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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
So I'm huge on dystopian fiction. This one was a mix of Brave New World, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451.
I didn't care for the main character. She just wasn't a likable person. Some of the metaphors were super obvious to the point of being disappointed like Francis vs. Kalden (The Circle vs. Freedom)
I also thought some of the "twists" were pretty predictable and obvious.
But all in all the ending disappointed me. But considering how stupid and unlikeable Mae was as a character, wasn't surprising.
Overall I enjoyed the book but I don't think it added anything profound to the genre.
I didn't care for the main character. She just wasn't a likable person. Some of the metaphors were super obvious to the point of being disappointed like Francis vs. Kalden (The Circle vs. Freedom)
I also thought some of the "twists" were pretty predictable and obvious.
But all in all the ending disappointed me. But considering how stupid and unlikeable Mae was as a character, wasn't surprising.
Overall I enjoyed the book but I don't think it added anything profound to the genre.
Interesting points of what technology can become but the plot is just frustratingly sparse. I listened to 11 discs of this book and didn't feel like I ended up knowing anything about the main character. I rolled my eyes at what was happening. And the big twist with characters was so obvious.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm adding this to my very specific category: "Things that have been compared to Black Mirror but I really liked them even though I seriously dislike Black Mirror." TTHBCTBMBIRLTETISDBM for short. The climax felt very contrived to me, it was like he built his own strawman out of necessity for dramatic structure. No way the whole Kalden thing would have really gone down like that. Otherwise this was really solid, and I'm cautiously excited for the movie, especially if they leave out that whole shark thing at the end. That was a little bit embarassing.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was intensely unsettling. To read this in a time where the people behind major social media platforms are more and more connected to specific governments - that's deeply scary. Of course our social media landscape is still some ways away from the circle and even our thinking might be a little different, nevertheless with large parts of societies often engaging in short-sighted problem solving, which in turn can create other problems, constantly trying to optimize themselves, their time usage, productivity etc. and supposedly spending surprisingly little time on self-reflection, it really is a worrying thought experiment. Mae is genuine in her idealistic view of the circle, many people like her want it to work as well so they want to believe in it. But it really does just need one very powerful shark who wants to use its dangerous capacity.
The book is immensely interesting and many things could be analyzed and debated or even expanded upon (just think of our collective new favorite subject : AI). I for example am very intruiged by the question what (information) people have a right to. I do not have a clear answer so far but you can bet, I will spend the next days thinking about it.
The book is immensely interesting and many things could be analyzed and debated or even expanded upon (just think of our collective new favorite subject : AI). I for example am very intruiged by the question what (information) people have a right to. I do not have a clear answer so far but you can bet, I will spend the next days thinking about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
that might have just been the worst ending to a book that I have ever read
Man.. I think this book had a TON of potential to be one of my favourite books of all time, but unfortunately it did not hit the spot for me! The main issue was the main character, Mae. She was sooo flat, boring and weak. I just couldn't relate to her at all, and her decisions caused me a lot of frustration. It just got to be really unenjoyable by the end and there was no clear resolution! If you want to be EXTREMELY frustrated, then read this book! I did enjoy the amount of descriptive language and the whole concept of The Circle, but overall, I would give this book a pass.
Would have been a good short story. The concept is good, but the author fails to breathe life into the characters.
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes