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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Going into Urban Development with a focus on the environment this book really hit home for me. So many of the ideas and hopes I have for cities today are outlined in this novel. And while I thought some aspects were unrealistic it was still cool to be sucked into this world of what could be.
The concept of the book and the details of Ecotopia were very interesting and I loved learning about the ways ecotopia functions. It felt like there were some very well-thought out aspects of their inventions and way of life. However, I really didn’t like the main character/narrator. Maybe he was meant to sort of suck as an American but I found him very chauvinistic and the details about women were often weird and overly sexual. The ending also was not good. It was a weirdly abrupt “happy ending.” And I didn’t like that there wasn’t really a plot it was just essays.
This is a good book with an excellent concept. Though there are some parts I'm not a huge fan of.
The author basically imagined a perfect communist/socialist dream society but without abandoning capitalism all together which made it even more un-realistic. Basically go big or go home. It almost felt as if the few mentions of capitalism were there just to pacify.
Also he breezed through any idpol issues. If you weren't white and heterosexual you barely (or not at all) existed in ecotopia. I think there was one brief mention of homosexuality but 0 mentions of trans, bi, pans, ace, etc. people. Race was briefly mentioned in his separate city-state ideas and I don't actually think it was handled that poorly but could have used some expansion.
Also the women were generally portrayed as hyper sexual beings. They were characters in their own right so they weren't necessarily just tools of the protagonist which is a nice change from a lot of writing. But focusing on their sexuality so much undercut that a lot.
The author basically imagined a perfect communist/socialist dream society but without abandoning capitalism all together which made it even more un-realistic. Basically go big or go home. It almost felt as if the few mentions of capitalism were there just to pacify.
Also he breezed through any idpol issues. If you weren't white and heterosexual you barely (or not at all) existed in ecotopia. I think there was one brief mention of homosexuality but 0 mentions of trans, bi, pans, ace, etc. people. Race was briefly mentioned in his separate city-state ideas and I don't actually think it was handled that poorly but could have used some expansion.
Also the women were generally portrayed as hyper sexual beings. They were characters in their own right so they weren't necessarily just tools of the protagonist which is a nice change from a lot of writing. But focusing on their sexuality so much undercut that a lot.
Rereading such an iconic book after its hopeful futuristic setting has come and gone leaves one with a sense of nostalgic ennui, I suppose. Written in 1977 and read by me some years later still, Ecotopia seems a little sexist, a little racist, and very innocent. It's still a beautiful vision: an Eden without waste, without pollution, without poverty, and certainly without inhibition. The voice of the narrator is clear and evolving and any lack of characterization can be blamed on his view.
I still like it. I'm still inspired. Internalize the message and there can be a little Ecotopia in my life.
I still like it. I'm still inspired. Internalize the message and there can be a little Ecotopia in my life.
I read this book 12 years ago when I first started college and really loved it at the time! Just re-read it as a 30-something and didn’t feel AS enthused. The concept is desirable and wish we could have some aspects of this type of life, but the story is a bit undesirable to me now. Can’t realty relate to the main character at all.