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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
What an incredible book. The story is compelling without being too action packed and war-movie esc with big explosions and nonsense. The main character, Sarat, isn't exactly a likable person; she's pushy, she's far too serious sometimes, she's intense. But that didn't seem to matter. She was an intriguing person to center the story on. I also loved how the author told you, slowly, about how this war came about. He didn't give you the standard run down, but slowly over time you were able to piece together what had happened and why. This was very artfully done. The ending did seem a little rushed and I would have liked to have had more information on how the war ended and the part that Sarat played in that. However, I did love the little excerpts throughout the book that read like war reports or interviews. They really gave good background in ways that are hard to do within the actual story itself. I plan to go back and reread this book in order to highlight a few passages and sentences that were very poignant, and there were lots of them. If you're the kind of person who falls in love with sentences, this book is for you.
This was a really excellent book that I think many Americans should read. My biggest issues were two fold. First, the dystopia-building did not accurately consider the intense racism in American society and the role that would actually play in the north/south divide. Second, like many other male writers, this author falls into the misogynist trope where women are either mama bears, girly-girls who love make-up, or make-up-hating 'not like the other girl' protagonists. This is par for the course for any sci-fi/fantasy written by a man unfortunately. But otherwise the story itself has a great plot, the story is well-constructed, and the characters are compelling.
The author overall provides a unique perspective and has a good writing style.
The author overall provides a unique perspective and has a good writing style.
This was a 3.5 for me, and I suspect if I hadn't read it in the middle of a global pandemic, I'd have rounded it up to 4. Also, I read it on a Kindle Paperwhite (black and white e-reader), and I think this may have detracted from the immersion (i.e. I could barely see the maps, the "documents" presented look the same as the main narrative, etc.).
This book is driven by its vision of a dystopian future where climate change has eliminated most of the Eastern seaboard of the US and the South (Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia) have left the union in defense of their right to keep using fossil fuels. The world-building is sophisticated and gripping in both the details the author gives us and the details he withholds. This is really the strength of this book.
Unfortunately, the characters that inhabit this world fell flat. We get so little of their ordinary lives that they become tropes reacting to the world rather than empathetic individuals. At one point, the main character is actually described as the "girl who is not like other girls." It wasn't until the fourth section (of four) that she showed any sort of vulnerability or real affection for anyone else. We're TOLD that she was devastated by earlier losses, but we're never shown why that would be.
Overall, a really original and thought-provoking novel, but one driven almost entirely by its setting.
This book is driven by its vision of a dystopian future where climate change has eliminated most of the Eastern seaboard of the US and the South (Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia) have left the union in defense of their right to keep using fossil fuels. The world-building is sophisticated and gripping in both the details the author gives us and the details he withholds. This is really the strength of this book.
Unfortunately, the characters that inhabit this world fell flat. We get so little of their ordinary lives that they become tropes reacting to the world rather than empathetic individuals. At one point, the main character is actually described as the "girl who is not like other girls." It wasn't until the fourth section (of four) that she showed any sort of vulnerability or real affection for anyone else. We're TOLD that she was devastated by earlier losses, but we're never shown why that would be.
Overall, a really original and thought-provoking novel, but one driven almost entirely by its setting.
A bleak book centered on an American civil war, divided this time not by slavery and race but through energy and environment. A brutal struggle that involves deadly weapons leaving America as an almost third-world country reliant on aid from Asian and African countries
An epic canvas that ultimately centers itself on a family, the book follow unfolds through their travails notably through their twin daughters. Not an easy book to read, its fairly bleak and despondent as the struggles take an effect on the family. Tragedy is always just around the corner and the after-effects unceasingly brutal
Sarat is the character who goes through it all in spades. Unflinchingly uncompromising and yet broken beyond belief, she carries the book and its her viewpoint that we see the war and its after-effects shape up. A truly fascinating and frustrating character
The book's pacing is a major concern here esp given the bleakness. The book doesnt offer any hope and that at times makes for a heavy read. Its the kind of book, you give up but you still come back and hope to finish. Best read in small chunks, almost impossible to spend a lot of time on it
An epic canvas that ultimately centers itself on a family, the book follow unfolds through their travails notably through their twin daughters. Not an easy book to read, its fairly bleak and despondent as the struggles take an effect on the family. Tragedy is always just around the corner and the after-effects unceasingly brutal
Sarat is the character who goes through it all in spades. Unflinchingly uncompromising and yet broken beyond belief, she carries the book and its her viewpoint that we see the war and its after-effects shape up. A truly fascinating and frustrating character
The book's pacing is a major concern here esp given the bleakness. The book doesnt offer any hope and that at times makes for a heavy read. Its the kind of book, you give up but you still come back and hope to finish. Best read in small chunks, almost impossible to spend a lot of time on it
This was a difficult one to finish. While the concept is interesting and is what ultimately kept me going, the story is slow, the main character is unrelatable and unlikable. I -almost- DNF this book, and skipped a few pages towards the end.
I quite liked this book and liked it even more (as usual) after thinking about it more during the Canada Reads debates. CanLit ftw.
When the second Civil War begins in 2074, Sarat is a young girl living in Louisiana. Tensions have been high between the North and South over the use of fossil fuels, and when the fighting nears, the family is forced to flee to a refugee camp. While their mother finds work to support themselves, Sarat and her brother, Simon, try to find places in this new world. Simon finds the rebel fighters, while Sarat finds a friendship with a man who treats her as an equal—a recruiter to the cause, it turns out. The war between the states eventually ends . . . but never for Sarat.
American War is set in the nearish future, and it's all too easy to see the possibilities for truth in the novel. It's part of what makes it so chilling, and such an interesting read.
American War is set in the nearish future, and it's all too easy to see the possibilities for truth in the novel. It's part of what makes it so chilling, and such an interesting read.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War, Deportation
Moderate: Toxic friendship