82 reviews for:

LoveStar

Andri Snær Magnason

3.7 AVERAGE

manondragon's review

2.0

Euh, bon, c'est long au démarrage, ça part un peu dans tout les sens et les remarque sur l'autisme sont plus que limites ...
C'est dommage, ça aurait pu être une belle critique de notre monde capitaliste mais je ne trouve pas ça très aboutit ...

A solid 4.5/5 stars for Magnason's LoveStar.

I would have given the novel a 5/5 but there was one part in the book that gave me pause and that I didn't entirely like, so off goes half a point!

LoveStar is one of those blind reads for me: I saw it on a shelf in the library and the title (since the cover is so minimalist) partnered with the fact that it is an Icelandic translation AND has won awards made me dive right in without any further ado.

LoveStar follows two narratives: one of Indridi and Sigrid, two star-crossed lovers and normal people and Orvar Lovestar, a megalomaniacal business-owner who has taken over the world through his various Love-enterprises in the name of personal freedom. Interestingly, this "freedom" is all an illusion as everyone in the novel's version of the world, including Lovestar himself, is a victim of marketing and money schemes.

Indridi and Sigrid are in love, but aren't supposed to be. In this world, people are calculated with their soulmates as a way to promote peace and work against nationalist agendas, and during their relationship, Sigrid was calculated away from Indridi (plot #1). Plot #2 is focused around Lovestar and the creation of the Love-monopoly: inLove, iStar, LoveDeath, and newly discovered: LoveGod. (If this isn't obvious satire or social commentary, I don't know what is.)

Overall, this is a very interesting and thought provoking read in the same vein as Vonnegut or even Philip K Dick (although infinitely more readable than Dick, but perhaps this is because it is translated). Would recommend for anyone who would like to think about contemporary society and where it may be headed (or expected to head by the writer pre-translation of 2012) with technological and social advancements at the forefront.

Would recommend as a thought provoking piece.
adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
chaos_is_reading's profile picture

chaos_is_reading's review

3.0
informative reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
funny reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Næstum því tvær stjörnur. Síðustu 70 bls komu henni rétt svo í þrjár. Mig grunar að endurlestur gerir hana betri.

Started out a bit slow, but got very engaging. It's very scifi, but a little Romeo and Juliet vibes. Also, if you have been to Iceland or lived there, you will appreciate the local references.

J'ai bien aimé l'ambiance au début du roman, mais celle-ci devient un peu loufoque vers la fin.
Ça m'a un petit peu perdu malheureusement.
Mais le concept de Lovestar et la société créée est géniale!

This book gives a futuristic look at society, where people are cordless and controlled by technology (much like now lol). Interesting concepts are interlaced throughout, like extravagant rocket burials, human advertisements, and calculated love interests at the hands of the government.

I enjoyed it

Lestur þessarar bókar er mjög álíka tilfinning og að dreyma langan draum, þar sem raunverulega allt getur gerst og allt er svo skrítið að ekkert er það.

Ég veit ekki ennþá hvort boðskapurinn er stórbrotinn eða enginn, þarf aðeins að melta hana þessa.