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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Captivating premise, each chapter being about an individual character and their personal travel, yet each story ends up intertwined. The book underlines the fact that everyone is going through their own personal journeys that we rarely see. Short, fast paced read.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I would round up on this one to 3.5. I thought it was very cleverly written. The characters are all traveling via plane in different chapters. Each chapter continues a thread from one of the previous chapters. By the end you can follow the linked up connections between the people. Overall the stories of the individuals were all somewhat depressing. That was what kept me from giving the book a 4. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for real life issues right now!
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i am so grateful for books like this - slight in size, digestible in small parts, but sacrificing nothing in style and substance for their brevity. this is 12 chapters, each about a person connected in some way to the person in the previous chapter. it's tragic and attentive and, more than anything, empathetic. (except maybe to the air freight pilot, callous about the death of a child hit by the taxi he rode in.)
the perfect book to read in one night while i debate whether to keep clearing space on my bookshelves by reading books I know I won't keep or dive back into the dense (but fascinating!) DC history tome guilting me from the bedside table.
the perfect book to read in one night while i debate whether to keep clearing space on my bookshelves by reading books I know I won't keep or dive back into the dense (but fascinating!) DC history tome guilting me from the bedside table.
I loved this book. I loved every single story, every single character, every word of this beautifully written book. David Szalay is an amazing amazing writer.
The concept is quite unique, you start with first story, which is set for an air route of London to Madrid, where you meet two characters, then the next story is set from Madrid to Senegal and one of the previous character features in this one, so basically there are 12 total stories, and it circles back to the first one, completing the loop. And all of the people we meet here are relatable, they are going through something everyone on this planet is going through right now. There's turbulence in everyone's life. And that's not the only thing that made this story powerful and loveable to me.
The way Szalay has brought in diversity here, it's so heartwarming to see Indian people, and Muslims appear in stories, and in good taste, which makes me so much happier, because representation matters, and good representation matters even more.
I finished this in less than a day, and couldn't put it down even after that, I want to know more about the people I met here. I wish it went on for even longer, good things end early. Looking forward to reading more of David Szalay now.
The concept is quite unique, you start with first story, which is set for an air route of London to Madrid, where you meet two characters, then the next story is set from Madrid to Senegal and one of the previous character features in this one, so basically there are 12 total stories, and it circles back to the first one, completing the loop. And all of the people we meet here are relatable, they are going through something everyone on this planet is going through right now. There's turbulence in everyone's life. And that's not the only thing that made this story powerful and loveable to me.
The way Szalay has brought in diversity here, it's so heartwarming to see Indian people, and Muslims appear in stories, and in good taste, which makes me so much happier, because representation matters, and good representation matters even more.
I finished this in less than a day, and couldn't put it down even after that, I want to know more about the people I met here. I wish it went on for even longer, good things end early. Looking forward to reading more of David Szalay now.
I really enjoyed this! One person leads to another...as they jet around the world.
What a great little book! Read in one sitting, went by in a flash! Every chapter focuses on a different person, all in transit from one airport to another. Each chapter is named after the airport connections, and each chapter, each person, is connected to the person before in some way. Either they met while in transit or they already knew each other, but those connections make it flow beautifully and tie each chapter together.
It was an inspiring read. It made me think of all the times I've sat in an airport or train station, passing time by people-watching and making up stories in my head of where each person was going, where they came from, what their life was like, what they were thinking. This book felt like those thoughts come to life, where we're actually given a little glimpse into the lives of the people we run into while traveling. 4.5 stars.
It was an inspiring read. It made me think of all the times I've sat in an airport or train station, passing time by people-watching and making up stories in my head of where each person was going, where they came from, what their life was like, what they were thinking. This book felt like those thoughts come to life, where we're actually given a little glimpse into the lives of the people we run into while traveling. 4.5 stars.