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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Intricate and layered story, quick read, gorgeous character development, a read-between-the-lines kind of book.
A four-star read for now. Almost a five. Possibly a five after I re-read it.
The book grew on me. It crests powerfully, almost catches grace by the end. The first couple chapters almost turned me off. I mean, they were decent, but unremarkable and "placeable." Then the thing grew as the p.o.v.s accumulated, as did the weave of lives and details.
Part of me thinks with novel tops DFW's Infinite Jest as a marker of contemporary story-telling. Egan does the same "tornadic" thing with narrative (but not quite as grotesque as DFW), relies on characterization, and builds distopian touches into the background (much like G. Saunders did in Tenth of December). But there's richer human beings in this novel than in DFW. For example, what Egan does with kids and marriage nudges her past DFW. At least here.
The book grew on me. It crests powerfully, almost catches grace by the end. The first couple chapters almost turned me off. I mean, they were decent, but unremarkable and "placeable." Then the thing grew as the p.o.v.s accumulated, as did the weave of lives and details.
Part of me thinks with novel tops DFW's Infinite Jest as a marker of contemporary story-telling. Egan does the same "tornadic" thing with narrative (but not quite as grotesque as DFW), relies on characterization, and builds distopian touches into the background (much like G. Saunders did in Tenth of December). But there's richer human beings in this novel than in DFW. For example, what Egan does with kids and marriage nudges her past DFW. At least here.
I am a sucker for a book that tells interconnected stories through several narrators. The fact that each chapter is a different person is just gravy. And the story was entertaining, although frankly again, it wasn't about what I thought it would be. I have to stop skim reading summaries, although I'd like to think that it was a matter of forgetting, since this book had been on my list forever.
Ooh, we got ourselves here a PEW-LITZAH! This is a book that needs constant attention and, if you're smart, a pen and paper so you can jot down quick character profiles so you can keep it straight. I did not do this.
Think of the chapters as a collection of short stories told from the perspective of characters who all overlap one way or another. While there is no over-arching plot, you can mentally line up the trajectories of these denizens and delinquents into those of dreams left unrealized and the unrelenting savagery of time.
Also, 10 points for writing an entire chapter in PowerPoint format and making it one of the most touching stories in the book.
Think of the chapters as a collection of short stories told from the perspective of characters who all overlap one way or another. While there is no over-arching plot, you can mentally line up the trajectories of these denizens and delinquents into those of dreams left unrealized and the unrelenting savagery of time.
Also, 10 points for writing an entire chapter in PowerPoint format and making it one of the most touching stories in the book.
when this is fantastic (most of it!) - its fantastic
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lots of connections amongst a huge cast of characters with no other purposes than to highlight the ravages of time... Seems like a lot of work to state the obvious.
i had to read this for introduction to literary studies so i knew before hand that it wouldn’t be a simple and easy read through. while i did like the stylistic choices the author made and how complex the characters were, the plot felt pretty flat to me with only a few slight instances of development.. which really turned me off as a reader which is why the low rating