Reviews

Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell

misskodiereads's review against another edition

5.0

i saw a girl on tik tok say you’d like this book if you were like an uncle who was also just a girl. i would honestly recommend this book to so many different people, but ESPECIALLY to the music lovers. particularly people who love 70s rock music (like myself). the way the book is formatted is so interesting, each part is a record the group is releasing, and every chapter is a song, written in the POV of whoever wrote that song. it’s very character driven, and can be honestly quite devastating at times. it’s definitely a new favourite

lilypadreads's review against another edition

4.0

I’m so sad it’s over 

c_ab_bage's review against another edition

5.0

me, a character girly, when the book is character driven:

aceinit's review against another edition

4.0

Despite the fact that I feel like I am missing out on a lot of tie-in info from Mitchell's other works, especially in regards to Jasper, Knock Knock, and the Horologists in particular, this is still one of my favorite reads of the year.

lightning_pirate's review against another edition

4.0

I love David Mitchell's writing and the Mitchell verse and I will happily read anything he publishes. The ending of this book is gorgeous and I had to remind myself that I did drift off in the middle of reading this book when I gave it it's rating. Because on the ending alone and Jasper, Elf and Dean's stories I would have given it five stars. I just question whether it needed to be 500 pages long to achieve the same impact

aproposofnathan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars

I was psyched to see that David Mitchell was releasing a new novel. Several of his previous books are amongst my all time favorites. I love the quirk-factor and the smart writing.

In this tale we follow a fictional 60's-era British rock band called Utopia Avenue. The book has plenty of cameos by real rockers from The Beatles to The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and more. The book oozes with the vibe of the era. Some may compare this book to [b:Daisy Jones & The Six|40597810|Daisy Jones & The Six|Taylor Jenkins Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580255154l/40597810._SY75_.jpg|61127102] (loved it!) which also follows a rock band during roughly the same point in time. While there are similarities the feeling and style of both books are different. Utopia Avenue reads like straight up 1960's historical fiction but there is a sneaky thread of oddity running through in the story. We see all the tumult of the era with riots, anti-Vietnam sentiment, sex, drugs and rock & roll. There are the growing pains of achieving fame and how it impacts the group.

I enjoy music-themed stories and this one was no exception. I also like that the author has created a playlist for the novel, which you can find on Spotify. Mitchell is clearly a talented writer who has a knack for details that make stories come alive. I love the cleverness of the connections that he makes in his "David Mitchell Multi-verse". This will be a great read for Mitchell fans AND music fans alike.

What to listen to while reading...
This playlist compiled by the author: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/09SuXCtjHJiNdtEDfWh55e

Thank you to publisher for the review copy!

ellenclibrarian's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book and intertwined reading with listening to the audio. It is a lot, and a bit chaotic, but that goes along with a theme of the story. I've always loved band stories because the dynamic of a rock band fascinates me, and I once thought I would combine my sociology degree with my passion for music for just this purpose. It may not be a great read for everyone, but I loved the Forrest Gump-like meetings with various musicians of the era coupled with the fascinating study of mental illness.

hannahkate's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad 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

charlottewithjam's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0