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leighgoodmark's review against another edition
4.0
My kind of book--big, sprawling, plot driven novel, with well drawn characters doing things that interest me. What keeps this from being 5 stars for me are a couple of things: while it makes sense for the characters to interact with real people from the era, too often when one was introduced, the character would say, "But you're...famous person!" which took me right out of the story. Then I'd spend time thinking about whether famous person would really have done x or y (as if I have any reason to know this). Second, Mitchell does something that I'm not going to spoil that's either completely brilliant or irritating, and I haven't decided which yet. Brilliant because he creates a universe; irritating because you might be lacking parts (and parts feel a bit farfetched if you are lacking them). Leaning towards brilliant, but I'm still not sure.
lilasalphabetsoup's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
winnimartha's review against another edition
4.0
Basically, I’ll read anything David Mitchell cares to write.
allie8973's review against another edition
I loved the first chapter. Loved it. Then it fell off. Not really interested in pushing through
andreacpowers's review against another edition
4.0
Of course it's written beautifully. I read it in 2-hour (or so) sessions over a week. The characters are vivid. I loved them.
I was 18 in 1968 and I resented it when each dead (usually) celebrity made a cameo. I thought each appearance landed with a clunk and I don't think anyone spoke the way they really did (I have no way of knowing how they really spoke). But a cheer for writing in minor celebrities like Cass Elliot and Steve Marriott.
I am not put off from reading more David Mitchell books. Rather, I want to see how he builds on this with the next one.
I was 18 in 1968 and I resented it when each dead (usually) celebrity made a cameo. I thought each appearance landed with a clunk and I don't think anyone spoke the way they really did (I have no way of knowing how they really spoke). But a cheer for writing in minor celebrities like Cass Elliot and Steve Marriott.
I am not put off from reading more David Mitchell books. Rather, I want to see how he builds on this with the next one.
katieandgus24's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book from David Mitchell. It’s different from some of his other works like The Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas but cleverly weaves different characters stories together in a powerful way. It was a little slow to start but once I got going, I was very into it.
mikaylahartk's review against another edition
4.0
Wish I could give this 3.5 stars. I loved Mitchell's characters, and even though I didn't get to enjoy the nostalgia-bath from his endless 70s rock and roll references, I enjoyed the colorful world of Utopia Avenue. Stick through the first few chapters and you'll be sure to enjoy this motley-group-turned-superstars. Their interactions are the best part of the book, a story of true friendship and collaboration between 5 musical talents (I include Levon, of course).
Without giving spoilers, this book also ties up a lot of the incredibly confusing and seemingly dead-ends of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. I appreciated the clarity as well as the cameos of other characters I enjoyed in some of his other books.
Ok, now for spoilers. Stop reading here if you'd like to avoid.
Dean Moss's sudden death at the hands of careless teenage robbers is completely rushed and random. I expect better of a seasoned writer than Mitchell than to just kill off a character in order to end the book, which admittedly just started to meander towards the end. Once the band reached sufficient popularity, the principal driver of the plot eased, and without Jasper's horological crisis there's little tension to carry the book to its end. Dean's death and the half hearted epilogue that resurrects the third album seemed perfunctory and lacked the necessary emotional gooeyness (to use the technical term) to make it stick. Ultimately, my sense of this book is that Mitchell wanted to clear up the very confusing ending of the first de Zoet book but also wanted to sell a full novel on its own, so he filled in a plot around Jasper's story, which was where he seemed to truly invest his creativity (Elf's story is an exception, but only at parts). Overall an enjoyable read, but ultimately lacking in the creativity and verve I'd hoped for.
Without giving spoilers, this book also ties up a lot of the incredibly confusing and seemingly dead-ends of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. I appreciated the clarity as well as the cameos of other characters I enjoyed in some of his other books.
Ok, now for spoilers. Stop reading here if you'd like to avoid.
Dean Moss's sudden death at the hands of careless teenage robbers is completely rushed and random. I expect better of a seasoned writer than Mitchell than to just kill off a character in order to end the book, which admittedly just started to meander towards the end. Once the band reached sufficient popularity, the principal driver of the plot eased, and without Jasper's horological crisis there's little tension to carry the book to its end. Dean's death and the half hearted epilogue that resurrects the third album seemed perfunctory and lacked the necessary emotional gooeyness (to use the technical term) to make it stick. Ultimately, my sense of this book is that Mitchell wanted to clear up the very confusing ending of the first de Zoet book but also wanted to sell a full novel on its own, so he filled in a plot around Jasper's story, which was where he seemed to truly invest his creativity (Elf's story is an exception, but only at parts). Overall an enjoyable read, but ultimately lacking in the creativity and verve I'd hoped for.
meaghan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
rebeccatamar's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve never wanted to hear fictional songs as much as I want to hear these. I want to live in this book— if i could, I’d make this band my entire personality. David Mitchell is a genuine genius.