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fionafsw's review
dark
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I devoured this book like that Marianas Trench shark did the aquarium contents.
The Circle was a page-turner and an easy read in that sense: the writing was elegant and flawless and never gave me cause to question, stumble or stop. The dystopic and only slightly fictional world that the author (who is the founder of McSweeney's) created was well thought through and believable. All elements of this world checked out, and what I appreciated was that the author showed me things not for the sake of showing off how clever he was to have come up with them but because every detail played a role in completing my immersion into that world. The plot was fast-paced and the dialogue was crisp and natural.
The story was as if a collection of Black Mirror episodes were combined and transformed into a 500-page novel. Its starting point is our current digitalized and social media-dominated world and takes it several steps farther. What made my reading experience so riveting was that transformations continued to take place as the plot progressed: the world was dynamic and (d)evolved further with every page.
The climax was one of the best I'd ever read in any novel. Perfect build-up - and release - of tension.
Perhaps my only question is where all the political science and philosophy students were to remind everyone of the downsides to direct democracy or the logical gaps in ideas like focusing policing on those with a prior record. Though I guess the point is that the Circle dissolves critical thinking and silences voices that resist assimilation into the hive mind.
The Circle presents big topics in a very digestible way. I see it as an interesting complement to William Dalrymple's The Anarchy in its warning about what can happen when a private for-profit corporation expands unchecked.
The Circle was a page-turner and an easy read in that sense: the writing was elegant and flawless and never gave me cause to question, stumble or stop. The dystopic and only slightly fictional world that the author (who is the founder of McSweeney's) created was well thought through and believable. All elements of this world checked out, and what I appreciated was that the author showed me things not for the sake of showing off how clever he was to have come up with them but because every detail played a role in completing my immersion into that world. The plot was fast-paced and the dialogue was crisp and natural.
The story was as if a collection of Black Mirror episodes were combined and transformed into a 500-page novel. Its starting point is our current digitalized and social media-dominated world and takes it several steps farther. What made my reading experience so riveting was that transformations continued to take place as the plot progressed: the world was dynamic and (d)evolved further with every page.
The climax was one of the best I'd ever read in any novel. Perfect build-up - and release - of tension.
Perhaps my only question is where all the political science and philosophy students were to remind everyone of the downsides to direct democracy or the logical gaps in ideas like focusing policing on those with a prior record. Though I guess the point is that the Circle dissolves critical thinking and silences voices that resist assimilation into the hive mind.
The Circle presents big topics in a very digestible way. I see it as an interesting complement to William Dalrymple's The Anarchy in its warning about what can happen when a private for-profit corporation expands unchecked.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness
asafekindofhigh's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Suicide, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
cecinamo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Really good and terrifying book!
Sometimes it really stressed me out reading about how social interaction and having no privacy were basically mandatory o_o…
The mc is a classical unreliable narrator. It’s maddening how self centered and close minded she is at some points.
The book explores the dangers of a completely digitalized and surveilled world. It’s very interesting and scary.
I think the ending fell a bit short, but overall it was very good! :>
Sometimes it really stressed me out reading about how social interaction and having no privacy were basically mandatory o_o…
The mc is a classical unreliable narrator. It’s maddening how self centered and close minded she is at some points.
The book explores the dangers of a completely digitalized and surveilled world. It’s very interesting and scary.
I think the ending fell a bit short, but overall it was very good! :>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Car accident, Suicide, Alcohol, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Blood, Stalking, Misogyny, Grief, Death, and Mental illness
phantomgecko's review
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I hated this book. It's agonizing to read.
But the 4 star rating isn't a mistake. Eggers had a message and related it perfectly.
Science fiction is a critique of the present. The Circle uses hyperbole but like just barely. The real possibility of this particular dystopia is chilling and sooooo frustrating.
Mae is the perfect protagonist. I didn't agree with a single one of her choices. Everything she chose was wrong or stupid. Her thought processes were believable, though, so it unfortunately all made sense. To have a character that swallowed all the propaganda (and helped create it) as the main character made the message that much more effective. More effective than just having the "bad guys" do all the bad things.
Honestly, I could write a really in depth literary analysis of this novel, but I don't have the time, and doing so would be too depressing/aggravating. And also patronizing, I think. I was originally going to point out specific things that happen in the book and how insidious they are, but...as a reader I trust you to see it.
It's not subtle.
But the 4 star rating isn't a mistake. Eggers had a message and related it perfectly.
Science fiction is a critique of the present. The Circle uses hyperbole but like just barely. The real possibility of this particular dystopia is chilling and sooooo frustrating.
Mae is the perfect protagonist. I didn't agree with a single one of her choices. Everything she chose was wrong or stupid. Her thought processes were believable, though, so it unfortunately all made sense. To have a character that swallowed all the propaganda (and helped create it) as the main character made the message that much more effective. More effective than just having the "bad guys" do all the bad things.
Honestly, I could write a really in depth literary analysis of this novel, but I don't have the time, and doing so would be too depressing/aggravating. And also patronizing, I think. I was originally going to point out specific things that happen in the book and how insidious they are, but...as a reader I trust you to see it.
