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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
i just absolutely love Jennifer Egan, Goon Squad was one of the first books I read that really stayed with me, and then LOOK AT ME?! so good. The way she can weave these stories, make them all so different yet so freaking relatable, this one struck me ending on an even more hopeful than past books/had some redemption arcs for a lot of characters which I (and America) am a sucker for as she points out in the book lol
i will geek out on this kind of stuff because i'm extremely interested in the following, and if you are too you should absolutely read this book:
-social media and how it affects how we view ourselves, others, "authenticity", is it evil, etc
-chips implanted in your brain (looking at you, nueralink/elon)
-tropes, algorithms, the way we fall into different roles for different people
-family dynamics
-and in goon squad fashion, there are stories involving the music industry and national security as well
-if you enjoy Black Mirror, Westworld, etc.
ANYWAYS i will read anything this woman writes, just so compelling and thought provoking and GOOD, she explores so many interesting styles of writing as well. I couldn't even tell you my favorite story. I really liked Miles' , "See Below", "Rhyme Scheme", ""Bright Day"....
Quotes:
- "What eluders want to restore, I suspect, is the uniqueness they felt before counting like ours revealed they were an awful lot like everyone else. But where the eluders have it wrong is that quantifiability doesn't make human life any less remarkable, or even (this is counterintuitive, I know) less mysterious-- any more than identifying the rhyme scheme in a poem devalues the poem itself. The opposite!...the cosmos has been mysterious to humans since long before we knew anything about astronomy or space- and, now that we do, is only more so."
- "Nothing is free! Only children expect otherwise, even as myths and fairytales warn us: Rumpelstiltskin, King Midas, Hansel and Gretel. Never trust a candy house! It was only a matter of time before someone made them pay for what they thought they were getting for free."
-"I lie back on the pier like the others and the warm breeze sweeps across us and I look up at the shaking trees and I'm so grateful that we left the Club because these Events of the past hour could not have happened there, and all of this would be unthinkable in that Place, and I understand now why Lulu will never join a Country Club: because the Life she wants for herself can't happen there."
-"Hot words, people! Give me the bullet, not the casing- fire it right in my chest. I'll die gladly for some fresh language."
i will geek out on this kind of stuff because i'm extremely interested in the following, and if you are too you should absolutely read this book:
-social media and how it affects how we view ourselves, others, "authenticity", is it evil, etc
-chips implanted in your brain (looking at you, nueralink/elon)
-tropes, algorithms, the way we fall into different roles for different people
-family dynamics
-and in goon squad fashion, there are stories involving the music industry and national security as well
-if you enjoy Black Mirror, Westworld, etc.
ANYWAYS i will read anything this woman writes, just so compelling and thought provoking and GOOD, she explores so many interesting styles of writing as well. I couldn't even tell you my favorite story. I really liked Miles' , "See Below", "Rhyme Scheme", ""Bright Day"....
Quotes:
- "What eluders want to restore, I suspect, is the uniqueness they felt before counting like ours revealed they were an awful lot like everyone else. But where the eluders have it wrong is that quantifiability doesn't make human life any less remarkable, or even (this is counterintuitive, I know) less mysterious-- any more than identifying the rhyme scheme in a poem devalues the poem itself. The opposite!...the cosmos has been mysterious to humans since long before we knew anything about astronomy or space- and, now that we do, is only more so."
- "Nothing is free! Only children expect otherwise, even as myths and fairytales warn us: Rumpelstiltskin, King Midas, Hansel and Gretel. Never trust a candy house! It was only a matter of time before someone made them pay for what they thought they were getting for free."
-"I lie back on the pier like the others and the warm breeze sweeps across us and I look up at the shaking trees and I'm so grateful that we left the Club because these Events of the past hour could not have happened there, and all of this would be unthinkable in that Place, and I understand now why Lulu will never join a Country Club: because the Life she wants for herself can't happen there."
-"Hot words, people! Give me the bullet, not the casing- fire it right in my chest. I'll die gladly for some fresh language."
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
This book was very original. Each chapter is from a different perspective, but many of the characters are connected in some way. There is a sci-fi technology element that the way it’s written kind of resembles (you’re in the tech?) Just, fascinating. It does sort of prevent getting close to any one character though.
I read goon squad in 2014 or so. I wish I had re-read it before reading Candy House. They are inherently linked and should be read in succession. Seeing the characters come back into action alongside their progeny is a great way to connect the stories. Damn— there are a lot of characters. Impressive writing. A struggle for me to get through.
This book would not have made one bit of sense if I had not just read A Visit From the Goon Squad last week. I enjoyed revising some of those peripheral characters in this different world, but I really needed a family tree or two to keep track of who everyone was and how they were connected. Not as well executed as A Visit From the Goon Squad, but I'm still glad I read it.
Er is iets vreemds aan de hand met dit boek: het lijkt weinig hartslag te hebben, alsof Egan zelf zich volledig losgemaakt heeft van haar personages en weinig om hun lotgevallen geeft.
Misschien verdient dit boek meer dan 3 sterren - ze drukken vooral mijn teleurstelling uit: ik miste de rijke, innerlijke struggles van Sasha en de onmeetbare tederheid uit het powerpoint-hoofdstuk van A Visit from the Goon Squad.
Misschien verdient dit boek meer dan 3 sterren - ze drukken vooral mijn teleurstelling uit: ik miste de rijke, innerlijke struggles van Sasha en de onmeetbare tederheid uit het powerpoint-hoofdstuk van A Visit from the Goon Squad.
A quick follow-up to Goon Squad shenanigans, it was comfortable continuing with the characters after a time jump that propels everyone into the world we are very familiar with. If we weren't saturated by tech dystopias already (thanks Black Mirror), this novel would have had a profound effect on me. In any case, I enjoyed reading from POVs of Lincoln (measure everything!), Chris (stockblocks), Alfred (authenticity addict) & few others. The novelty wears off over time and the email discourse & spy training chapter don't resonate as well as Powerpoint slides did. No Mandala in our era, but we've been seeing news related to cold cases of serial killers getting "hot" with 23&Me DNA analysis of blood relatives, or podcasts which crowdsource information to present a case in a new light and exonerate innocent prisoners. Overall, both these books have enough material to turn into a 2-season series.
challenging
emotional
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
2.5, rounded up. Debated giving it a 2, honestly. It's well written but disappointing overall. "A Visit from the Goon Squad" is an all-time favourite, but where that book's myriad styles and POVs sung due to strong character work, "The Candy House" falters under the weight of its ambition and what feels like an attempt to recapture a certain kind of magic. It's not bad—in fact, the writing is intelligent and creative; however, its characters leave a great deal to be desired. This is a cold book, and more of a slog than I expected. Academic, and at times brilliant, but lacking emotional heft of any kind. Can't say I recommend it outside of an academic/writerly interest in navigating disparate styles.