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paragraphsandpages's review
3.0
First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.
“No one wants to disappear. Words pin things down and make them real, and they last so much longer than we do.”
Stars (Out of 10): 6/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: This was a pretty interesting book. It was at times slow, and I never truly got hooked into the story or connected to the characters, but I did end up enjoying it all the same. I especially liked the three POVs, and their connection to each other through a century of time.
The Good: Interesting premise, pretty decent plot, and some interesting character growth. Also loved how all the eras/POVs ended up being so connected!
The Bad: Didn’t really end up caring for any of the characters, felt slow at points, and was a bit short
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: While I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, or love them, they perfectly fit the story. I specifically liked Adri and her journey through the months we saw her, and how her fascination with the letters brought her closer to Lily, and more able to let other people into her life. I also loved how interesting the lives of all three were, and how while none of the girls seemed to have more than 100 pages of plot/writing dedicated to them, they were all fleshed out pretty well, with their own lives and backstories.
The Plot: I ended up quite liking the plot. The jumping from era to era was well down, and ended at perfect moments to both leave us wondering, and excited to see where each character’s story would go. In addition, I love how wrapped up the ending was, and how people from years past managed to change the life of someone living a century after them!
The Favorite Character: Adri, her growth was cool to see.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
“No one wants to disappear. Words pin things down and make them real, and they last so much longer than we do.”
Stars (Out of 10): 6/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: This was a pretty interesting book. It was at times slow, and I never truly got hooked into the story or connected to the characters, but I did end up enjoying it all the same. I especially liked the three POVs, and their connection to each other through a century of time.
The Good: Interesting premise, pretty decent plot, and some interesting character growth. Also loved how all the eras/POVs ended up being so connected!
The Bad: Didn’t really end up caring for any of the characters, felt slow at points, and was a bit short
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: While I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, or love them, they perfectly fit the story. I specifically liked Adri and her journey through the months we saw her, and how her fascination with the letters brought her closer to Lily, and more able to let other people into her life. I also loved how interesting the lives of all three were, and how while none of the girls seemed to have more than 100 pages of plot/writing dedicated to them, they were all fleshed out pretty well, with their own lives and backstories.
The Plot: I ended up quite liking the plot. The jumping from era to era was well down, and ended at perfect moments to both leave us wondering, and excited to see where each character’s story would go. In addition, I love how wrapped up the ending was, and how people from years past managed to change the life of someone living a century after them!
The Favorite Character: Adri, her growth was cool to see.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
joanareads's review
4.0
This was so much better than I thought it’d be! I always love stories spanning multiple generations and I love letters and diary entries as a way to tell the reader the story, so there’s nothing in this book not to love! Oh the characters were also amazing and the relationship between Adri and Lily actually made me tear up multiple times. This is a BIG recommendation if you love any of these things!!
jesassa's review
4.0
A bit sentimental but I loved it. This wasn't what I expected. It was much better.
calville's review
4.0
This book totally snuck up on me - up until 25% I was pretty sure I wasn't going to finish it, and then I couldn't put it down and by the end I was crying, so...
lurdes_oliveira's review
4.0
This book was nothing like I expected. But in a good way! I never read anything like this before!
It's not exactly science fiction, even though part of the book is set in the future, and it isn't exactly historical fiction either. I enjoyed the premise of this book a lot.
This is the story of 3 different girls in 3 different times periods. With three separate timelines, you might think there would be a lot to handle, but no; all of the timelines were unique, and the overlap wasn't completely clear until the end. All of the stories were so different; with one character getting ready to go to Mars, another living during the dust bowl, and another living in 1919 England.
The different stories intertwine beautifully, and while the stories are at times heart-breaking they still give the reader a sense of hope.
I loved how the stories were a bit like puzzle pieces. And I also appreciated the exploration of non-romantic relationships.
This story is slow, emotional and gentle; seemingly straightforward until you get to the end and you're crying your eyes out.
It's not exactly science fiction, even though part of the book is set in the future, and it isn't exactly historical fiction either. I enjoyed the premise of this book a lot.
This is the story of 3 different girls in 3 different times periods. With three separate timelines, you might think there would be a lot to handle, but no; all of the timelines were unique, and the overlap wasn't completely clear until the end. All of the stories were so different; with one character getting ready to go to Mars, another living during the dust bowl, and another living in 1919 England.
The different stories intertwine beautifully, and while the stories are at times heart-breaking they still give the reader a sense of hope.
I loved how the stories were a bit like puzzle pieces. And I also appreciated the exploration of non-romantic relationships.
This story is slow, emotional and gentle; seemingly straightforward until you get to the end and you're crying your eyes out.
sydneythekydneybean's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What a beautiful, strange, curious little book. It has such an interesting premise and dynamic between the characters, many of whom never meet the others, but there were some things in the writing that made it so the story didn't grip me as it maybe should have. And as a disclaimer, this is nothing on the author. Every criticism I have, I realize, is with me as a reader and what I enjoy in others' writing.
