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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
A nice tale of an odd apocalypse that I quite enjoyed listening to. However, I don't know, maybe it was a tad to "literary" for me? I felt that the story never quite got to where it should have gotten to. Meandered a bit toward the end. Still, quite enjoyable and thought-provoking.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
***NO SPOILERS***
I guess Future Home of the Living God is Louise Erdrich’s attempt at a dystopian story, but I’m not sure how to categorize it. Supposedly, it’s about evolution moving backward, with the protagonist pregnant with a baby that could be normal or freakish. I was immediately excited by such an electrifying premise, so I was deeply disappointed to discover that it’s false advertising.
Future Home of the Living God is a disjointed jumble--literary fiction, thriller, suspense, and just a smidgen of dystopian. It’s also divided into three parts very different in tone and pacing, and this is where the genre is confusing. Part I is literary fiction sprinkled with some dystopian; part II is thriller, suspense, and dystopian; and part III is literary fiction with more sprinkled dystopian. Erdrich also tossed in some vague poetic, meditative passages now and then, sometimes apropos of nothing. All parts are supposed to connect, but the end result is a forced, unsatisfying mesh.
These are two totally incompatible stories--parts I and III as one story and part II as its own--that Erdrich insisted on melding rather than patiently crafting into separate, complete books. That’s a shame, because separately they probably could be good. Both stories have glimmers of real substance, but it was in trying to connect the two that Erdrich was constrained.
Because part II is exciting and suspenseful and comes closest to answering what this “biological apocalypse” is all about, it’s very page-turning. Here I thought the story was finally taking a turn for the better after a plodding and mostly non-dystopian part I, but then part III begins, and Future Home of the Living God once again takes a wrong turn.
In a single book Erdrich tried to tackle too many social issues, all within the framework of some dystopian United States that she never came remotely close to fleshing out. I’m not certain I’d fully understand what the “biological apocalypse” exactly is had I not read the book summary beforehand.
This is a three-star read for the thick part II section, which greatly moves the story along. Parts I and III are uneventful and two-star. I don’t think even Erdrich’s most ardent fans will feel enthusiastic about this one. Fans of dystopian stories should absolutely steer clear.
I guess Future Home of the Living God is Louise Erdrich’s attempt at a dystopian story, but I’m not sure how to categorize it. Supposedly, it’s about evolution moving backward, with the protagonist pregnant with a baby that could be normal or freakish. I was immediately excited by such an electrifying premise, so I was deeply disappointed to discover that it’s false advertising.
Future Home of the Living God is a disjointed jumble--literary fiction, thriller, suspense, and just a smidgen of dystopian. It’s also divided into three parts very different in tone and pacing, and this is where the genre is confusing. Part I is literary fiction sprinkled with some dystopian; part II is thriller, suspense, and dystopian; and part III is literary fiction with more sprinkled dystopian. Erdrich also tossed in some vague poetic, meditative passages now and then, sometimes apropos of nothing. All parts are supposed to connect, but the end result is a forced, unsatisfying mesh.
These are two totally incompatible stories--parts I and III as one story and part II as its own--that Erdrich insisted on melding rather than patiently crafting into separate, complete books. That’s a shame, because separately they probably could be good. Both stories have glimmers of real substance, but it was in trying to connect the two that Erdrich was constrained.
Because part II is exciting and suspenseful and comes closest to answering what this “biological apocalypse” is all about, it’s very page-turning. Here I thought the story was finally taking a turn for the better after a plodding and mostly non-dystopian part I, but then part III begins, and Future Home of the Living God once again takes a wrong turn.
In a single book Erdrich tried to tackle too many social issues, all within the framework of some dystopian United States that she never came remotely close to fleshing out. I’m not certain I’d fully understand what the “biological apocalypse” exactly is had I not read the book summary beforehand.
This is a three-star read for the thick part II section, which greatly moves the story along. Parts I and III are uneventful and two-star. I don’t think even Erdrich’s most ardent fans will feel enthusiastic about this one. Fans of dystopian stories should absolutely steer clear.
I have mixed feelings about this one. It was an interesting combination of super slow, contemplative storytelling and tense, thriller-esque action. The writing was great, and the story has definitely stuck in my head since finishing the book a few days ago, but it was also very bleak. I wish more time was spent on the "Mother" character because that was terrifying and also very confusing. All in all, I would still recommend for fans of dystopian stories with a litfic tone.
3.5 stars. I would have enjoyed this book so much more if I hadn’t felt “The Handmaid’s Tale” hovering over my shoulder the entire time I was reading it.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
No
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced