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joanaortiz's review
3.0
It was a good book. I like the style of writing, and the ending of the book was great. There were parts where I wish there would have been more context, but other than that it was a solid book.
3/5
3/5
meggeorge's review
4.0
3.8 stars
This book was nice. It was just a nice time. It gave me a similar feeling to Piranesi, to a much lesser degree. That sort of benign acceptance that bad things might happen to us, but that's just as much a part of life as the good things and we can keep going.
I loved the way the separate plot threads wove together, though as with any multi-POV story, I had my favourites. I thought it was a good length. I really respect an author who knows their story is not meant to be a 500 page brick, no matter what publishers and agents say.
The problems I had were really contained to one section, and that was Olive's chapters. Unfortunately, I found this overly repetitive, though I realise that was meant to somewhat demonstrate the tedium of her job and make going home that much more appealing. Her narrative went in circles a lot and made her seem like a very simple character. Every thought she had was about her daughter, being scared of the pandemic, or being indignant at some misogynistic remark. And I don't mean that these things don't deserve to be explored in a book, it just was not my taste.
All in all, a great book if you want something existential, but in a comforting way.
This book was nice. It was just a nice time. It gave me a similar feeling to Piranesi, to a much lesser degree. That sort of benign acceptance that bad things might happen to us, but that's just as much a part of life as the good things and we can keep going.
I loved the way the separate plot threads wove together, though as with any multi-POV story, I had my favourites. I thought it was a good length. I really respect an author who knows their story is not meant to be a 500 page brick, no matter what publishers and agents say.
The problems I had were really contained to one section, and that was Olive's chapters. Unfortunately, I found this overly repetitive, though I realise that was meant to somewhat demonstrate the tedium of her job and make going home that much more appealing. Her narrative went in circles a lot and made her seem like a very simple character. Every thought she had was about her daughter, being scared of the pandemic, or being indignant at some misogynistic remark. And I don't mean that these things don't deserve to be explored in a book, it just was not my taste.
All in all, a great book if you want something existential, but in a comforting way.
helen000's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
recuerdo's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ambsx's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.75
katyreb's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I was glad I'd read The Glass Hotel before this one. I don't think it was necessary to understand the plot, but I enjoyed recognizing the characters.
It occurred to me in the middle of the book that parts of this story were likely inspired by the authors own experience talking about Station Eleven as it was turned into a TV show during the pandemic. I kept hoping another connection to Station Eleven would show up, but it never did.
Regardless, the book was very interesting, and followed Mandel's typical winding, interconnected storytelling that I enjoy. The ending caught me offguard, in a good way, and I liked that it finished on a surprisingly hopeful and lighthearted note, despite some if the dark and existential themes that occurred throughout it.
It occurred to me in the middle of the book that parts of this story were likely inspired by the authors own experience talking about Station Eleven as it was turned into a TV show during the pandemic. I kept hoping another connection to Station Eleven would show up, but it never did.
Regardless, the book was very interesting, and followed Mandel's typical winding, interconnected storytelling that I enjoy. The ending caught me offguard, in a good way, and I liked that it finished on a surprisingly hopeful and lighthearted note, despite some if the dark and existential themes that occurred throughout it.
literarylamentations's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Not a bad book, but really not my taste--no characterization, no atmospherical detail, the mystery/time travel anamoly was derivative to a lot of media I've consumed, and the exploration of themes around pandemics and our humanity were not deep enough to satisfy me. I don't know what I was supposed to get out of this. It was just so... Shallow and bland. I know the right audience exists for it, just isn't me. :(