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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I tried reading it two separate times but I couldn’t get into it.
So I've only just found out that some of the characters are in her other novel - it's not a full sequel (apparently) but I still feel slightly lied to.
A very clever intervening of narratives - in fact, so clever I often felt like I should have been paying more attention to every character, their families and their relationships. I'm now wondering if I actually was just missing the context of the first novel
A very clever intervening of narratives - in fact, so clever I often felt like I should have been paying more attention to every character, their families and their relationships. I'm now wondering if I actually was just missing the context of the first novel
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The concept is fascinating and sometimes the execution was incredible; other times it felt like so many threads tenuously strung together
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
medium-paced
Jennifer Egan is an old favorite of mine and this book did not disappoint. It's a very worthy successor to the literary pillar that Goon Squad became in my life. I liked that this book's theme was a bit more focused, or maybe just less amorphous: if Goon Squad was broadly about aging, this book was about authenticity and social media and privacy... and aging. It's one of those genre books that only feels like a genre book half the time; with a chapter that's a notable exception, most of the time it doesn't even feel like sci-fi, just an extension of the timeline that she's placed as far back as 1965.
I will confess that I'm perplexed by her decision to make the focus of the last chapter, but maybe that's because Still, I thought there were far better, more evocative chapters that could've ended this book, but I'll leave decisions like that to the Greats like Jennifer Egan.
Overall, I love her writing style; I love that her novels feel more like serialized short stories than traditional narratives; I love her creativity in writing multimedia chapters; I love her foresight and seemingly-effortless ability to weave every character into a tight little tapestry of storytelling. A writing professor introduced me to Goon Squad as being so good, "it makes you wonder why anyone else writes anything at all." Egan's still pulling it off 11 years later.
I will confess that I'm perplexed by her decision to make
Spoiler
AmesSpoiler
he's the child everyone forgot about? So we as readers were supposed to forget about him? Still, his chapter seemed... unremarkable. Maybe there's commentary there on how most human lives are unremarkable, with or without social media or Special Ops training.Overall, I love her writing style; I love that her novels feel more like serialized short stories than traditional narratives; I love her creativity in writing multimedia chapters; I love her foresight and seemingly-effortless ability to weave every character into a tight little tapestry of storytelling. A writing professor introduced me to Goon Squad as being so good, "it makes you wonder why anyone else writes anything at all." Egan's still pulling it off 11 years later.
Jennifer Egan is untouchable, man. This and Goon Squad are some of the best writing we'll ever get from an American author.