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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I don't even know where to begin on this one.
Evan and Julia are fresh out of college, trying to start a life together in New York. Evan immediately lands and big job while Julia is left stranded, feeling lost in her own career path and in their relationship as work quickly takes precedent with Evan.
In the first two chapters I really like the dynamic of Evan and Julia's relationship, but then it fell flat straight away. I understood the fear and uncertainty of the future, of how life doesn't seem to prepare you for it. It seemed authentic.
For a few chapters after this, it was simply reiterating the same facts: Evan was making a mark in his career, Julia was lost; they were both questioning their relationship. It became repetitive. For a while there wasn't really a plot, just affairs on both parts.
That was the plot: how much could they both get away with before their relationship inevitability ends. They both see it coming. The book just draws it out with some progress in Evan's job that could be summarised in a lot less words.
Two likeable characters become monotonous and awful. Maybe that was Pitoniak's intention, but it felt weak. It felt like she was trying to create tension out of nothing. And a real relationship turned into something void.
I could go on with more points about this, but ultimately it was a monotonous read that I just wanted to end. There wasn't a real plot to it. And the ending felt like she was trying to meet a happy goal that didn't seem realistic.
Pitoniak's writing style is smooth and enjoyable, but her plot ruins her writing.
Evan and Julia are fresh out of college, trying to start a life together in New York. Evan immediately lands and big job while Julia is left stranded, feeling lost in her own career path and in their relationship as work quickly takes precedent with Evan.
In the first two chapters I really like the dynamic of Evan and Julia's relationship, but then it fell flat straight away. I understood the fear and uncertainty of the future, of how life doesn't seem to prepare you for it. It seemed authentic.
For a few chapters after this, it was simply reiterating the same facts: Evan was making a mark in his career, Julia was lost; they were both questioning their relationship. It became repetitive. For a while there wasn't really a plot, just affairs on both parts.
That was the plot: how much could they both get away with before their relationship inevitability ends. They both see it coming. The book just draws it out with some progress in Evan's job that could be summarised in a lot less words.
Two likeable characters become monotonous and awful. Maybe that was Pitoniak's intention, but it felt weak. It felt like she was trying to create tension out of nothing. And a real relationship turned into something void.
I could go on with more points about this, but ultimately it was a monotonous read that I just wanted to end. There wasn't a real plot to it. And the ending felt like she was trying to meet a happy goal that didn't seem realistic.
Pitoniak's writing style is smooth and enjoyable, but her plot ruins her writing.
Selfish rich Yale grad and her selfish idiot boyfriend have a couple of rough months post-grad in 2008. Everything turns out fine. This isn't a terrible book, but given that it takes place at the height of the recent economic downturn during which many, many lives were ruined, the story feels a little hollow and weirdly consequence free. The writing is solid and about a third of the way through it does become something of a page turner, but the resolution is so predictable, I couldn't help but wonder what lesson these kids learned.
I have received a copy of this book through a giveaway, so thank you for that!
Really enjoyable, light read. It goes through a variety of subjects, but all falling into the scope of the beginning of adulthood. It's probably a theme that several authors have explored but I have not had a chance to read much about it, so for me it was actually very relatable, especially in the regard of joining the job market. Some segments of the book were written quite naively, for example the interactions between Michael and Evan, and while I think this took away some of the charm of the lecture, it also made it approachable and added to the naivety that one would naturally expect from someone going through the same phases in life as the main characters.
Overall, though somewhat predictable, in my opinion it is a truer coming-of-age story than those written in most Young Adult literature because it addresses issues when stepping into adulthood.
Really enjoyable, light read. It goes through a variety of subjects, but all falling into the scope of the beginning of adulthood. It's probably a theme that several authors have explored but I have not had a chance to read much about it, so for me it was actually very relatable, especially in the regard of joining the job market. Some segments of the book were written quite naively, for example the interactions between Michael and Evan, and while I think this took away some of the charm of the lecture, it also made it approachable and added to the naivety that one would naturally expect from someone going through the same phases in life as the main characters.
Overall, though somewhat predictable, in my opinion it is a truer coming-of-age story than those written in most Young Adult literature because it addresses issues when stepping into adulthood.
