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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
This book is exactly what I was looking for in a post-apoc book. Usually the main focus is on group infighting or raiders or something, but this book talks about how to rebuild, how you can still grow food and ensure running water and make matches and use foot powered dental drills. And that is amazing! What isn't amazing though, is the general acceptance that once the electricity goes, the gender roles come back.
And that is where the whole book is just ruined. Out of an engineer and a lawyer and a surgeon and a dentist and a half-baked lawyer, not a singe one of them is a woman. Somehow there were just no women professionals in the area when things got bad. There are also no black families, or Mexican families, just the usual mix of white and white people, I guess for simplicity sake.
This is not to say there are no female characters at all in the book, it is just that they are too busy cooking and washing and more cooking. And also trying, and succeeding, in having sex with the protagonist. Single women, married women, widowed women are all trying to have sex with the well past his prime protagonist. On top of being so irresistible he is also the only motivated, and the most logical of the bunch. But wait, there's more! He is also the chosen one!
So as much as I wanted to keep reading the series, to hear more about how to convert a garage into a horse stable and how to build a cooler when there is no more refrigeration, I really did not care to read about more author insert wish fulfillment. I expect this sort of thing from YA authors, not adult men writing for adult readers.
And that is where the whole book is just ruined. Out of an engineer and a lawyer and a surgeon and a dentist and a half-baked lawyer, not a singe one of them is a woman. Somehow there were just no women professionals in the area when things got bad. There are also no black families, or Mexican families, just the usual mix of white and white people, I guess for simplicity sake.
This is not to say there are no female characters at all in the book, it is just that they are too busy cooking and washing and more cooking. And also trying, and succeeding, in having sex with the protagonist. Single women, married women, widowed women are all trying to have sex with the well past his prime protagonist. On top of being so irresistible he is also the only motivated, and the most logical of the bunch. But wait, there's more! He is also the chosen one!
So as much as I wanted to keep reading the series, to hear more about how to convert a garage into a horse stable and how to build a cooler when there is no more refrigeration, I really did not care to read about more author insert wish fulfillment. I expect this sort of thing from YA authors, not adult men writing for adult readers.
medium-paced
What a nice surprise! A post-apocalyptic book where the apocalypse came with a whimper not a bang, and the protagonists are hormonal adults and not hormonal teens. You have to buy into the idea that the US suddenly stops using gasoline, but once past that, you can settle into the quite plausible reality of people trying to build a new community with the memories of "the good life" still fresh in their minds. Reminded me quite a bit of Slant of Light, though technology is going in opposite directions. I need to get my hands on the sequel.
The story is set in New England after the end of government , electricity, and cars. A chilling account that make you think about being better prepared for disasters.
I gave up on this book without even making it half-way through, which is pretty rare for me.
interesting thought experiment.. both on the practical aspects of energy crisis as well as the human aspects of change and power. can't say i was totally drawn in by the writing. and obviously you would expect it has an ax to grind, which it does.
a slightly brighter version of a post electric world than some I've read. I like the narrator in this book. The tension in this book maintained pretty well; it has a sleepy feeling to it, but in fact there is a lot of action. The ending is odd and comes out of nowhere. I can accept the very strange death, but the hive section really confused me and didn't add the the novel in the slightest.
This is far past post apocalyptic, as life is chugging along without the use of electricity or modern amenities. Life is simple again and the people of Union Grove are taking it in stride. A new group of a highly religious cult moved into town, and I thought they would be the biggest issue. But only minor issues came from it. The bigger drama was when main character Robert was elected mayor, tasked with traveling to Albany to find a lost boat and crew, and arrest a citizen for murder.
The writing did get repetitive at times, and the whole situation with Robert and Loren in the square was a bit over the top, and then miraculous forgotten about. However, I found the narrator relaxing and I am interested to read on about the life of the people in this book.
The writing did get repetitive at times, and the whole situation with Robert and Loren in the square was a bit over the top, and then miraculous forgotten about. However, I found the narrator relaxing and I am interested to read on about the life of the people in this book.
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
First book of the New Year.
Random thoughts in no particular order:
- I liked Kunstler's writing. It was easy to digest. He played on my expectations as a well-read reader and yet managed to throw in some story twists. There were certain places in the story where I knew something was going to happen, but not what. He played on that tension well.
- Parts of this book felt in the vein of a male mid-life crisis story set against a backdrop of a pastoral post-petroleum apocalyptic(?) setting. Protagonist is separated from his family, doesn't know how to move on, isn't sure of his place in society, has been depressed yet content with the status quo of his life up till now, and is pretty naive about the dangers and realities of the world he lives in. By the end he has a hot young woman, a new convertible (donkey), a new job, and a position of authority in the society.
- As a female reader, I didn't connect with any of the female characters. I'm not sure I'm even supposed to. This was very clearly Guy Lit (instead of Chick Lit). I had a whole rant in my head about how not all women would revert to a desperate, pacifist, almost victim, role in society. Especially when the before world is still part of living memory. I can't believe there wasn't a woman in that town who hadn't served as a soldier, a cop, a business owner, a politician, an intellectual, a doctor, a whatever who wouldn't just say "Guess all that's left for me is having babies and making cornbread." But, this is the fictional world Kunstler built, and while his portrayal of women annoyed me, I was able to enjoy the other aspects of the world being explored. Besides, the fat woman seer may turn some of this on its head.
- This was a totally different type of post-apocalyptic novel then what's usually on the shelves.
- This novel isn't a one shot. Several new mysteries are thrown in at the end that leave the story wide open for continuation. One of these mysteries left me scratching my head because of the potential introduction of a supernatural element in a storyline that had nothing of the sort for the first 90%.
- I'll read the sequel. Maybe not immediately. Four stars because I'm intrigued enough that I'm willing to continue with #2.
Random thoughts in no particular order:
- I liked Kunstler's writing. It was easy to digest. He played on my expectations as a well-read reader and yet managed to throw in some story twists. There were certain places in the story where I knew something was going to happen, but not what. He played on that tension well.
- Parts of this book felt in the vein of a male mid-life crisis story set against a backdrop of a pastoral post-petroleum apocalyptic(?) setting. Protagonist is separated from his family, doesn't know how to move on, isn't sure of his place in society, has been depressed yet content with the status quo of his life up till now, and is pretty naive about the dangers and realities of the world he lives in. By the end he has a hot young woman, a new convertible (donkey), a new job, and a position of authority in the society.
- As a female reader, I didn't connect with any of the female characters. I'm not sure I'm even supposed to. This was very clearly Guy Lit (instead of Chick Lit). I had a whole rant in my head about how not all women would revert to a desperate, pacifist, almost victim, role in society. Especially when the before world is still part of living memory. I can't believe there wasn't a woman in that town who hadn't served as a soldier, a cop, a business owner, a politician, an intellectual, a doctor, a whatever who wouldn't just say "Guess all that's left for me is having babies and making cornbread." But, this is the fictional world Kunstler built, and while his portrayal of women annoyed me, I was able to enjoy the other aspects of the world being explored. Besides, the fat woman seer may turn some of this on its head.
- This was a totally different type of post-apocalyptic novel then what's usually on the shelves.
- This novel isn't a one shot. Several new mysteries are thrown in at the end that leave the story wide open for continuation. One of these mysteries left me scratching my head because of the potential introduction of a supernatural element in a storyline that had nothing of the sort for the first 90%.
- I'll read the sequel. Maybe not immediately. Four stars because I'm intrigued enough that I'm willing to continue with #2.