It's not subtle.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Classism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Cursing, Fatphobia, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
robyn_fenix's review
challenging
dark
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Suicide, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Cancer, and Stalking
Minor: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Abandonment, Slavery, Cancer, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Sexual assault
missjeann's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Classism
eule's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I like and loathe this book simultaneously. This book is important to read. It’s important to understand and stress the right to anonymity. „We must all have the right to disappear“ as a certain character (no spoiler) put it in the book. While I believe this book is crucial to read, I still hate it wholeheartedly. Why, you may ask?
- I hate nearly all characters, especially the main character, Mae Holland (arrogant, naïve, selfish, indecisive, biased, disgusting, facile, ignorant, … the list goes on)
- I hate the weird relationships she has (never call the tip of a penis crown again)
- I hate Mae’s non-existing personality (why did they chose poor Emma Watson in the movie???)
- I hate that this book has no chapters (Is it meant to be a circle with no ending or beginning?)
- I hate that character development is missing (she had so many chances to change her behavior), even though that’s the whole point of the book: she is supposed to represent the people blindly following a monopoly system
- I hate the fatphobia and the CONSTANT MANIPULATION, HELP
- I hate and love simultaneously that the plot is „just“ about the life at the company and how it takes over the world
- I am confused about the tension. I was sometimes bored to death because she was rendering about her „dumb friends (Mercer and Annie) and family (her parents). And in the next moment I wanted to know if we will ever get revenge on this entitled bitch and the inveterate circle
You see, I am enraged about this book and that’s the whole point, I believe. We have to understand that this book, even though it was published 10 years ago, is a mirror to today’s reality (have Google, Facebook and co in mind). Still you could have easily shortened the book by 100/200 pages.
Ps: thank you to my friend Nex for letting me buy this book from him :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Medical content, Body shaming, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Abandonment, Child death, and Colonisation
jhbandcats's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Absolutely terrifying. I was almost crippled by tension from the beginning and it just kept getting worse and worse. I kept putting the book down because I needed a break from how riled up I was getting.
It’s like “1984” intensified five times. I kept thinking of the term “drinking the Kool-Aid” while I was reading this. Everyone is brainwashed into thinking a monopoly that controls information on literally everyone and everything is a good idea.
The inventors of the Circle (the Facebook / Google / Amazon conglomerate) show what’s great about it. If there were surveillance cameras everywhere, totalitarianism wouldn’t exist because no one would tolerate the crimes they were seeing. But no one asks what happens if the totalitarians are the ones in control. If every child had a chip imbedded at birth, no child could ever be kidnapped again. But no child who then grows to an adult would ever be free of the system, they’d always be controlled.
Mae’s slogan - Privacy is Theft - is beyond terrifying to me. Nothing is private, everyone can see and hear everything. (The issue of porn wasn’t addressed beyond something like, If sex is everywhere it won’t be a big thing.)
At the same time, I somehow accept that all my personal info is out there, available - so while I see the awfulness of the Circle in the book I’m already living it in real life. I think this book is going to keep me up all night….
UPDATE: It seemed unlikely to me that Mae’s mysterious man would’ve approached her unless it was for long-view manipulative reasons, and that wasn’t mentioned.
It’s like “1984” intensified five times. I kept thinking of the term “drinking the Kool-Aid” while I was reading this. Everyone is brainwashed into thinking a monopoly that controls information on literally everyone and everything is a good idea.
The inventors of the Circle (the Facebook / Google / Amazon conglomerate) show what’s great about it. If there were surveillance cameras everywhere, totalitarianism wouldn’t exist because no one would tolerate the crimes they were seeing. But no one asks what happens if the totalitarians are the ones in control. If every child had a chip imbedded at birth, no child could ever be kidnapped again. But no child who then grows to an adult would ever be free of the system, they’d always be controlled.
Mae’s slogan - Privacy is Theft - is beyond terrifying to me. Nothing is private, everyone can see and hear everything. (The issue of porn wasn’t addressed beyond something like, If sex is everywhere it won’t be a big thing.)
At the same time, I somehow accept that all my personal info is out there, available - so while I see the awfulness of the Circle in the book I’m already living it in real life. I think this book is going to keep me up all night….
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
ladyzbyrd's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book came highly recommended by a friend.
Typical dystopian horror story with recycled tropes, high predictability, and superficial characters.
Even the few sex scenes and mental fantasies for a female protagonist were CLEARLY written by a man.
I would not recommend this unless you’re deep into conspiracy theories about how technology is sooooooo incredibly evil. There’s interestingly a heavily biased “warning” against evil technology (read: power-hungry people) that you just can’t miss.
Typical dystopian horror story with recycled tropes, high predictability, and superficial characters.
I would not recommend this unless you’re deep into conspiracy theories about how technology is sooooooo incredibly evil. There’s interestingly a heavily biased “warning” against evil technology (read: power-hungry people) that you just can’t miss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Animal death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
irhamfachli's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Gaslighting