"THE FUTURES" has all the hallmarks that make for a compelling, well-written novel. It has a palpable sense of time and place that is readily relatable to any reader. And characters - both major and minor - who spring immediately to life within the first few pages or chapters. What's more: for anyone who has gone through and/or graduated from college or university and then found him/herself at a loss what to do with their life for 2 or 5 years afterward, this is a novel that will give some added perspective to that earlier time of being.
"THE FUTURES" largely revolves around the lives of Evan Peck and Julia Edwards. (The reader is presented with the experiences - separate and shared - of Evan and then Julia across different chapters. Kudos to the author for being able to so deftly place herself in a man's mind.) Evan hailed from a small town in the interior of Western Canada, where his parents had a small grocery business. It was the kind of town that maintained its own slow, measured rhythms. Its inhabitants tended to have modest ambitions and most never left town after graduating from high school. Evan, on the other hand, was one of the few who dared to believe that he could become a part of the wider world, and thrive therein. Hockey was his passion and through it, he secured a scholarship to Yale University in 2004. There, he made the acquaintance of Julia, who came from a well-to-do family in Boston with connections. (Her father was a high-powered lawyer.) They - both freshmen - began as friends and, gradually, that seemingly easy and comfortable friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.
What I loved most about "THE FUTURES" is how skillfully Anna Pitoniak was able to make plain and REAL the lives of both Evan and Julia, and how their relationship developed, flourished, and later fell apart. From Yale to post-graduate life together in a modest, walk-up apartment in Brooklyn in the summer of 2008. I'm not going to say much more than that - except that the immediate impact of the 2008 financial crisis is as much a major factor in influencing the heart of the novel as the characters themselves who strut themselves upon the stage in a city that never sleeps.
Here are a few quotes to give you a flavor of what makes "THE FUTURES" compelling and self-revelatory:
Julia: "I could close my eyes, and the sounds of the party weren't so different from those in college, but I wasn't tricking myself. The feeling in the air had changed. There was a whole world out there, beyond wherever we were gathered. It didn't matter whether it was a cramped walk-up or a tar rooftop or a weedy backyard strung with lights. How you spent your time was suddenly up to you."
Julia: "I suppose, at the time [September 2008], I didn’t understand how rapidly my feelings toward Evan were evolving. ...We’d fought in college, but those fights always felt specific; fireworks that faded into smoke as fast as they arrived. But in New York, in the real world, every annoyance and disagreement felt like a referendum on our relationship. The bitterness started to linger. I was seeing growing evidence of why this was never going to work.”
Hands down, "THE FUTURES" is THE BEST NOVEL I've had the pleasure of reading so far in 2018.
"THE FUTURES" largely revolves around the lives of Evan Peck and Julia Edwards. (The reader is presented with the experiences - separate and shared - of Evan and then Julia across different chapters. Kudos to the author for being able to so deftly place herself in a man's mind.) Evan hailed from a small town in the interior of Western Canada, where his parents had a small grocery business. It was the kind of town that maintained its own slow, measured rhythms. Its inhabitants tended to have modest ambitions and most never left town after graduating from high school. Evan, on the other hand, was one of the few who dared to believe that he could become a part of the wider world, and thrive therein. Hockey was his passion and through it, he secured a scholarship to Yale University in 2004. There, he made the acquaintance of Julia, who came from a well-to-do family in Boston with connections. (Her father was a high-powered lawyer.) They - both freshmen - began as friends and, gradually, that seemingly easy and comfortable friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship.
What I loved most about "THE FUTURES" is how skillfully Anna Pitoniak was able to make plain and REAL the lives of both Evan and Julia, and how their relationship developed, flourished, and later fell apart. From Yale to post-graduate life together in a modest, walk-up apartment in Brooklyn in the summer of 2008. I'm not going to say much more than that - except that the immediate impact of the 2008 financial crisis is as much a major factor in influencing the heart of the novel as the characters themselves who strut themselves upon the stage in a city that never sleeps.
Here are a few quotes to give you a flavor of what makes "THE FUTURES" compelling and self-revelatory:
Julia: "I could close my eyes, and the sounds of the party weren't so different from those in college, but I wasn't tricking myself. The feeling in the air had changed. There was a whole world out there, beyond wherever we were gathered. It didn't matter whether it was a cramped walk-up or a tar rooftop or a weedy backyard strung with lights. How you spent your time was suddenly up to you."
