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laila4343's review against another edition
4.0
Emily St. John Mandel is the queen of the multi-layered plot; her novels are like puzzles you have to keep turning pages to solve. This one was a bit of a slow start but after about 60 pages or so I couldn't put it down. Utterly compelling and propulsive. I especially loved the character of Sasha, Anna's half-sister, and her struggles with gambling and wanting a new life. All of these characters were kind of sad and in search of something, but not in a depressing way.
I've now read all of her books aside from the one that comes out next month (April 2022.) Here's how I rank them from fave to least fave - but they're all worth reading:
1. Station Eleven
2. The Glass Hotel
3. The Singer's Gun
4. The Lola Quartet
5. Last Night in Montreal
I've now read all of her books aside from the one that comes out next month (April 2022.) Here's how I rank them from fave to least fave - but they're all worth reading:
1. Station Eleven
2. The Glass Hotel
3. The Singer's Gun
4. The Lola Quartet
5. Last Night in Montreal
savorsophia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mackellis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A book that could have been a paragraph if people would just be honest and talk to each other. Alas, that’s not the human condition.
mickmoonmohan's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ebrichardson55's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
ESJM is simply a genius. I can’t believe that more people don’t talk about this book which was written before Station 11. The way she weaves these characters together is balletic- I found it so satisfying even when I wished they made different choices. I wish this was made into a series and we could get even further stories on all these characters. I love that it was a story about a very normal group of teenagers then flashed 10 years forward. There are lots of normal problems and even desperate circumstances but I never found it depressing. I’m sad I can never read it again for the first time.
kristin_o's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookysue's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't finish it. Made it to page 63 before quitting. So cringey and embarrassing and hashtag not like the other girls, yuck
gwalt118's review against another edition
3.0
Station Eleven was a five-star read for me when I read it years ago, so I was excited to dive into another one of Mandel’s novels.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. I’m excited for next week’s conversation with fellow book clubbers, because I usually end up liking books more after I talk with that group of incredibly smart humans. This book is marketed as a literary suspense thriller. While I certainly found it literary (those aspects were my favorite), I didn’t find it particularly suspenseful or thrilling. I didn’t get sucked into the novel like I usually do with suspenseful novels and thrillers. I didn’t feel like there was a huge plot twist, and it wasn’t difficult to see how it would end. The ending felt sort of anti-climactic to me.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I certainly enjoyed this book. I loved the questions that Mandel raises about morality, memory, and the loss of innocence. Particularly the evolution – or not – of the characters’ views of morality made me think about my own opinions on some plot points, which I always enjoy. Mandel is such a literary writer, and I think this novel is unique in the way she tries to weave literary elements into a more mysterious plotline.
Reading this novel has motivated me to explore Mandel’s backlist more. Embarrassingly, I didn’t realize how many books were on her backlist, and they all seem to be different. She’s an adventurous writer, and I am a huge fan of that.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. I’m excited for next week’s conversation with fellow book clubbers, because I usually end up liking books more after I talk with that group of incredibly smart humans. This book is marketed as a literary suspense thriller. While I certainly found it literary (those aspects were my favorite), I didn’t find it particularly suspenseful or thrilling. I didn’t get sucked into the novel like I usually do with suspenseful novels and thrillers. I didn’t feel like there was a huge plot twist, and it wasn’t difficult to see how it would end. The ending felt sort of anti-climactic to me.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I certainly enjoyed this book. I loved the questions that Mandel raises about morality, memory, and the loss of innocence. Particularly the evolution – or not – of the characters’ views of morality made me think about my own opinions on some plot points, which I always enjoy. Mandel is such a literary writer, and I think this novel is unique in the way she tries to weave literary elements into a more mysterious plotline.
Reading this novel has motivated me to explore Mandel’s backlist more. Embarrassingly, I didn’t realize how many books were on her backlist, and they all seem to be different. She’s an adventurous writer, and I am a huge fan of that.
gingerliss's review
4.0
Another great book by Mandel. Almost through all her novels now, just one more to go. Although I did very much enjoy this, I'd say it is probably my least favourite of her works. Still very engaging though and the same on the edge of my seat feeling I have had throughout all her novels. I didn't feel as much for the characters in this one though, which made it a slightly slower read compared to her other books. Still, I don't want to sound to negative as it was still very well put together. One of the things I loved about it was that there was a mention of a character who plays a big role in The Glass Hotel. Which gave me a clue that at least some of her novels are set in the same universe, which I always find a super cool way to do things. So kudos for that. Looking forward to the latest novel of hers as from reading the back I'm pretty sure that one is going to have even more references to her other works. Also it's probably time for a reread of Station Eleven soon because up till now I feel that one is definitely Mandel's masterpiece.