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jess_mango's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5
In T.C. Boyle's novel, the Drop City referred to in the title is a free love hippie commune in the 1970's. The commune starts out in California where the hippies lounge about enjoying their lifestyle. After a run-in with the local law enforcement, they decide to move north to Alaska to start Drop City North on land that belongs to one of their uncles.
The book also follows the story of Sess and Pam Harder, two newlywed homesteaders living in the wilds of remote Alaska. The work together to make a home out of Sess'scabin. Pam & Sess were much more interesting than the hippies. I wish that Boyle had spent more of the book developing their characters.
Drop City offers up a sardonic social commentary about communal living. Is free love really all that free? Are the hippies sure they really want to be one with nature?
The start of the book really dragged for me. It took those hippies WAY too long to uproot their lives and move to Alaska. Things got much more interesting once they were in Alaska. Plus, in my opinion there were too many hippies whose stories Boyle was trying to relay. He could have picked just 2 or 3 to focus on instead of the 8 or 10 he did. Some of them just blended together in my mind.
Drop City was a National Book Award finalist and was included on the list of books in the original edition of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.
In T.C. Boyle's novel, the Drop City referred to in the title is a free love hippie commune in the 1970's. The commune starts out in California where the hippies lounge about enjoying their lifestyle. After a run-in with the local law enforcement, they decide to move north to Alaska to start Drop City North on land that belongs to one of their uncles.
The book also follows the story of Sess and Pam Harder, two newlywed homesteaders living in the wilds of remote Alaska. The work together to make a home out of Sess'scabin. Pam & Sess were much more interesting than the hippies. I wish that Boyle had spent more of the book developing their characters.
Drop City offers up a sardonic social commentary about communal living. Is free love really all that free? Are the hippies sure they really want to be one with nature?
The start of the book really dragged for me. It took those hippies WAY too long to uproot their lives and move to Alaska. Things got much more interesting once they were in Alaska. Plus, in my opinion there were too many hippies whose stories Boyle was trying to relay. He could have picked just 2 or 3 to focus on instead of the 8 or 10 he did. Some of them just blended together in my mind.
Drop City was a National Book Award finalist and was included on the list of books in the original edition of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.
yo_olivia's review against another edition
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
andreasueellen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anneliesepeerbolte's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and honestly really interesting. The American obsession with alaska as the lost frontier is real.
lindsayharmon's review against another edition
4.0
How have I not read anything by T.C. Boyle before? I'll have to remedy that immediately. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel--the characters were so vividly drawn that I felt like I knew them by the end.
ardaigle's review against another edition
4.0
I read Tortilla Curtain previously and thought it was a solid novel, so was excited to pick up another book by Boyle, and one that was recommended from my favorite podcast, Literary Disco. If I had to describe Boyle's writing in one word it would be "unrelenting." His style can feel like a bit of a slog, but he is a compelling storyteller who shines a light on sub-groups that I don't often read about, so for me it has felt like I learned a lot along the way.
Initially I found Drop City a little confusing. The story begins with hippies at what is essentially an open living community in California but then, with no discernible reason, picks up another story line of a woman who is choosing between three hardened bachelors to leave civilization behind and become a wife in the remote wilderness of Alaska, and learn to live on the land. There was a similar theme that connected the two plots: a willingness to leave society and all its trappings behind, but still the lack of thread between the two was making me batty. Eventually, these two two concurrent story lines converge but until that was made clear the book was disjointed for me. (Confession time: I cheated and did a little online research because the lack of connection was making me a little nuts).
In retrospect I "see what he did there" and wish I would have been more patient. Spoiler-ish: the hippies decide, when "the man" comes down on them, to seek out a new place for their community in the brutal Alaskan wilderness. Hijinks ensue. And by "hijinks" I mean hardships. And then more hardships.
This book is a thoughtful and hard look at the nature of mankind, and what lengths an individual will go in order to preserve their version of the american dream. This was a book that every time I put it down, I shook my head, surprised to not be in the world that Boyle
Initially I found Drop City a little confusing. The story begins with hippies at what is essentially an open living community in California but then, with no discernible reason, picks up another story line of a woman who is choosing between three hardened bachelors to leave civilization behind and become a wife in the remote wilderness of Alaska, and learn to live on the land. There was a similar theme that connected the two plots: a willingness to leave society and all its trappings behind, but still the lack of thread between the two was making me batty. Eventually, these two two concurrent story lines converge but until that was made clear the book was disjointed for me. (Confession time: I cheated and did a little online research because the lack of connection was making me a little nuts).
In retrospect I "see what he did there" and wish I would have been more patient. Spoiler-ish: the hippies decide, when "the man" comes down on them, to seek out a new place for their community in the brutal Alaskan wilderness. Hijinks ensue. And by "hijinks" I mean hardships. And then more hardships.
This book is a thoughtful and hard look at the nature of mankind, and what lengths an individual will go in order to preserve their version of the american dream. This was a book that every time I put it down, I shook my head, surprised to not be in the world that Boyle
nixieknox's review against another edition
3.0
I love a book about a commune - I'm so fascinated by the whole idea. Throw in a tiny town in Alaska and I'm completely in. I actually found myself more sympathetic to these characters than in other commune books I've read. I liked Star very much, and Pamela. Also I appreciated how the citizens of Drop City and of Boynton were not all that different, even though at first you thought they would be.
brettregister's review against another edition
3.0
Hippies out to change the world for the better. Not really my cup of tea. But, for a book I was forced to read in college, it's not bad.