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meli171's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
e_reader77's review against another edition
4.0
In Oct 2015 (listened to the audiobook): So much to unpack in this book; it's both prescient and terrifying. Book club: we need to read and discuss this!
At times it's heavy-handed, and I'm not sure whether it's appropriate. The strength of the book, for me, was just how innocent the technological tyranny appears to be. We all want to be safe, right?
April 2016(reading the book): so much better reading it! I'm picking up more detail, details that clearly illustrate how genius Eggers is. It's being able to take the time to explore those details, rather than just listen to the plot unfold, that has changed my review of the book.
The format is wonderful: one continuous thread. It's not stream-of-consciousness, but more like the daily chatter feed we pick up from social media and the constant on-line presence.
At times it's heavy-handed, and I'm not sure whether it's appropriate. The strength of the book, for me, was just how innocent the technological tyranny appears to be. We all want to be safe, right?
April 2016(reading the book): so much better reading it! I'm picking up more detail, details that clearly illustrate how genius Eggers is. It's being able to take the time to explore those details, rather than just listen to the plot unfold, that has changed my review of the book.
The format is wonderful: one continuous thread. It's not stream-of-consciousness, but more like the daily chatter feed we pick up from social media and the constant on-line presence.
martfart's review against another edition
dark
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Consistent mentions of the main characters coworker jerking off. Strange but insightful.
bloo_0's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ambernagel's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
gracenextdoor's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to her close friend, Annie, Mae Holland secures a job at a revered tech company called The Circle. Here, Mae embarks on a Wonderland-esque journey through an impressive campus where she meets innovators who push the boundaries of how people relate to one another through social media and online. Mae loves the opportunities and perks her job affords her, but not everyone agrees that The Circle should have such a strong presence in the lives of its employees, the government, and the general public. The longer Mae works at The Circle, the more she is required to give of herself online, but despite the warnings from a mysterious stranger, Mae finds herself falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.
I read this book because I wanted to see the film, though I was a little hesitant based on some of the negative reviews. Wow was I surprised! It was a quick read (I blitzed through it in 3 days) that I found to be moving, funny, suspenseful and unnerving in the way you want and expect of a dystopian novel. Egger's frantic descriptions of Mae's work perfectly exhibits how we are so overwhelmed and bombarded by social media on a constant basis. It's an enjoyable read, one that entertains and haunts you at the same time.
I imagine when people initially read books like [b: 1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313], it was frightening to think of the future that way. The Circle is scary because the world Dave Eggers creates is so disturbingly close to what is happening right now. Whereas [a: George Orwell|3706|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450573063p2/3706.jpg] imagined a world where privacy was taken, Eggers looks at our world where privacy is given away freely. We post pictures of where we're vacationing, when are houses are empty, tweet about our daily routines or where we plan on being. Our lives are on for display for all to see, and no one forced us to do it. We live in a society where it feels good to have a lot of followers, a lot of likes, a lot of attention, from people we may or may not know in real life.
A little bit of [b: 1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313], a bit of [b: Frankenstein|18490|Frankenstein|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381512375s/18490.jpg|4836639] and [b: Alice in Wonderland|13023|Alice in Wonderland|Jane Carruth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391458382s/13023.jpg|2933712], this book left me thinking about things we create in the name of progress, and what we should share and what we should keep in private. Eggers finishes his book with a fitting ending, leaving the reader in the terror of unknowing what is to come.
I read this book because I wanted to see the film, though I was a little hesitant based on some of the negative reviews. Wow was I surprised! It was a quick read (I blitzed through it in 3 days) that I found to be moving, funny, suspenseful and unnerving in the way you want and expect of a dystopian novel. Egger's frantic descriptions of Mae's work perfectly exhibits how we are so overwhelmed and bombarded by social media on a constant basis. It's an enjoyable read, one that entertains and haunts you at the same time.
I imagine when people initially read books like [b: 1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313], it was frightening to think of the future that way. The Circle is scary because the world Dave Eggers creates is so disturbingly close to what is happening right now. Whereas [a: George Orwell|3706|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450573063p2/3706.jpg] imagined a world where privacy was taken, Eggers looks at our world where privacy is given away freely. We post pictures of where we're vacationing, when are houses are empty, tweet about our daily routines or where we plan on being. Our lives are on for display for all to see, and no one forced us to do it. We live in a society where it feels good to have a lot of followers, a lot of likes, a lot of attention, from people we may or may not know in real life.
A little bit of [b: 1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313], a bit of [b: Frankenstein|18490|Frankenstein|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1381512375s/18490.jpg|4836639] and [b: Alice in Wonderland|13023|Alice in Wonderland|Jane Carruth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391458382s/13023.jpg|2933712], this book left me thinking about things we create in the name of progress, and what we should share and what we should keep in private. Eggers finishes his book with a fitting ending, leaving the reader in the terror of unknowing what is to come.
exorcismemily's review against another edition
4.0
This was so close to being a 5-star book for me. There were just some things that deserved more focus that didn't receive it, and some things that didn't really deserve a ton of focus received it. However, I enjoyed this book very much. It was terrifying to think about, and relevant. It's also a great book about someone normal being sucked into a cult. I've been meaning to read this for about 2-3 years, and just haven't picked it up. I can't wait to see the movie.
talia1007's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
aixahv3858's review against another edition
4.0
Me ha encantado. Siempre me han gustado mucho las distopias y esta no me ha defraudado. El mundo construido por Eggers es totalmente creíble y parece que pudiera desarrollarse en futuro muy, muy cercano. El personaje de Mae me ha parecido que estaba perfectamente construido, porque te permite ver el proceso de "locura" que va sufriendo y como se va convenciendo cada vez más a sí misma de lo que cree que es correcto. También destaco el de Mercer, el único que pone un poco de cordura en mitad de toda la situación. El único motivo por el que no le doy las 5 estrellas es porque según iban avanzando las páginas el final se iba volviendo más obvio y más parecido a "1984", pero a pesar de ello me ha parecido excelente y totalmente recomendable.