Reviews

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

allisob's review

3.0

Promising a thought-provoking and certainly relevant premise, I had really high hopes for this book. That said, I was only especially interested in a few of the characters (namely Lincoln and Miles) and kept anticipating a more rewarding intersection of every story-line. The pay-off for investing in the details of these character’s lives felt.. minimal and anticlimactic. Perhaps if I had anticipated short stories with a through-line rather than a traditional story arc, I’d feel that Egan’s execution was stronger.

All of that said, rating this book a 3 feels a bit harsh- the writing is beautiful. Egan has a knack for capturing intimate moments of the human psyche and world-building a fascinating and all-too-familiar future.

ludicwren's review

challenging dark funny hopeful 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? No

4.75

vivo_morior's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

loserofbookmarks's review

challenging emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jazzsonn's review against another edition

challenging inspiring reflective

4.75

Egan is a master storyteller. The distinct voices and unique narrative styles were fascinating (especially "Lulu the Spy, 2032" and "See Below"). Also blown away by how Own Your Unconscious is subtly at the crux of these narratives without taking center stage, i.e., explaining the technology by showing what the characters' lives are like with it, showing how such a technology really isn't much of a reach from where we are now. Full-circle storytelling was satisfying, just like with A Visit from the Goon Squad. 

rubysaral's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

heylia's review

3.0

The multiple storylines were quite confusing while listening in an audiobook format. I couldn't keep track of names and who was related to who so I still don't really know what happened

experfectionist's review

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

ktswings's review

4.0

I wish I could have read this on one sitting, but still really loved it. The vastness of the characters and how a small detail might become a more important story line needed more attention from me.

frenchleigh's review

3.0

Hard to follow, lacked tension yet alluded to it anyways. It left too much unseen.