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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
reflective
tense
medium-paced
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was a fairly easy read that i neither regret nor am raving about. eggers makes some pretty prescient observations about the polarisation and heightened sensitivity that the internet brings but, in an age where “free speech” demons like elon musk are in charge, I don’t think this book pertains in a big way to the reality we’re currently living.
it tends to belabour its own points about surveillance by repeatedly introducing new and more extreme initiatives in the circle, but it is interesting to have an entirely unquestioning dystopian protagonist.
overall, it was…good! and that’s truly all I can say 😭
it tends to belabour its own points about surveillance by repeatedly introducing new and more extreme initiatives in the circle, but it is interesting to have an entirely unquestioning dystopian protagonist.
overall, it was…good! and that’s truly all I can say 😭
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide
Minor: Fatphobia
This book definitely makes you really think about how you interact with social media and technology.
The Circle is an unusual 4-star book, because the writing style is simple, and the characters lack depth. For once, this didn't bother me as I read The Circle, because Dave Eggers character portrayal seems intentional - It's as if Eggers is demonstrating, 'see how naive and underdeveloped these people become?' He contrasts this lack of depth with a more interesting, but still fairly bland, secondary character Mercer. Regardless, somehow I found The Circle engaging because of how eerie it felt.
Being a person who checks Facebook a couple times a day and logs onto Instagram occasionally, I felt anxious and a bit too close to home as I read about Mae's Circle experience. As much as I hate to admit it, in my less proud moments, I've related to the feelings and habits such as:
I feel so connected to people who share my hobbies because of Instagram
I am in community and loved (especially with other people who eat vegan).
I have felt validation based on a large number of likes.
Compulsive phone checking
I have also pulled out my phone to "check-in" for absolutely no reason.
Reality has hit me when I see people I keep in touch with on Facebook, in person - some of these people don't even say hello! As The Circle clearly portrays, the 'I have so many friends' comfort of social media simply does not exist outside of the technology world. In fact, as Mercer points out of to Mae, many of us (speaking of social media users in general) don't even know how boring we've become. We can literally chat with people all do, but feel very alone. As my friend Colleen wisely stated in her review, we are even doing this to ourselves. I do believe social media is a source of depression, hopelessness, and anger for many people. We would all do a lot of good to worry about ourselves and instead build (fewer) real relationships.
A few negatives (why I didn't give it five stars):
The sex scenes are horrid. I appreciated laughing, but only because I felt totally disturbed.
I think the same book could have been written in 100 fewer pages.
I felt the ending was abrupt, but it ultimately surprised me.
Positives:
I did feel very satisfied with the ending, just not so much the parts immediately prior.
A quick read, and, for me, the story line did not drag.
The book had what I believe to be its intended effect on me.
I've cut down my social media usage, I am avoiding additional social apps, and I'm especially avoiding the endless, haze-like IG, Pinterest, and FB scroll.
Scary.
This book fulfilled the category "A book based entirely on its cover" from the Pop Sugar reading challenge.
Being a person who checks Facebook a couple times a day and logs onto Instagram occasionally, I felt anxious and a bit too close to home as I read about Mae's Circle experience. As much as I hate to admit it, in my less proud moments, I've related to the feelings and habits such as:
I feel so connected to people who share my hobbies because of Instagram
I am in community and loved (especially with other people who eat vegan).
I have felt validation based on a large number of likes.
Compulsive phone checking
I have also pulled out my phone to "check-in" for absolutely no reason.
Reality has hit me when I see people I keep in touch with on Facebook, in person - some of these people don't even say hello! As The Circle clearly portrays, the 'I have so many friends' comfort of social media simply does not exist outside of the technology world. In fact, as Mercer points out of to Mae, many of us (speaking of social media users in general) don't even know how boring we've become. We can literally chat with people all do, but feel very alone. As my friend Colleen wisely stated in her review, we are even doing this to ourselves. I do believe social media is a source of depression, hopelessness, and anger for many people. We would all do a lot of good to worry about ourselves and instead build (fewer) real relationships.
A few negatives (why I didn't give it five stars):
The sex scenes are horrid. I appreciated laughing, but only because I felt totally disturbed.
I think the same book could have been written in 100 fewer pages.
I felt the ending was abrupt, but it ultimately surprised me.
Positives:
I did feel very satisfied with the ending, just not so much the parts immediately prior.
A quick read, and, for me, the story line did not drag.
The book had what I believe to be its intended effect on me.
I've cut down my social media usage, I am avoiding additional social apps, and I'm especially avoiding the endless, haze-like IG, Pinterest, and FB scroll.
Scary.
This book fulfilled the category "A book based entirely on its cover" from the Pop Sugar reading challenge.
I wanted to put this down pretty much the whole time but I also wanted to read it all 1) because I wanted to watch the film and 2) because I wanted a full opinion. Honestly, some parts were good but I feel like I've wasted my time and I really wanted to like this, shame.
More of like a 3.6. Attempts to be a modern age version of "1984" and does make the reader think about what the limitations of technological advancement should be, just seemed to drag on in some areas.
The emphasis on transparency is an interesting one. People do act differently if they think they're being watched. The story keeps presenting new ways to improve society at the cost of privacy.
The premise is a thought-provoking one and while the story is fairly well written, the characters fell a little flat for me. Usually, a good plot has trouble carrying weak characters (in my opinion) but this plot almost pulled it off. Almost. The ending was unsatisfying and while it was a good twist, I kept thinking something more monumental was going to happen.
Over all not a bad read, but I felt it didn't live up to the promise of its premise.
The premise is a thought-provoking one and while the story is fairly well written, the characters fell a little flat for me. Usually, a good plot has trouble carrying weak characters (in my opinion) but this plot almost pulled it off. Almost. The ending was unsatisfying and while it was a good twist, I kept thinking something more monumental was going to happen.
Over all not a bad read, but I felt it didn't live up to the promise of its premise.