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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I genuinely really enjoyed this book, despite feeling like it lost the thread at the end. Do yourself a favor and don’t read the description or any reviews at all. This was a truly surprising and layered novel. Highly recommend.
I waver between a 2 and 3 star review.
The way this is written is actually quite beautiful. Like, the words and sentences are nice to read. But buyer beware, I think the compliments end there. The story started strong but sped quickly into a tangle of Lord of the Flies meets Biblical lore meets pretentiousness that I couldn’t get past. There was one layer of bull shit too many for me.
Maybe it’s the time we are living in right now, but this just wasn’t the novel I was looking for in our current climate (no pun intended).
The way this is written is actually quite beautiful. Like, the words and sentences are nice to read. But buyer beware, I think the compliments end there. The story started strong but sped quickly into a tangle of Lord of the Flies meets Biblical lore meets pretentiousness that I couldn’t get past. There was one layer of bull shit too many for me.
Maybe it’s the time we are living in right now, but this just wasn’t the novel I was looking for in our current climate (no pun intended).
This book >>>>>>>> Station Eleven and The Wall and probably any other apocalyptic/apocalyptic-adjacent fiction I've read in recent memory. It has a much more solid through-line - it stays faithful to its concept, proves its thesis statement instead of drifting into self-indulgent, pointless meanders. The whole bit with was a little random and upsetting for my tastes, but the story corrects and gets back on track to stick the landing.
Not my favorite book of the year by any means, but it's intriguing and easy to listen to on audiobook. A Micarah Tewers comparison would be that it takes about as long to listen to as it takes to piece and quilt (but not edge-finish) a small cat-sized quilt, with a break in between rows to prepare and bake (but not consume) four black bean burgers.
Spoiler
the violent soldiers taking over the farmNot my favorite book of the year by any means, but it's intriguing and easy to listen to on audiobook. A Micarah Tewers comparison would be that it takes about as long to listen to as it takes to piece and quilt (but not edge-finish) a small cat-sized quilt, with a break in between rows to prepare and bake (but not consume) four black bean burgers.
A discouraging but also tender account of the slide of civilization, danger, and attempts at safety.
In a world where adults are beyond neglectful of their children, these children weather a severe storm with apocalyptic consequences and then leave the parents to fend for themselves in an effort to survive. The parents are not believable as real people, but they aren't meant to be. The kids are in turns snarky, ironic, funny, and tragic. The problem with the book is that there's a lot of biblical references, but it's not always clear what the message is, aside from the fact that we should take care of nature. Overall, I liked it, but I'm not sure who to recommend it to.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
*Spoilers ahead* Several families are vacationing for the summer in a large house during a time when the world is collapsing around them. The adults are not responsible figures, leaving the children to their own devices. The children create games for themselves including the most popular one to discover which child belongs to which parents. Soon a massive hurricane is approaching. During the storm, a tree hits the house and causes the children's room to flood. After the storm has passed, the children run away with the groundskeeper and end up at a nearby farm. The owner of the farm was prepared for the world ending and has a well stocked silo. The groundskeeper is able to contact the owner, and she says that they can stay as long as they follow several rules. They do well for a while, until a group of men with guns takes over, raids the silo, and threatens to kill them if they don't show them their secret stash of food of which there isn't one. The mysterious owner shows up in a helicopter and saves the children and their parents. They then go to the richest parent's home. There the children prepare for the end of the world by planting gardens and stockpiling goods. One day, the parents just disappear never to be seen again. It ends ambiguously. I assume the world ends. Meh.
I enjoyed the premise of the story and the voice of the narrator but the plot shifted and had gaps. Enjoyed the author’s wording and insights!
Could have been so much better. Anyway, the Bible text is a code and if you substitute nature for God and science for Jesus, it all makes sense