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andrew298's review against another edition
2.0
This book started off with such a delicious richness that it just made you want to take another bite for the sheer taste alone. However after a while, the story started to take a weird route and you regretted trying to eat more.
The story was interesting but felt lost in places and was also unreadable in parts due to the author trying to force the story. It felt like Mr. Sloan started off with a great concept however he felt that he had to incorporate technology to complete the story and it just didn't come off right.
With Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, he left me wanting more, at the end of this, I was glad I was done. I will give him another chance, but I just hope that he tells the story his story warrants next time rather than relying on what he feels safe telling.
The story was interesting but felt lost in places and was also unreadable in parts due to the author trying to force the story. It felt like Mr. Sloan started off with a great concept however he felt that he had to incorporate technology to complete the story and it just didn't come off right.
With Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, he left me wanting more, at the end of this, I was glad I was done. I will give him another chance, but I just hope that he tells the story his story warrants next time rather than relying on what he feels safe telling.
rivercat0338's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
sophieguillas's review against another edition
5.0
For people who resent capitalism, loved Little Shop of Horrors, and made sourdough at the beginning of the pandemic - AKA me.
librarylandlisa's review against another edition
5.0
Read this. This is in my top 5 of the year, and is number one in adult fiction for me. The audiobook is so worth it. The narrator, Therese Plummer is very Samantha Bee sounding and I sopped it all up with a biscuit and devoured the book. This one made me snort laugh at several intervals. Also, there are a bunch of Michigan references.
eiridium's review against another edition
5.0
It's almost a year to the day since I happened to stumble on Annabel Scheme and spent the day fully engaged and enthralled. I was already a huge fan of Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore/Ajax Penumbra 1967 and if it's any mark of appreciation for this superb author's capabilities - I accidentally read Sourdough straight through today after it magically appeared on my Kindle this morning (I pre-ordered it a few weeks back). This is becoming a bit of a habit now.
There is a wonderful variety in Robin Sloan's choices of subject matter and Sourdough just builds this. The protagonist finds herself draw to a high tech firm in San Francisco and in that there's some obvious connections to the other works, but in this instance our heroine is particularly open to new experiences and embarks on a wonderful journey in technology ('nothing is natural' and everything is natural) biochemistry and a rich social web. I remain unsure as to whether this novel is written in the present or some not too distant future.
I was struck by some familiar echoes of 52 Loaves and although there is a wonderful exploration and discovery of the space between the literal and the figurative when it comes to the culture starter symbiosis and the finer points of baking a loaf....there's may more happening in this novel than this and Sloan takes the reader on a clearly engaging journey - and thoughtfully leaves a wonderful series of unanswered questions and lots if room to continue to ponder.
There's a wonderful sense of magic and the supernatural in Sloan's writing - probably some of the most evocative that I have ever found in English, but that seems more common in Spanish authors.
Highly recommended.
There is a wonderful variety in Robin Sloan's choices of subject matter and Sourdough just builds this. The protagonist finds herself draw to a high tech firm in San Francisco and in that there's some obvious connections to the other works, but in this instance our heroine is particularly open to new experiences and embarks on a wonderful journey in technology ('nothing is natural' and everything is natural) biochemistry and a rich social web. I remain unsure as to whether this novel is written in the present or some not too distant future.
I was struck by some familiar echoes of 52 Loaves and although there is a wonderful exploration and discovery of the space between the literal and the figurative when it comes to the culture starter symbiosis and the finer points of baking a loaf....there's may more happening in this novel than this and Sloan takes the reader on a clearly engaging journey - and thoughtfully leaves a wonderful series of unanswered questions and lots if room to continue to ponder.
There's a wonderful sense of magic and the supernatural in Sloan's writing - probably some of the most evocative that I have ever found in English, but that seems more common in Spanish authors.
Highly recommended.
keen23's review against another edition
4.0
This was a strange book, with strange characters and plots. But put together, it worked. It's on the shorter side, and I finished it in just two sittings.
lucillemeeps's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
This is such a weird book. I very much liked the first half and was perplexed by the second. I'm not sure how I feel about it as a whole. It was an enjoyable read.
cmayes's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The premise is entertaining, but I felt like it dragged a bit, especially the last quarter, which feels like a tacked-on second story.