Scan barcode
kdahlo's review
4.0
Very nice near-future setting, with added resonance due to the pandemic themes. I thought this book was very original and enjoyable. I really enjoy Pinsker's ideas, but I feel like she is a bit too nice to her characters for my taste. My favorite piece of her writing is "And Then There Were (N-One)" which is just a touch more cynical, while still being packed full of cool ideas and humor. Obviously this is just a taste thing, I feel like I know readers on both sides of me in terms of this preference. I just read Parable of the Sower/Talents which is incredibly harsh, so maybe that's part of why I'm feeling the contrast. If you read Octavia Butler and think "boy I wish these people could catch a break, this is just too brutal", this book may be for you? If like me you are just a touch more morbid and grim-dark, or think it's interesting when characters have profound and troubling flaws I think this book will feel a little 'light'. Still very good.
alicebme's review
4.0
Not so sci-fi anymore, I guess. This book made me nervous, but I couldn’t put it down. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like. You’ll enjoy this book.
thephdivabooks's review
3.0
In a dystopian world where public gatherings have been made illegal, one woman raises her voice to stand up for the power of music, art, and human connection. A beautiful story that will definitely speak to the heart!
I am one of those rare people who, although I absolutely like music, don’t tend to listen to it much. I’m usually listening to audiobooks or podcasts! But even I can say there is something about music and having that in common with another person that can be magical. Often, I find that listening to music with others gives this sense of shared experience, where the emotions each person is feeling are in sync, even if they are different. Our hearts elevate together and calm together.
The idea of not being able to connect with other people is a terrifying one. In A Song for a New Day, a terrorist attack on a major stadium just before the band takes the stage leads to a decision to make public gatherings illegal. It is to help keep people safe. And yet, what sort of life are people living in the wake of this decision?
For Luce Cannon, she feels like she has lost her place in the world. Primed to take the stage before the attack, she now has no where to go. Her family turned her away when she needed them most, and now she holds small illegal concerts, trying to find a way to reconnect with others.
Rosemary Law grew up in the world that has banned public gatherings. She has a job that requires no contact with humans at all. Her first experience with a virtual concert fundamentally changed her. So when she takes a new job finding musicians and organizing virtual concerts, Rosemary is forced to go out in public. And when Rosemary finally experiences not only the power of music, but the power of human connection, she may be the voice that can make a difference.
I wasn’t prepared for how much this book would effect me, but its such a beautiful story. The idea of missing out on those connections with others—that is a powerful story! Seeing Luce lose her way, and Rosemary begin to discover what she has so long been sheltered from made me really think about the world we live in, and how virtual connections can’t quite replace what we get from real human connections. This one is full of heart!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
I am one of those rare people who, although I absolutely like music, don’t tend to listen to it much. I’m usually listening to audiobooks or podcasts! But even I can say there is something about music and having that in common with another person that can be magical. Often, I find that listening to music with others gives this sense of shared experience, where the emotions each person is feeling are in sync, even if they are different. Our hearts elevate together and calm together.
The idea of not being able to connect with other people is a terrifying one. In A Song for a New Day, a terrorist attack on a major stadium just before the band takes the stage leads to a decision to make public gatherings illegal. It is to help keep people safe. And yet, what sort of life are people living in the wake of this decision?
For Luce Cannon, she feels like she has lost her place in the world. Primed to take the stage before the attack, she now has no where to go. Her family turned her away when she needed them most, and now she holds small illegal concerts, trying to find a way to reconnect with others.
Rosemary Law grew up in the world that has banned public gatherings. She has a job that requires no contact with humans at all. Her first experience with a virtual concert fundamentally changed her. So when she takes a new job finding musicians and organizing virtual concerts, Rosemary is forced to go out in public. And when Rosemary finally experiences not only the power of music, but the power of human connection, she may be the voice that can make a difference.
I wasn’t prepared for how much this book would effect me, but its such a beautiful story. The idea of missing out on those connections with others—that is a powerful story! Seeing Luce lose her way, and Rosemary begin to discover what she has so long been sheltered from made me really think about the world we live in, and how virtual connections can’t quite replace what we get from real human connections. This one is full of heart!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
mementomoriiv's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is the pop punk of books... easily imbibable, slightly political, and generally frothily enjoyable.
The After world Pinsker has created is interesting, especially in relation to our post-COVID experience. (The book was published in 2019.)
The After world Pinsker has created is interesting, especially in relation to our post-COVID experience. (The book was published in 2019.)
shlymiller's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death and Mass/school shootings
rebeccalcohen's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
grayjay's review
4.0
Two women, a once famous rocker, Luce Cannon, and a young woman sheltered on a farm, Rosemary Laws, navigate a world where a series of terrorist attacks and pandemics left society changed by anti-congregation laws. Their lives intersect when Rosemary leaves her farm and her safe virtual megacorp job to become a tablet scout for a virtual concert company. She finds Luce playing in an illegal underground venue.
I liked the interplay of the two female protagonists on either side of a generation gap created by both sweeping societal changes and major technology changes.
Considering that it was written before the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic, the parts about Rosemary's anxiety around congregation and proximity were spooky. This novel has much to say about human connection to a world where people are being forced apart.
I liked the interplay of the two female protagonists on either side of a generation gap created by both sweeping societal changes and major technology changes.
Considering that it was written before the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic, the parts about Rosemary's anxiety around congregation and proximity were spooky. This novel has much to say about human connection to a world where people are being forced apart.
nulli_secundus10's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
carter84's review
4.0
I have the terrible feeling that this book will be weaponised by conspiracy theorists and no-vaxxers as a cautionary tale from what would happen if we don’t lift restrictions, even though the book was written well before the COVID pandemic hit (the scenario in this book is also much worse than what we’re living through).
That would be a shame because A Song for A New Day is a very interesting blend of dystopia and coming of age with a strong focus on music that makes it instantly much more interesting than the million other similar books out there.
That would be a shame because A Song for A New Day is a very interesting blend of dystopia and coming of age with a strong focus on music that makes it instantly much more interesting than the million other similar books out there.
tricapra's review
4.0
Sarah Pinsker really captures the magic of live music and this book really unearthed a lot of conflicting feelings I have about the pandemic.