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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
A low 3- My least favorite of Levin's books. I loved the opening scene, and the way the story kept developing was clever. But the travel parts of the plot felt very repetitive: going up escalators, into rooms, putting on coveralls, tricking members, going through gates, boarding planes...it just went on and on.
Obviously the rape scene was a travesty, and especially disappointing given Levin's other works that seem to point to a more evolved view of women and female characters. For a second, I thought we were going to learn that he was actually an asshole all along and part of the lesson was to not root for him, but that's not what was going on.
The ending was mostly satisfying and very twisty, but it was hard to root for Chip after the rape.
Obviously the rape scene was a travesty, and especially disappointing given Levin's other works that seem to point to a more evolved view of women and female characters. For a second, I thought we were going to learn that he was actually an asshole all along and part of the lesson was to not root for him, but that's not what was going on.
The ending was mostly satisfying and very twisty, but it was hard to root for Chip after the rape.
This was another mixed bag for me. There were things I really enjoyed in reading this novel, things that bothered me greatly, and things in the writing style that were jarring.
I enjoy good dystopian novels, and dread bad ones (you know, where the world is run by evil overlords but no one explains how they got into that point, you just have to buy it and accept it's all bad). I enjoyed how Levin really highlighted that there were both good and bad parts to the "perfect" society of the future, and found the main character's growth over time in how he viewed it helped raise a lot of questions that there weren't easy answer for, and Levin really made very little attempt to create those answers.
The gender issues were a problem for me, and while I understand that one has to consider the time at which a novel was written, I found it disheartening that in imagining a future as a blank slate, the gender relationships were still marred in decidedly out of date mores. I've only scanned a few reviews on the main page of this book and am relieved I wasn't the only person totally jarred by the rape-leading-to-love-for-attacker concept.
As for the writing, I found some of the jumps in time/topic to be abrupt and confusing as I read along. I'm not sure if something was lost in the formatting on the Kindle that might have helped (extra line breaks between paragraphs or whatever) clear it up, but sometimes I'd have to double check to make sure I hadn't accidentally tapped ahead two pages instead of one as the shifts came out of the blue.
I'd recommend this book to someone who likes the genre, because it does get one thinking as good anti-Utopian works will do, but not without some hesitation, esp. for younger readers or those who need a clear message from the author on how they should feel when reading it.
I enjoy good dystopian novels, and dread bad ones (you know, where the world is run by evil overlords but no one explains how they got into that point, you just have to buy it and accept it's all bad). I enjoyed how Levin really highlighted that there were both good and bad parts to the "perfect" society of the future, and found the main character's growth over time in how he viewed it helped raise a lot of questions that there weren't easy answer for, and Levin really made very little attempt to create those answers.
The gender issues were a problem for me, and while I understand that one has to consider the time at which a novel was written, I found it disheartening that in imagining a future as a blank slate, the gender relationships were still marred in decidedly out of date mores. I've only scanned a few reviews on the main page of this book and am relieved I wasn't the only person totally jarred by the rape-leading-to-love-for-attacker concept.
As for the writing, I found some of the jumps in time/topic to be abrupt and confusing as I read along. I'm not sure if something was lost in the formatting on the Kindle that might have helped (extra line breaks between paragraphs or whatever) clear it up, but sometimes I'd have to double check to make sure I hadn't accidentally tapped ahead two pages instead of one as the shifts came out of the blue.
I'd recommend this book to someone who likes the genre, because it does get one thinking as good anti-Utopian works will do, but not without some hesitation, esp. for younger readers or those who need a clear message from the author on how they should feel when reading it.
Enthralling and intriguing for the first two acts, however, let down by a truly diabolical and dry third act that loses steam very quickly and grinds mind-numbingly to a halt. Despite this, Levin has conceived a thought-provoking dystopia (or utopia?) that should rightfully sit along the ranks of Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.25/5
Still my favorite Ira Levin novel. Points deducted regarding the gratuitous rape scene that doesn't need to happen to move the plot forward.
Still my favorite Ira Levin novel. Points deducted regarding the gratuitous rape scene that doesn't need to happen to move the plot forward.
One of the favorite books I've read in awhile. A plot full of adventures and twists galore. I loved it despite thinking I was totally over dystopian fiction.
There is no way to do a legit review of this book without spoilers. I was really enjoying this book for the first 1/2 and totally engaged in the plot, characters, and strange utopian world. One thing I remember thinking was that the main character was missing the clues he was being given. Yes people were missing free choice, but they were also missing all the terrible things in our society: war, famine, poverty, violence, disease, etc. There were things I didn't really like, how in the secret society the men were obviously in charge and some of the detached ways they talked about sex, but I felt that might be a product of the time the book was written and I was willing to be a bit forgiving. (I forgive Truman Capote quite a bit)
I actually regretted not recommending the book to my book club. Until the rape scene, that was. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against a rough or aggressive scene when the story calls for it. The rape scene in "the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is an example of a book that had a very vivid, extremely violent rape scene that didn't ruin the book, but was actually necessary for the liberation of one the more interesting character in modern literature.
In this book, however, the rape scene only supports a patriarchy founded in rape culture. The man wasn't getting what he wanted (why didn't she appreciate all he had done for her, he wonders) so he rapes her (to show her that having sex with him is what she really wanted) and the result is she wakes up and realizes she loved him all along --- excuse me while I throw up in my mouth.
After that, everything the main character does is colored by this. He is selfish, self-righteous, and despicable. He thinks he is doing "what's best for society" without thinking through the consequences. When presented by a society not run by Uni, a society that is racist and corrupt, he still wants to bring down the system that protects people. When he learns about the programmers (another corrupt entity) he decides to violently overthrown them through murder.
The worst is I think the author missed the point. I kept looking for clues that the author realized Chip was wrong and was showing us that there is no good side of humanity. If the clues were there, I missed them. I really think the author thought Chip was a hero, and for me, that was the worst part of the book. Chip was not a hero. Wei was not a hero. The utter tragedy is that Uni actually was better at running society that people were.
I actually regretted not recommending the book to my book club. Until the rape scene, that was. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against a rough or aggressive scene when the story calls for it. The rape scene in "the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is an example of a book that had a very vivid, extremely violent rape scene that didn't ruin the book, but was actually necessary for the liberation of one the more interesting character in modern literature.
In this book, however, the rape scene only supports a patriarchy founded in rape culture. The man wasn't getting what he wanted (why didn't she appreciate all he had done for her, he wonders) so he rapes her (to show her that having sex with him is what she really wanted) and the result is she wakes up and realizes she loved him all along --- excuse me while I throw up in my mouth.
After that, everything the main character does is colored by this. He is selfish, self-righteous, and despicable. He thinks he is doing "what's best for society" without thinking through the consequences. When presented by a society not run by Uni, a society that is racist and corrupt, he still wants to bring down the system that protects people. When he learns about the programmers (another corrupt entity) he decides to violently overthrown them through murder.
The worst is I think the author missed the point. I kept looking for clues that the author realized Chip was wrong and was showing us that there is no good side of humanity. If the clues were there, I missed them. I really think the author thought Chip was a hero, and for me, that was the worst part of the book. Chip was not a hero. Wei was not a hero. The utter tragedy is that Uni actually was better at running society that people were.
Excellent dystopi - a bit dated, but that has it's own charm