I have been learning to enjoy shorter stories and novellas, but I do feel like Midnight at the Electric could flourish with another 50-100 pages. I connected with Lenore and Catherine better than I did with Adri, and I think that is because of the eras they are coming from. Post-WWI and the Dust Bowl are two subjects that you learn extensively in American schools; you learn about the individuals affected, and at my age, you've also engaged in art created during those times, so I know about the people of these times well. And I think that helped me connect with Lenore and Catherine. Adri, on the other hand, is coming from a time that has not even happened yet, and I don't think her world is built out enough to aid in her story. She seemed more of a vehicle for Lenore's and Catherine's stories than her own person.
Despite my love for both Lenore's and Catherine's stories, I wish they had more individual voices in their journal entries and letters. Despite these girls coming from two different time periods and even two different countries, their writings read identically. If the stories time traveled back in time to the other girl's stories, that would be fine because the writing is still the story but for someone else, but since their stories were told in their own hand, I wish there had been a little bit more done to make them sound like their own individuals.
I still believe Midnight at the Electric is a promising story that has obviously done a lot for a lot of people, and I would recommend it to many people. Specifically, I learned a lot from Catherine dealing with the effects of the Dust Bowl, and I felt a lot for Lenore who is dealing with the immediate post-war, the idea of progress over people, and growing through a strained friendship. For everything it lacked, it did well in ten other places. So please, despite the nitpicks, do not believe Midnight at the Electric is bad by any means. Maybe it'll be the next beautiful story just for you.
I have been learning to enjoy shorter stories and novellas, but I do feel like Midnight at the Electric could flourish with another 50-100 pages. I connected with Lenore and Catherine better than I did with Adri, and I think that is because of the eras they are coming from. Post-WWI and the Dust Bowl are two subjects that you learn extensively in American schools; you learn about the individuals affected, and at my age, you've also engaged in art created during those times, so I know about the people of these times well. And I think that helped me connect with Lenore and Catherine. Adri, on the other hand, is coming from a time that has not even happened yet, and I don't think her world is built out enough to aid in her story. She seemed more of a vehicle for Lenore's and Catherine's stories than her own person.
Despite my love for both Lenore's and Catherine's stories, I wish they had more individual voices in their journal entries and letters. Despite these girls coming from two different time periods and even two different countries, their writings read identically. If the stories time traveled back in time to the other girl's stories, that would be fine because the writing is still the story but for someone else, but since their stories were told in their own hand, I wish there had been a little bit more done to make them sound like their own individuals.
I still believe Midnight at the Electric is a promising story that has obviously done a lot for a lot of people, and I would recommend it to many people. Specifically, I learned a lot from Catherine dealing with the effects of the Dust Bowl, and I felt a lot for Lenore who is dealing with the immediate post-war, the idea of progress over people, and growing through a strained friendship. For everything it lacked, it did well in ten other places. So please, despite the nitpicks, do not believe Midnight at the Electric is bad by any means. Maybe it'll be the next beautiful story just for you.
sarah_grey's review
3.0
Three stories in one, this book is centered around Adri, a teenager who is about to become a Mars colonist. She needs to find an anchor in the world she's about to leave behind, and all she has is an old relative she's never met and a Galapagos tortoise that has somehow made the middle of nowhere in Kansas its home.
giulay's review against another edition
3.0
"Grief isn’t like sadness at all. Sadness is only something that’s a part of you. Grief becomes you"
I think I got into this book expecting something completely different.
I thought it was going to be an edgy sci-fi, characterised by Anderson’s gorgeous writing style. The writing style that I came to adore while reading [b:Tiger Lily|7514925|Tiger Lily|Jodi Lynn Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329681513s/7514925.jpg|9720811].
Instead I got a very lovely contemporary about the importance of friendship characterised by Anderson’s gorgeous writing style.
Now, this is not bad (like, at all) per se but, you see, I was expecting a sci-fi. So, of course my hopes and wishes for this book were not met.
Still, as said before, it was a very lovely book - if not a bit convoluted - about friendship and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook.
Not as heart-wrenching and breathtaking as Tiger Lily, but still a very delicate book written in a very whimsical way.
"I think all my life my heart’s been broken,” Adri whispered, “and I didn’t even notice. And I don’t even know by what."
I think I got into this book expecting something completely different.
I thought it was going to be an edgy sci-fi, characterised by Anderson’s gorgeous writing style. The writing style that I came to adore while reading [b:Tiger Lily|7514925|Tiger Lily|Jodi Lynn Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329681513s/7514925.jpg|9720811].
Instead I got a very lovely contemporary about the importance of friendship characterised by Anderson’s gorgeous writing style.
Now, this is not bad (like, at all) per se but, you see, I was expecting a sci-fi. So, of course my hopes and wishes for this book were not met.
Still, as said before, it was a very lovely book - if not a bit convoluted - about friendship and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook.
Not as heart-wrenching and breathtaking as Tiger Lily, but still a very delicate book written in a very whimsical way.
"I think all my life my heart’s been broken,” Adri whispered, “and I didn’t even notice. And I don’t even know by what."