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apipsc's review against another edition
3.0
This was not what I was looking for, I wanted a comedy and ended up with a freaking lesson on politics and the triumph and decadence of the powerful. The ideas are there, but again, not what I was looking for.
bookscatsandjazz's review
3.0
This book is interesting in that it tells a fictional story (mostly about a woman who works in comics and has an interview become viral) but very frequently detours into non-fiction territory with digressions about the internet, the history of San Francisco, comic book industry, and several other related subjects. So it feels structurally like Moby Dick with the Internet replacing whales. In Moby Dick, it's as if Melville is trying to bore you to death every few chapters with trivia about whales, but there's compelling drama carrying the book forward. Here, it is quite the opposite, as the main story is completely uninteresting, but the digressions are informative, funny and insightful.
Overall this feels fresh at the beginning with its interplay between fiction and factual information but it gets tiresome after a while, as its tiny sliver of a story is unable to keep its momentum.
Português:
O livro conta uma história ficcional (majoritariamente sobre uma quadrinista que adquire alguma fama na internet após uma entrevista sua viralizar) mas se desvia frequentemente pro campo da não-ficção com digressões sobre a internet, a história de São Francisco, a indústria dos quadrinhos, e outros assuntos relacionados. Estruturalmente, portanto, o livro é como Moby Dick com a internet substituindo as baleias.
Em Moby Dick, Melville parece querer nos matar de tédio com trivia sobre baleias a cada punhado de capítulos, mas o drama humano da história central carrega o livro para frente. Aqui é precisamente o contrário: a história central é completamente desinteressante, mas os comentários sobre internet e cultura são informativos, perspicazes e engraçados.
De maneira geral, a leitura tem uma aura de novidade no começo, mas se torna cansativa a partir de certo ponto, e o fiapo de trama não consegue manter o momento do livro.
Overall this feels fresh at the beginning with its interplay between fiction and factual information but it gets tiresome after a while, as its tiny sliver of a story is unable to keep its momentum.
Português:
O livro conta uma história ficcional (majoritariamente sobre uma quadrinista que adquire alguma fama na internet após uma entrevista sua viralizar) mas se desvia frequentemente pro campo da não-ficção com digressões sobre a internet, a história de São Francisco, a indústria dos quadrinhos, e outros assuntos relacionados. Estruturalmente, portanto, o livro é como Moby Dick com a internet substituindo as baleias.
Em Moby Dick, Melville parece querer nos matar de tédio com trivia sobre baleias a cada punhado de capítulos, mas o drama humano da história central carrega o livro para frente. Aqui é precisamente o contrário: a história central é completamente desinteressante, mas os comentários sobre internet e cultura são informativos, perspicazes e engraçados.
De maneira geral, a leitura tem uma aura de novidade no começo, mas se torna cansativa a partir de certo ponto, e o fiapo de trama não consegue manter o momento do livro.
norrin2's review
2.0
As a screed against technology and every other aspect of modern life this book is a definite five. As a novel it's a zero. That averages out to 2.5 which Goodreads will not allow. I have to give or dock a half point, and I decided to penalize for padding. The book is a little over 70,000 words long, but honestly, if Kobek could just say "black" or "white" instead of telling us about every person mentioned in the book (and there's a ton of people mentioned) how much "eumelanin they have in the basal cell layer of their epidermis" it would have been maybe 30,000 words.
geeknifer's review against another edition
5.0
It was hilarious and dramatic at the same time. If you like critic approaches to contemporary problems, you'll end up considering this a masterpiece. It's a nice mix of styles and formats, which is really enjoyable and a reflex of the content itself.
nobodyatall's review
3.0
Picked this up in the library because the title is perfect, no idea what to expect from it. It's very Kurt Vonnegut and compulsively readable. It's very witty and erudite but at the same time didn't really teach me anything.
kristinn's review against another edition
Too repetitive and the text is like patchwork: I couldn’t find a natural reading flow.
lola_rennt's review against another edition
1.0
Mehr als 100 Seiten lang kann ich dieses handlungslose, unzusammenhanglose und besserwisserische Buch leider nicht ertragen. Statt wie angestrebt kritisch gegenüber der Gesellschaft zu sein wirkt das Ganze lediglich überheblich.
colonel2sheds's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sickjan's review
3.0
2.5 because I can understand both loving and hating it. Probably revolutionary in 2013, and some verrrrry interesting history bits of that era that didn't make it to common knowledge, but a bit too outrage-porny to "enjoy"
haalborg's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0