Julia: "I suppose, at the time [September 2008], I didn’t understand how rapidly my feelings toward Evan were evolving. ...We’d fought in college, but those fights always felt specific; fireworks that faded into smoke as fast as they arrived. But in New York, in the real world, every annoyance and disagreement felt like a referendum on our relationship. The bitterness started to linger. I was seeing growing evidence of why this was never going to work.”
Hands down, "THE FUTURES" is THE BEST NOVEL I've had the pleasure of reading so far in 2018.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to give this book 4 stars because I found the characters really interesting and I was really emotionally invested but the way the timeline kept jumping around made the story hard to follow at times and I found the ending really unsatisfying.
I have a love-hate relationship with this book.
First off, I wasn't the biggest fan of Julia. To be honest, I thought that she was a brat. I totally felt for her until she started doing something that I didn't like. So that prevented me from really enjoying the book. Also, I kind of wanted to yell at Evan too!
However, the end of the book, I actually really enjoyed. I enjoyed it more than the rest of the novel and I enjoyed reading what happens to Julia and Evan.
Overall, this book was okay. But, I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters!
First off, I wasn't the biggest fan of Julia. To be honest, I thought that she was a brat. I totally felt for her until she started doing something that I didn't like. So that prevented me from really enjoying the book. Also, I kind of wanted to yell at Evan too!
However, the end of the book, I actually really enjoyed. I enjoyed it more than the rest of the novel and I enjoyed reading what happens to Julia and Evan.
Overall, this book was okay. But, I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters!
This made me angry. Why? Because the main characters (mainly Julia, actually) seemed so self righteous even though they (knew they) were doing things they shouldn't have been doing.
Call me naive, but why does one need to fuck up (numerous times) in order to realize hmm maybe I shouldn't be doing that? That it's wrong? You don't have to, that's what. Maybe it's hindsight, foresight, or just plain thinking and analyzing. (it's like how a ridiculous number of people believe everyone needs to have religion in order to be moral and ethical. That's so insanely false. People can just be without outside pressures and/or personal experiences. But this is a conversation for another time.) Maybe I think too highly of people, have too high expectations, or am simply out of touch lol. Though, this is true of most books - there are main characters, at least one fucks up, and that's what the book's about, what happened, why, and usually, the result. Other books do it better though.
So I have no sympathy for Julia. At all. Boohoo no one loves you. I wonder why, you cheat. Even in fiction, karma exists.
Evan seemed to be less malicious and nefarious. He was mostly caught up in something bigger than him, and was so out of his element. But, he could have done something after he found out, yes.
Stories like this... make me upset that I don't have enough free time (and/or perhaps will to finish anything) to write my own books.
Call me naive, but why does one need to fuck up (numerous times) in order to realize hmm maybe I shouldn't be doing that? That it's wrong? You don't have to, that's what. Maybe it's hindsight, foresight, or just plain thinking and analyzing. (it's like how a ridiculous number of people believe everyone needs to have religion in order to be moral and ethical. That's so insanely false. People can just be without outside pressures and/or personal experiences. But this is a conversation for another time.) Maybe I think too highly of people, have too high expectations, or am simply out of touch lol. Though, this is true of most books - there are main characters, at least one fucks up, and that's what the book's about, what happened, why, and usually, the result. Other books do it better though.
So I have no sympathy for Julia. At all. Boohoo no one loves you. I wonder why, you cheat. Even in fiction, karma exists.
Evan seemed to be less malicious and nefarious. He was mostly caught up in something bigger than him, and was so out of his element. But, he could have done something after he found out, yes.
Stories like this... make me upset that I don't have enough free time (and/or perhaps will to finish anything) to write my own books.
This book is well-written. I struggled with the timeline (knowing whether something was currently happening or was a memory or what), but otherwise it was a fine read. The feeling of not knowing what to do after college was relatable.
*I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways*
*I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways*
an easy to listen to book. it was fitting that the characters got what they deserved.
I won a copy of this book in a giveaway. Julia and Evan move to Manhattan together after graduating from Yale. Evan gets a job in finance during the 2008 meltdown and Julia feels adrift in a job she dislikes while he is working increasingly long hours. While Pitoniak does a good job describing that feeling of discombobulation you face when being thrust into the real world there is really nothing new or interesting here. The chapters alternate viewpoint but I found Evan and Julia's voices to be the same. I will be interested to see what the author does in the future but sadly this is not a book I would recommend.