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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
I love finding authors from the Chicago suburbs! It was mostly fun and entertaining while communicating a point that I understood loud and clear by roughly 2/3rds way through the book. I definitely think that this is a worthwhile book to at least read about. Ages 18+
I found a couple links worth reading about the book. Click at your own risk, these links include some spoilers:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archi...
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/1...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/...
I found a couple links worth reading about the book. Click at your own risk, these links include some spoilers:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archi...
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/1...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/...
I liked the development of the story and the characters, but ending like that is kind of a dirty trick with a book that's not short. Not super interested in trying the sequel so I'm just going to pretend it doesn't exist.
I found the main character a bit weak and the ending rushed (after taking many pages to get going) but overall really enjoyed. Scary thing is it all sounds worryingly believable and realistic.
About a Facebook/Google amalgamation intent on the destruction of all privacy. Is an interesting idea, but poorly executed. The main female characters were quite unbelievable and he had to include the trope of women being unable to enjoy friends successes. As if Mae would have stayed with prematurely ejaculating Francis, as if it wasn't immediately obvious all the implications of the Circles ideas.
The Circle is a foreboding utopian commentary on the dangers of blindly following technological conglomerates. In Eggers' world, a Facebook/Amazon/Google company called Circle runs most of their user's lives. Mae, a typical 20 something, lands a job in the company thanks to her high profile friend Annie. As Mae climbs the ladder, she becomes increasingly wrapped around the Circle. What she find will permanently change her, and the world around her.
Eggers biggest advantage is his plot, which continuously builds and develops, one breath taking twist after the other. It's a consistently engaging plot, which is necessary for its length. His world building, too, is excellent and engaging. While his characters don't always translate well to the real world, they do make sense in the scope of the Circle's world. Mae makes for a great protagonist because she's so easy to love and so lovely to hate. The Circle is also the best kind of manipulative - dragging you around every which way, to always put you right where it has he best chance of hitting you.
As for the downsides, I would have liked to have done without the love triangle, a device I almost always find lazy and painful. There was also a bit at the end in which Eggers spelled out Mae's character. I always hate when authors don't trust us (or themselves) enough to pick up their point. I understood who Mae was; I didn't need to be explicitly told.
I can't exactly say how his stacks up to other utopian/dystopian novels, because I just haven't read many. But I will say The Circle is an entertaining journey, with a bold real-world prophetic proclamation.
Eggers biggest advantage is his plot, which continuously builds and develops, one breath taking twist after the other. It's a consistently engaging plot, which is necessary for its length. His world building, too, is excellent and engaging. While his characters don't always translate well to the real world, they do make sense in the scope of the Circle's world. Mae makes for a great protagonist because she's so easy to love and so lovely to hate. The Circle is also the best kind of manipulative - dragging you around every which way, to always put you right where it has he best chance of hitting you.
As for the downsides, I would have liked to have done without the love triangle, a device I almost always find lazy and painful. There was also a bit at the end in which Eggers spelled out Mae's character. I always hate when authors don't trust us (or themselves) enough to pick up their point. I understood who Mae was; I didn't need to be explicitly told.
I can't exactly say how his stacks up to other utopian/dystopian novels, because I just haven't read many. But I will say The Circle is an entertaining journey, with a bold real-world prophetic proclamation.
Quite an engaging & thought provoking book. It often had me expressing my emotions & opinion toward characters. I weep for a future that could be like this one portrays. Taking one step further, making everything seen & acceptable to the lowest common denominator isn't the answer.
Technology is a great thing & this book shows how humanity can take too much of a good thing too far. The lack of critical thinking & stepping back to review implications, not just embracing the naivete of wildest dreams, is the big takeaway I see. It will be interesting to see how the movie adapts this & the messages it brings.
Technology is a great thing & this book shows how humanity can take too much of a good thing too far. The lack of critical thinking & stepping back to review implications, not just embracing the naivete of wildest dreams, is the big takeaway I see. It will be interesting to see how the movie adapts this & the messages it brings.
You know what else is a circle? A garbage can, which is where this belongs.
Stressful reading- it will make anyone paranoid about the info sharing trend going on now. :)
meh. clearly a manifesto against Facebook but rather clumsily done. also fairly boring characters with no clear motivations. wondering if he wrote this specifically to have it made into a movie.