Reviews

A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers

leftybill's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.25

jacksontibet's review against another edition

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3.0

Very simple/easy/quick to read. The tone reminds me of the movie Lost in Translation, and the plot and topical matter is similar as well. There's a man who's lost: in work, in life, in love, and in the world at large. He kind of floats through this adventure, wandering into the sea, into empty apartments, into giant holes in the ground, into the Arab wilderness, into dangerous situations, and into romantic liasons. Not much to say. It's a simple, and simply enjoyable, book about a complex world. Sometimes things don't need to be more than that.

alexisrt's review against another edition

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2.0

I'm really not sure if I liked this or not. It was well written (an easy read, in fact) but it felt more like the idea of a novel than an actual novel. Eggers seems to want to tell some grand story of American decline, only the plot, characters, and setting are hazy and ill defined. The theme is heavy handed and at points I felt I was being treated to a lecture from someone who had no particular claim to being able to lecture on the subject. Eggers may have mostly pulled it off in Zeitoun--he doesn't manage it here.

bookysue's review against another edition

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4.0

I found the book very readable -- I finished it in a couple of days -- and as everything by Eggers is, it's beautifully written and thought-provoking.

The main problem I had with the book was actually a mistake -- When purchasing the book on Amazon, I accidentally read a review that revealed that the main character died early on in the book. So, I began reading it, waiting for him to die, but he didn't. Halfway through the book, and the dude was still alive. I started to get annoyed. "That person lied -- He doesn't die at the beginning. He probably dies at the very end, and they just totally gave away the whole book." But no. I finally hit the last page today, and he was still very much alive.

So, that sucked -- half-waiting for him to die, wondering when and how death would come for him. If it hadn't been for that (false!) review, I probably would have relaxed and enjoyed myself a bit more while reading the thing.

But, despite that and the book's lack of direction or forward motion, I really enjoyed it.

Plus, the cover is awesome.

courtz531's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective sad slow-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

cseibs's review against another edition

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1.0

Wow, that was awful. I am at a complete loss as to how the National Book Award took notice of this, never mind short listed it. I felt like I'd already read this book a hundred times before - but better - because Eggers used every hackneyed upper middle class white man trope imaginable. Not to mention that the book was both misogynistic (woman are only one dimensional sexy minxes or man-hating shedevils) and also, at the least, culturally insensitive, if not outright racist. The only good thing to say about it is that it was a fast read so I was done with it quickly.

ericfheiman's review against another edition

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3.0

Dave Eggers' new novel actually deserves about a 3.5-3.75 rating, as I enjoyed it very much, but simply wanted more! A Hologram ultimately feels a little clipped and not fully realized. That said, I greatly enjoyed the sparer writing style he honed on Zeitoun that is present here, as well as the existential, Beckett-like themes that run through the book. I'm sure when Eggers is ready to take a bigger break from all his various endeavors—activist, publisher, tutor, designer, editor, et al—and focus on his (hopefully inevitable) opus novel, he'll produce a masterpiece. Until then, though, this will do just fine.

(Lastly, the book is worth buying solely for its incredible packaging design. A triumph of craft that has all but disappeared in this day and age.)

julieveg's review against another edition

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3.0

I read this instead of watching the movie. Easy read that kept me moderately entertained.

mosesss's review against another edition

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dark funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

ccoelophysis's review against another edition

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1.0

Really disappointed after reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. It's a modernized, globalized Death of a Salesman, as I think other reviews have mentioned. And other reviews have also mentioned the gorgeous book cover - too bad the story inside isn't as beautiful. Gaze upon the cover, but put it back down and go find something better to open and read.