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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would never recommend anyone read Jennifer Egan I think that if they stumble across her books they will either like them or not. I read this as my husband got it from the digital library and he had read a couple of her others and while I remember him complaining about her style of writing he has now read 3 of her books.
I on the other hand can safely say that I will never read another one of her books, don’t get me wrong she is an excellent writer but what you have in The Candy House is a series of chapters where the characters are connected to each other, pretty much like how they say everyone is 6 degrees from Kevin Bacon and to say they were messed up would be a bit of an understatement. The chapters take place in the past, present and future. They are as far from a cohesive story as you can possibly get and while I say that, the only point I could see with this book was that it is glaringly obvious where we will eventually end up regarding the internet and social media with only select few caring about their privacy, it also has just as many chapters involving the use of drugs, the characters relationships with drugs and the messed up relationships these characters have with family that led them to drugs…..so maybe its about that too.
I read several chapters and I am going to say I was not alone in saying this when I declared at the end of it. ‘What the hell was that about?‘. I also told my husband as I got to the end of the book that maybe you had to be high in order to truly get this book.
Days after reading it I’m still thinking about what the heck it was about. 2.5 stars because of Alfred’s chapter.
I on the other hand can safely say that I will never read another one of her books, don’t get me wrong she is an excellent writer but what you have in The Candy House is a series of chapters where the characters are connected to each other, pretty much like how they say everyone is 6 degrees from Kevin Bacon and to say they were messed up would be a bit of an understatement. The chapters take place in the past, present and future. They are as far from a cohesive story as you can possibly get and while I say that, the only point I could see with this book was that it is glaringly obvious where we will eventually end up regarding the internet and social media with only select few caring about their privacy, it also has just as many chapters involving the use of drugs, the characters relationships with drugs and the messed up relationships these characters have with family that led them to drugs…..so maybe its about that too.
I read several chapters and I am going to say I was not alone in saying this when I declared at the end of it. ‘What the hell was that about?‘. I also told my husband as I got to the end of the book that maybe you had to be high in order to truly get this book.
Days after reading it I’m still thinking about what the heck it was about. 2.5 stars because of Alfred’s chapter.
The writing is very descriptive and I found myself highlighting many points. I loved the themes connecting to technology and how we have changed as a culture within the last 20-30 years due to it but I found it so hard to keep up with the plot and all of the narratives.
3.5 rating rounded to 4. I did not read “A Visit From Goon Squad” so I can’t speak to how they connect or intertwine. It was interesting to think about the premise of the book - to own your consciousness externally, to be able to replay emotions and thoughts and revisit events from the past.
It was difficult for me to keep straight all the ways the characters connected with one another - maybe if I read it faster or kept a reading journal about the characters it would’ve helped, but with the jumping around of scenes and time and the incognito style of writing the characters, I found it difficult.
Overall, I enjoyed being pushed with the various writing and narrative styles. Perhaps I will return to this book one day and have an easier time to connect the dots.
It was difficult for me to keep straight all the ways the characters connected with one another - maybe if I read it faster or kept a reading journal about the characters it would’ve helped, but with the jumping around of scenes and time and the incognito style of writing the characters, I found it difficult.
Overall, I enjoyed being pushed with the various writing and narrative styles. Perhaps I will return to this book one day and have an easier time to connect the dots.
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This hurt my brain, but in a good way? I really admire how Egan plays with form and voice (in some chapters it worked for me better than others; I especially loved the tween Molly's stream of consciousness chapter). The future Egan imagines here seems entirely possible and, consequently, terrifying.
I didn't realize this was a continuation of the "Goon Squad" novel. This book tried to be very much like that book but didn't do it as well. A lot of the prose felt forced and there just wasn't a through-line that felt compelling like in "Goon Squad". I never felt particularly connected to any of the characters even though there were moments where I definitely felt something. It also felt like this book was trying harder than "Good Squad" to make a point - in this one about social media and the "connectedness" of all our tech which didn't really resonate with me or felt too overarching and surface-level. Overall, I was a little disappointed but I still really like Egan's writing!
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strictly speaking, this is a DNF since I skimmed the final few chapters while hoping to find something to redeem the book.
The book jumped around too much for me, covering too many characters, and not involving the tech-influence theme as much as I would have liked.
The book jumped around too much for me, covering too many characters, and not involving the tech-influence theme as much as I would have liked.