Reviews - The Dreamers | The StoryGraph

2.88k reviews for:

The Dreamers

Karen Thompson Walker

3.68 AVERAGE

hailsreadz's review against another edition

4.0

emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

iamthesatellite's review against another edition

3.5

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

jjaylynny's review against another edition

4.0

I'm indelibly drawn to dystopian speculative fiction; not sure why. I think I love the world-building layered over our own world-- fantasy does not work for me. I am fascinated by the question of how human society rebuilds itself. Which is rather ironic since if there was ever a real apocalypse-- I know I'd be one of the first gone. I'm super lazy, super wussy, filled with useless knowledge (well, not really, but not sure I could use my useful knowledge because see above [lazy and wussy]).

This book has a (sorry) dreamy feel to it; all action kind of observed at a distance. No character has a lot of inner life, though they're all interesting people. I unfortunately didn't feel connected to any one character. It's an interesting musing on a microcosm of our world in peril. But then it (the crisis) ends, and I'm left wondering (which is maybe the author's point): what did we learn?

tbr_what2readnext's review against another edition

4.5

emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Karen Thompson Walker is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She combines sci-fi premises with psychology and deep character development and empathy.

The Dreamers is about a virus taking hold in a small town. (I can’t believe it was published before Covid; there are so many parallels.) This one will leave a lasting mark, particularly as readers navigate their own pasts, presents, and futures.

awkwardlysocial's review against another edition

5.0

Devastating pandemic read. So gorgeous and hopeful but sad and haunting. I could have read hundreds more pages. Highly recommend.

hdharrison's review against another edition

5.0

Karen Thompson Walker crafts a beautiful novel that is part magical realism, part faux-sociological study. It's got a lightness and a sadness that made me unable to put it down.

sarahkemsky's review against another edition

5.0

The Dreamers was just as compelling as Age of Miracles. The characters were deep and engaging; the plot was laid out as well as she ever does; and the setting is perfect. I devoured this book, reading it basically in three days. Highly highly recommend!!