version of reality, a good portion of the population has been wiped out, and those still living are left with serious PTSD from having lived through the horrors of seeing so many of their loved ones die, not to mention the breakdown of society. Needless to say, not everyone has handled these transitions well.
The story follows a former pop star who used the chaos of the pandemic to escape her controlling father—but she still finds herself running, a wedding planner who is living at the edge of her means, and a father who has been lying to his six-year-old daughter for years about her mother (she thinks she’s still alive!). The lives of these three collide right when news of a possible new virus hits.
I don’t even know how to do this book justice, honestly. It’s truly a character study—one of three people making desperate (sometimes very poor) choices because of the extraordinary circumstances they’ve been put in. Moira (the former pop star) and Rob (the father) have obvious plot arcs since Moira is trying to stay out of her father’s clutches and Rob is dealing with the aftermath of the lie he’s been living with his daughter. It would be easy to assume that Krista (the wedding planner) is less important since her story revolves around her trying to help Moira and Rob (in an unplanned sort of way). But Krista’s internal struggles are just as compelling as her counterparts’: she has spent her life pushing people away due to her traumatic upbringing by a drug-addicted mother.
In the end, the book gives us hope in the midst of tragic and chaotic circumstances and it highlights the resilience of the human spirit. Moira, Rob and Krista find that human connection and empathy are the true cures for the hopelessness of a pandemic. We might just be able to learn from that.
hopebrasfield's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
As always, kind of frustrating by the end. Mike Chen seemingly sees the world for what it is, and is able to imagine that world into new ones (where the characters are set up to begin something new), but ends his books with weirdly neoliberal conclusions. I have no idea if this makes sense! I'm wondering if there's a fanfic audience for re-writing the ending of these books because if so I might find them and read them!