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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
This book presents one of the best literary allegories I've encountered recently, and keeps the reader engaged. However, I am just not a fan of Eggers' writing style.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the audiobook, but I am not sure why the fuss about Eggers. He spins a good yarn, but I found his literary details kind of clunky.
Once upon a time, we used to think about the future and the many wonderful things we would be able to do online, and we used to say 'one day we'll be able to do this.' and now we live in a time period where the mentality's changed from 'one day we'll do it' to 'now we can do it, and we should.' And we mostly do that without pausing to wonder what the repercussions may be. The Circle explores this idea with stomach-churning gusto.
The Circle is a disturbing book, not only because of the troubling ideas and themes described within, but more importantly, because we live in a world where The Circle (a clear surrogate for Google) could easily happen. I cannot begin to mention the number of times I stopped and thought 'wow, this could happen right now and no one would bat an eyelash.' In fact, a chase near the end of the book brought to mind the Reddit manhunt for the Boston bombers. It's a timely book, almost terrifyingly so.
Halfway through the book, I'd mentioned that this is 2013's 1984. At the time, I wondered if it was exceedingly high praise. But by its end, I was sure of it. This is a book that will cause you to pause repeatedly while reading it, pondering if the tale it tells isn't so far removed from the world we're living in right now, and that maybe - just maybe - we're just as doomed.
Essential, essential read.
The Circle is a disturbing book, not only because of the troubling ideas and themes described within, but more importantly, because we live in a world where The Circle (a clear surrogate for Google) could easily happen. I cannot begin to mention the number of times I stopped and thought 'wow, this could happen right now and no one would bat an eyelash.' In fact, a chase near the end of the book brought to mind the Reddit manhunt for the Boston bombers. It's a timely book, almost terrifyingly so.
Halfway through the book, I'd mentioned that this is 2013's 1984. At the time, I wondered if it was exceedingly high praise. But by its end, I was sure of it. This is a book that will cause you to pause repeatedly while reading it, pondering if the tale it tells isn't so far removed from the world we're living in right now, and that maybe - just maybe - we're just as doomed.
Essential, essential read.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A horrendously boring book that lacks intellectual insight while simultaneously applauding itself for being so incisive and unique. The premise was promising, which is why I started reading it in the first place, but the execution absolutely missed the mark. I thought about typing a more detailed review but I decided that I gave this book enough of my time already.
Also I literally do not know how this was adapted into a movie (starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson no less!).
Also I literally do not know how this was adapted into a movie (starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson no less!).
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Read this immediately after The Warehouse after seeing it mentioned in reviews. This is going to haunt me for a long time. I need to have a physical copy for sure.
Read it because I want to see the movie. Expected more, seemed to have some dropped storylines. Ending felt predictable and lame.
Would you believe that Dave Eggers doesn't like social media? In the near future, a tech-savvy innovation corporation called The Circle has absorbed most of Silicon Valley, including Facebook (wink wink) and the town in which the company is based. All things come around to The Circle, a company which has found a way to integrate all social media accounts - and even banks! - into one tidy online profile. Along the way they also fund projects to eliminate child abductions and reduce neighborhood crime rates. Does that sound convenient or helpful to you? THINK AGAIN. Clearly this is going to spiral out of control and become a parable on the dangers of privacy erosion.
Eggers is so eager to create a story about the perceived dangers of sacrificing privacy at the alter of online social existence that he barely takes the time to create a realistic set of characters or corporate environment. Instead he gives us the most naive protagonist of all time in Mae Holland, a young millennial who lucks her way into a position by virtue of a connection to a tightly-wound high achieving executive in the company, and a work culture that values outlandish play ("Mae, we noticed you didn't post any pictures from last night's mandatory circus performance/company barbeque") as much as the slavish devotion to being impressive they expect of their employees on the job. Wherever Eggers turns his pen, modesty gives way to #humblebragging and altruistic motives are tarnished by mind-numbingly obvious bad ideas. In Eggers' version of social media utopia, no one - not even journalists - balk at the idea of doctors installing cameras in patients' bathrooms to monitor bowel movements more closely. And even politicians are loathe to defend the First Amendment in the face of public webcams put up all over the world to make transparent their own private conduct.
Is there a moral to the story? Yes, of course there is. One need only open a paper (one imagines Eggers wouldn't browse Twitter) to see that privacy is a central issue in the contemporary body politick. But what differentiates Eggers' social media utopia nightmare from 1984 is how cartoonish it all is. Clearly there exists a tension between privacy and living life online - we've all seen over-sharing (and over-stalking) behaviors exhibited on Facebook and elsewhere, and we all know the government has an inclusive approach to threat assessment when it comes to data collection. This book arrives at an opportune moment as a reminder of the dangers of rampant privacy intrusion and the normalization of complete transparency. I only wish Eggers had given us a more believable world in which real people actually grappled with these issues along with us.
Eggers is so eager to create a story about the perceived dangers of sacrificing privacy at the alter of online social existence that he barely takes the time to create a realistic set of characters or corporate environment. Instead he gives us the most naive protagonist of all time in Mae Holland, a young millennial who lucks her way into a position by virtue of a connection to a tightly-wound high achieving executive in the company, and a work culture that values outlandish play ("Mae, we noticed you didn't post any pictures from last night's mandatory circus performance/company barbeque") as much as the slavish devotion to being impressive they expect of their employees on the job. Wherever Eggers turns his pen, modesty gives way to #humblebragging and altruistic motives are tarnished by mind-numbingly obvious bad ideas. In Eggers' version of social media utopia, no one - not even journalists - balk at the idea of doctors installing cameras in patients' bathrooms to monitor bowel movements more closely. And even politicians are loathe to defend the First Amendment in the face of public webcams put up all over the world to make transparent their own private conduct.
Is there a moral to the story? Yes, of course there is. One need only open a paper (one imagines Eggers wouldn't browse Twitter) to see that privacy is a central issue in the contemporary body politick. But what differentiates Eggers' social media utopia nightmare from 1984 is how cartoonish it all is. Clearly there exists a tension between privacy and living life online - we've all seen over-sharing (and over-stalking) behaviors exhibited on Facebook and elsewhere, and we all know the government has an inclusive approach to threat assessment when it comes to data collection. This book arrives at an opportune moment as a reminder of the dangers of rampant privacy intrusion and the normalization of complete transparency. I only wish Eggers had given us a more believable world in which real people actually grappled with these issues along with us.
Very readable and raised some interesting issues related to technological overreach but the final act felt sort of contrived.