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vita_zeta's review
1.0
Ever find yourself just not reading a book? Not intentionally, but every time you crack it open your minds goes elsewhere. Or whenever you have free time to sit and read you find something else to do instead. That's what happened to me with Luminarium.
I still think the concept is fascinating - a deadbeat thirty-year-old uses computer technology to accidentally step beyond the veil - but it got bogged down with its less interesting elements. You'd think there would be a point where Fred just threw up his hands and realized he wasn't going to get his old life back, and even if he did it would be meaningless. I suppose that's where the book was heading but it was doing it very slowly. Yet for a book that was so aimless, it managed to be predictable as well. At one point, I said to myself, "Well, I keep reading until he sleeps with this chick, and if nothing interesting is produced from that, I'll stop." Which is pretty much what went down. The cathartic sexual liaison turned out just to be another way of stripping Fred of the last things he had to hold onto in life. Any spiritual awakening happen then? Does meditating on his parent's roof count?
I think a part of me is still trying to convince myself to try to finish this, because I so rarely DNF books. Which is why I'm writing this review, and trying to get some closure on this. I wish there was a reason to finish other than just habit, but for a book that involves itself with spirituality and faith without ignorance, there is very little to be gained from it.
I still think the concept is fascinating - a deadbeat thirty-year-old uses computer technology to accidentally step beyond the veil - but it got bogged down with its less interesting elements. You'd think there would be a point where Fred just threw up his hands and realized he wasn't going to get his old life back, and even if he did it would be meaningless. I suppose that's where the book was heading but it was doing it very slowly. Yet for a book that was so aimless, it managed to be predictable as well. At one point, I said to myself, "Well, I keep reading until he sleeps with this chick, and if nothing interesting is produced from that, I'll stop." Which is pretty much what went down. The cathartic sexual liaison turned out just to be another way of stripping Fred of the last things he had to hold onto in life. Any spiritual awakening happen then? Does meditating on his parent's roof count?
I think a part of me is still trying to convince myself to try to finish this, because I so rarely DNF books. Which is why I'm writing this review, and trying to get some closure on this. I wish there was a reason to finish other than just habit, but for a book that involves itself with spirituality and faith without ignorance, there is very little to be gained from it.
quackthump's review
3.0
This was an impulse read after seeing the awards it had received and more importantly, the two people who were recommending, authors in the McSweeney's crowd, as I think of them: Dave Eggers and Deb Olin Unferth. It sounded interesting and boasted plenty of acclaim, so I spent my 3.99 without further thought.
The book spanned incredibly thoughtful topics of Hinduism, Reiki, capitalism, and post-9/11 trauma/ voyeurism. However, this book could've been tightened up, in my opinion: fewer details on the Hindu deities, maybe nix the whole father-son magician scenarios... there was just a lot jammed in that didn't necessarily add to the overall plot or even to meaningful character development. Shakar's greatest strength was his chapter breaks; at the end of every chapter I had to read the next few lines of the following page to make sure everything was okay. The reviews here on Goodreads are mixed, with those against the book complaining about the book being boring and lengthy. It's definitely not a speed read or plot-driven book, so avoid this if that's what you prefer reading. However, if you'd like to reflect on how humans neurally perceive reality and spiritual energy and/or if you are looking for a New Yorker's tale of 9/11, pick it up.
The book spanned incredibly thoughtful topics of Hinduism, Reiki, capitalism, and post-9/11 trauma/ voyeurism. However, this book could've been tightened up, in my opinion: fewer details on the Hindu deities, maybe nix the whole father-son magician scenarios... there was just a lot jammed in that didn't necessarily add to the overall plot or even to meaningful character development. Shakar's greatest strength was his chapter breaks; at the end of every chapter I had to read the next few lines of the following page to make sure everything was okay. The reviews here on Goodreads are mixed, with those against the book complaining about the book being boring and lengthy. It's definitely not a speed read or plot-driven book, so avoid this if that's what you prefer reading. However, if you'd like to reflect on how humans neurally perceive reality and spiritual energy and/or if you are looking for a New Yorker's tale of 9/11, pick it up.
emilynola's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
mogg's review
4.0
I gave up on this book twice while reading it -- the themes of failure, mourning, and 9/11 almost didn't make up for the presence of subjects I find fascinating (transcranial stimulation, video games, very unusual highs, virtual reality, and metaphysics). But I'm glad I kept with it. What a strange and... pretty wonderful book.
mirk's review
3.0
(Sometime in July) I'm doing everything I can to avoid reading this book. I sort of want to know what happens with George and with the Mira experiment but not enough to keep reading. It's an odd book.
08/11/13 -- I ditched it formally added it to my discard list and carried on, but I kept thinking about it and wondering what he was going to do with it all so I picked it up again and finished it.
Mike, a reviewer I follow sum's up much of my frustration with the book when he points out that the narrative is "sometimes (maybe a few too many times) bogged down by the weight of sweeping thematic concerns which put a drag on forward motion and I'd go with "few too many times." Enough already. But, there is much that is interesting and smart and committed to make it worth the time. And there is a "dinner" scene between Fred and Holly and Vartan near the end of the book that is really quite oddly spectacular. In fact, Holly and Vartan, with the Reiki and the magic tricks, and their crappy apartment were some of the strongest writing in the novel.
If I were going to make up an odd shelf -- self, self-immolation and 9/11 -- I'd put it there with James Hynes book Next, but Luminarium is a kinder book and Fred although as self-involved as Kevin Quinn has better reasons.
08/11/13 -- I ditched it formally added it to my discard list and carried on, but I kept thinking about it and wondering what he was going to do with it all so I picked it up again and finished it.
Mike, a reviewer I follow sum's up much of my frustration with the book when he points out that the narrative is "sometimes (maybe a few too many times) bogged down by the weight of sweeping thematic concerns which put a drag on forward motion and I'd go with "few too many times." Enough already. But, there is much that is interesting and smart and committed to make it worth the time. And there is a "dinner" scene between Fred and Holly and Vartan near the end of the book that is really quite oddly spectacular. In fact, Holly and Vartan, with the Reiki and the magic tricks, and their crappy apartment were some of the strongest writing in the novel.
If I were going to make up an odd shelf -- self, self-immolation and 9/11 -- I'd put it there with James Hynes book Next, but Luminarium is a kinder book and Fred although as self-involved as Kevin Quinn has better reasons.
sshabein's review
4.0
Luminarium benefits from mental simmering. While reading, we may be just as bewildered as Fred, unsure of where or how all these events will resolve. With time and some additional thought, the real depth of what Shakar has accomplished becomes clear. He has written an extraordinary book, one I've grown to enjoy more once I've had some time away. Not every writer can pull off a novel of this scope, but Alex Shakar inspires us to try.
(Full review can be found on Glorified Love Letters.)
(Full review can be found on Glorified Love Letters.)
sarahjsnider's review
4.0
I enjoyed reading this, although I only scratched the surface of the meanings involved. The more challenging bits about enlightenment, alternative realities, consciousness, etc. were balanced by more familiar themes of familial affection and making one's way through modern life. I think this author's next novel is going to blow my mind Corrections-style.
melanie_page's review
5.0
There are moments, brief moments, where things appear too convenient near the end, but I'm so impressed with the depth and scope of this book, the years that it took to write.
melanie_page's review against another edition
5.0
There are moments, brief moments, where things appear too convenient near the end, but I'm so impressed with the depth and scope of this book, the years that it took to write.
moot's review against another edition
4.0
Aside from the abounding male gaze and stereotypical, unapproachable female romantic interest, it's one of my favorites. I read this book more than a year ago and still admire how it integrates introspection, technology and Buddhist construct of the self.