Scan barcode
musicalpopcorn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I quite enjoyed this book. Emily St John Mandel is fast becoming my favourite author. I like the way she weaves her stories and ties things together with neat but emotional little bows. I quite liked how this was a little different than a standard post-apocalyptic book in that it was based more on relationships and less on the nitty-gritty of survival. I also liked how there was a lot of speculation about how people would reminisce and find different memories of technology to fixate on.
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicide, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Medical content, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Mental illness, Alcohol, Abandonment, Rape, Pedophilia, and Panic attacks/disorders
indigosl's review against another edition
3.75
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
danajoy's review
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Death, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Moderate: Gun violence and Alcohol
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: September 9, 2014
T H R E E • W O R D S
Evocative • Ambitious • Eerie
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.
Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Despite hearing (and reading) so many glowing reviews from my bookish community for Station Eleven, I had no plan to pick it up... until it landed on the 2023 Canada Reads shortlist. Since 2021, I've made a point of reading as many books from the longlist as possible, with a particular focus on the five shortlisted titles. And so, despite knowing this wasn't likely to be my cup of tea, I borrowed a digital copy from my library.
I'll start by saying, I truly appreciated the dystopian Canadian content. Emily St. John Mandel has carefully constructed a realistic (eerily so) and reflective tale of post-apocalyptic survival. And of course, it's incredibly well written. While I know the ambiguous ending has been a point of contention between readers, for me it actually seemed the most fitting.
Despite that, I just wasn't a fan of the story or the structure. It's told in three different timelines from several points of view, and I definitely liked certain section a lot more than others. At times, I found myself disappointed to reach the end of a chapter only to find out I'd be ripped from what was happening in that storyline. Additionally, the plot just held very little interest for me. I'll admit coming out of a pandemic was probably not the right time to read this book, and it's quite possible the past three years impacted my reading experience.
I completely understand why so many readers love Emily St. John Mandel's descriptive and poetic writing style, yet Station Eleven was not a book for me. I don't think it's surprising it landed on this years Canada Reads list, as it definitely stimulates thought and discussion. I am looking forward to seeing how it'll fair on the panel, but in my opinion it doesn't necessarily fit the theme of shifting one's perspective.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emily St. John Mandel enthusiasts
• readers looking for pandemic fiction
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"What I mean to say is, the more you remember, the more you've lost."
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Murder, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Ableism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
krispy_reading's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
All of current life’s simplicities and technology, gone faster than you could process what’s happening to the world. What would you miss the most? What would you bring with you?
Yes, the book is post-apocalyptic but not in a The Walking Dead kind of way. There is more character reflection and adaptation with less violent elements.
There is a broad cast. If you can’t keep track of all Symphony members? It’s fine, just go along for the ride.
There are frequent time jumps in multiple directions. I would have appreciated the chapter titles named after the time period & character name as opposed to basic numerical order.
Ending was ok.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Stalking, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Blood, Physical abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
undecidedpersonality's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Grief, Gun violence, and Medical content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Pedophilia, and Body horror
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Alcohol, Drug use, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Colonisation, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape and War
Adult/minor relationship warning is partially for a couple who met when one was a minor. Ableism warning is for the trope of a disabled character dying as part of an abled character's story. Colonisation warning is just in case, for discussion of Israel in a normalized light.larbster90's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Child death, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, and Terminal illness
kirame's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Rape
whatathymeitwas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Alcohol, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Animal death, Mental illness, Drug use, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual content