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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Honestly... reading this book was a waste of time. First the author spends 90% of the book describing the issue and then all of a sudden everything is fixed?? And she doesn’t even give an explanation for it. She just throws in an ‘inspiring message’ at the end about daring to dream and that’s it. ‘No one knows what cured the disease but hey, everyone is happy!’ is the vibe I’m getting here.
One thing I did like was her writing style. It made it bearable for me to read the entire thing, which I, sadly, regret. But I’ve read other people’s reviews that praise her dreamy way of writing and I agree that it indeed completes the setting of the story. This book goes beyond the main plot, which I like, but it could have been better developed. This book felt unfinished in a wrong way and in that case I usually don’t give very high ratings.
One thing I did like was her writing style. It made it bearable for me to read the entire thing, which I, sadly, regret. But I’ve read other people’s reviews that praise her dreamy way of writing and I agree that it indeed completes the setting of the story. This book goes beyond the main plot, which I like, but it could have been better developed. This book felt unfinished in a wrong way and in that case I usually don’t give very high ratings.
It’s hard describe this book. It was captivating most of the way through and it drew me in. I connected with the characters and the scenario was fascinating. But I kept waiting for the mystery to be solved or for a resolution and neither of those happened. It reminded me a little of the Twilight Zone or a Stephen King novel (the mysterious ones not the creepy ones). The author is a very good wordsmith and storyteller. I just would have liked to have a satisfying conclusion.
I read this specifically for my Buzzword Readathon monthly challenge; this month's word was "Dream" and this was the only book on my tbr that fit the bill.
In the SoCal town of Santa Lora, a sudden sickness has begun. Kara, a freshman at the local college, goes to sleep one night in her dorm and doesn't wake up. She is sent to the hospital, where they find that she seems to be dreaming intensely before she dies there. Then others start feeling tired as well. This novel is an ensemble piece following multiple people in the same town and their experience with this virus.
I've had this on my radar for a while, and I'm glad I put this off. Who would have known that there would be an actual pandemic to compare this to? It was so interesting to see Walker's take on what would happen in this situation and how a lot of the characters' responses lined up with what has taken place in real life. I also felt like the slow pacing of the story (and further the performance of the audiobook) really added to the narrative; it felt sleepy, dreamlike, which obviously suited the plot itself and brings the reader into the story even more.
The few things I wasn't a fan of in this novel are more up to my own personal taste than actual quality, so if these things don't bother you or if you tend to enjoy them, this book may be for you! While I thought that the multiperspective style was indeed the best choice for the story, I wish that time was spread more evenly between the different characters. I particularly cared about Ben and Annie, but I felt neutral about the others, and that could be in part because of where in the story each of them had focus. The other thing that I would have liked to see was more of a result of what is happening to those who fall ill. It is stated and shown what happens, but having more reprecussions would have been nice. Overall, this was an easy start to the new year and my buzzwordathon challenge, and I'd be interested in picking up some more speculative fiction from Walker in the future.
In the SoCal town of Santa Lora, a sudden sickness has begun. Kara, a freshman at the local college, goes to sleep one night in her dorm and doesn't wake up. She is sent to the hospital, where they find that she seems to be dreaming intensely before she dies there. Then others start feeling tired as well. This novel is an ensemble piece following multiple people in the same town and their experience with this virus.
I've had this on my radar for a while, and I'm glad I put this off. Who would have known that there would be an actual pandemic to compare this to? It was so interesting to see Walker's take on what would happen in this situation and how a lot of the characters' responses lined up with what has taken place in real life. I also felt like the slow pacing of the story (and further the performance of the audiobook) really added to the narrative; it felt sleepy, dreamlike, which obviously suited the plot itself and brings the reader into the story even more.
The few things I wasn't a fan of in this novel are more up to my own personal taste than actual quality, so if these things don't bother you or if you tend to enjoy them, this book may be for you! While I thought that the multiperspective style was indeed the best choice for the story, I wish that time was spread more evenly between the different characters. I particularly cared about Ben and Annie, but I felt neutral about the others, and that could be in part because of where in the story each of them had focus. The other thing that I would have liked to see was more of a result of what is happening to those who fall ill. It is stated and shown what happens, but having more reprecussions would have been nice. Overall, this was an easy start to the new year and my buzzwordathon challenge, and I'd be interested in picking up some more speculative fiction from Walker in the future.
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Literary take on the viral disease trope. Really well written, very character focused. The character of Mei really stuck with me.
My only recommendation would be not to read it during this pandemic. I read to escape the real world, and the parallels right now were a tad too much for me. The story was great though!
Should I have read a book about a mysterious pandemic in the midst of an actual real-life pandemic? Maybe not, but I’m not known for my excellent decision making skills.
The Dreamers opens on a college dorm floor, where a freshman girl falls asleep after a night out partying and doesn’t wake back up. A couple days later, another girl on the same floor falls asleep too, and several more after her. Pretty soon, the students on that floor are quarantined to contain the unidentified virus. When the students escape though, the virus starts to spread throughout the community and the entire city is locked down, patrolled by the National Guard.
While The Dreamers did have some parallels to the past year - the uncertainty and being stuck inside alone, the heartbreak - I loved how vague a lot of the story was. The story centers on various characters - a couple of students from the dorm floor where the virus started, a father and his two daughters, a young couple and their newborn daughter, and an elderly man whose husband has dementia - and because of the various points of view, we never learn much about any individual character (or, for that matter, about the virus itself).
Parts of the ending were a little off-topic and were left unresolved, but given how much I enjoyed the rest of the book that didn’t bother me too much.
The Dreamers opens on a college dorm floor, where a freshman girl falls asleep after a night out partying and doesn’t wake back up. A couple days later, another girl on the same floor falls asleep too, and several more after her. Pretty soon, the students on that floor are quarantined to contain the unidentified virus. When the students escape though, the virus starts to spread throughout the community and the entire city is locked down, patrolled by the National Guard.
While The Dreamers did have some parallels to the past year - the uncertainty and being stuck inside alone, the heartbreak - I loved how vague a lot of the story was. The story centers on various characters - a couple of students from the dorm floor where the virus started, a father and his two daughters, a young couple and their newborn daughter, and an elderly man whose husband has dementia - and because of the various points of view, we never learn much about any individual character (or, for that matter, about the virus itself).
Parts of the ending were a little off-topic and were left unresolved, but given how much I enjoyed the rest of the book that didn’t bother me too much.
Reading a book about a pandemic during a pandemic...not a great idea haha. This book was good and had a pretty interesting writing style/tone. Look forward to reading others from this author.
medium-paced