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augie_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
mroth's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Ok Dave Eggers. We get it. Tech is scary. Monopolies are here. Problem is, this book doesn’t have much to say about it.
I remember really really liking The Circle when I read it 7 or 8 years ago—The Every had me wondering if my tastes have matured or if this book was just less developed. The tech tidbits felt fairly self-impressed without adding much to the narrative or world and, though Delaney was theoretically developed with a well rounded background, who she was didn’t really seem to drive what she did. Probably could’ve been at least 200 pages shorter to avoid the chunks of self indulgence and dig into the meat more.
Rated as highly as I did because it was a surprisingly quick, engaging read that kept me turning the pages, even if I ended up not caring much about the characters.
I remember really really liking The Circle when I read it 7 or 8 years ago—The Every had me wondering if my tastes have matured or if this book was just less developed. The tech tidbits felt fairly self-impressed without adding much to the narrative or world and, though Delaney was theoretically developed with a well rounded background, who she was didn’t really seem to drive what she did. Probably could’ve been at least 200 pages shorter to avoid the chunks of self indulgence and dig into the meat more.
Rated as highly as I did because it was a surprisingly quick, engaging read that kept me turning the pages, even if I ended up not caring much about the characters.
Graphic: Cancer and Suicide
unboxedjack's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Gaslighting
joshhornbeck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
FIRST THOUGHTS:
A really compelling, fun, but incredibly dark read about the state of technology and our society’s desire to cede choice to algorithms and artificial intelligence out of a fear of making wrong or incorrect choices on our own. This definitely falls more on the mainstream side of Eggers’s writing, and you can palpably see his anger at the state of American society right now - the inability of even well-meaning individuals to understand nuance or complexity, the rapacious growth of tech companies and our increasing dependence on them for everything - this is a novel of warning and frustration. But it’s also refreshing to see that he also understands that these major corporations may be our only way out of the environmental catastrophe that lies ahead of us… they just also want the unfettered wealth and power they’re amassing along the way. It may not be his most masterful work, but it’s a solid work of (not so) speculative fiction that manages to hold on to the nuance that so many today are afraid to explore.
A really compelling, fun, but incredibly dark read about the state of technology and our society’s desire to cede choice to algorithms and artificial intelligence out of a fear of making wrong or incorrect choices on our own. This definitely falls more on the mainstream side of Eggers’s writing, and you can palpably see his anger at the state of American society right now - the inability of even well-meaning individuals to understand nuance or complexity, the rapacious growth of tech companies and our increasing dependence on them for everything - this is a novel of warning and frustration. But it’s also refreshing to see that he also understands that these major corporations may be our only way out of the environmental catastrophe that lies ahead of us… they just also want the unfettered wealth and power they’re amassing along the way. It may not be his most masterful work, but it’s a solid work of (not so) speculative fiction that manages to hold on to the nuance that so many today are afraid to explore.
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
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