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sareidle's review against another edition
3.5
The Every's references to technology and society (not to mention the film adaptation of its predecessor) will make it feel very dated in a few years. I feel that The Circle was better at balancing the line between reality and dystopia.
Moderate: Murder and Gaslighting
augie_'s review against another edition
- 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
nenaveenstra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder
This book has a vaguely ableist air to it that I can't quite place. I think it's the fact that there's a lot of focus on physical exercise that not everyone will be able to do.cartermon4's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Suicide, Vomit, and Murder
midwichtriffid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
samieron97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Murder
joshhornbeck's review against another edition
- 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
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
laralou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
nstew16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Part of the brilliance of this concept is that readers can admire exactly how this economic model is ideal for sustainable living and being mindful of the global consumption issues while also reminding us of the problematic nature it poses when presented as a large scale monopoly that eliminates much of what makes us human. It is a very interesting idea to wrestle with.
My only negative comment is that the references to pop culture are a little bit distracting from the era Delaney is experiencing.
A few authors/books that The Every reminded me of were:
- Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan (also set in San Francisco and published one year before The Circle)
- George Orwell
- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
- Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut (the satire is quite similar)
Bold
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Murder