marinaraydun's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book. Officially one of my favorite novels of all time.
sarahelainereads's review against another edition
3.0
I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. The writing style is unique and beautiful. This book embraces diversity but still manages to be relatable. It addresses several different topics, ranging from love to life to culture to the virtual world.
*Longer review to come on blog soon.
*Longer review to come on blog soon.
findyourgoldenhour's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I lived in Russia for two years in the '90s, so between that and the book jacket description, I grabbed this on a whim at the library. It was okay. Based on the description I was hoping for more insights into living our lives online, and how social media affects our relationships. I kept reading because I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. None of the characters were especially likable or relatable, which usually kills a book for me. About halfway through I was already thinking about what I wanted to read next, which is never a good sign.
leleroulant's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as an ARC from LibraryThing.com. I was intrigued with the premise of four friends from Russia living in the U.S., one with this great idea of a social media app to preserve your online presence after your death. I found the book rather boring. I seemed to consist of a lot of bed-hopping and people crying, "Woe is me!" Not my thing.
grrenka's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
minneapolismerk's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
withherheadinabook's review against another edition
2.0
Is it possible to live forever in the digital age? Sergey has an idea for a phone app that’ll connect the living to the dead as if they are still here using information from the deceased’s social media accounts. This is what grabbed my attention, made me want to read Still Here (as well as the beautifully simple cover), but that’s all it is. Instead of a modern novel about our lives with technology, we follow four immigrants who carry their personal problems around like weights on their hearts. I love novels about people’s lives - that’s why we read isn’t it? But Still Here didn’t discuss in depth any of the other issues I was expecting to read about, so I was let down to say the least. Also, ironically, I think the author isn’t on any social media.
Chapters alternate between multiple storylines as they tell where they have come from and their growing struggles while in the United States. The lives of Vica, Sergey, Regina, and Vadik are so deeply intertwined with each other that the different points of view gives deep understanding into each of their lives. What is one’s greatest regret is an eyeroll to another. How we see ourselves is vastly different from how others view us. Each character has a very distinct background, but all of their issues come down to the same concepts we all understand and relate to: joy, depression, love, the simple struggles of adulthood.
While we all can relate to those issues, I couldn’t get behind the characters. They’re motivated by weak grudges, jealousy, greed, wanting to fit in with a group they almost hate. The four of them are like a ruined marriage that has been together since high school and can’t imagine splitting despite the toxic relationship and joint unhappiness at the situation. Beyond their hate, they are bland. I didn’t feel for their struggles, embarrassing moments, or their successes. Still Here thrives in reliving the past while the four are slowly fading away in the present.
This isn’t a novel that ends with all questions answered. Flowers do not grow out of every crack in the sidewalk, but yet there is some satisfaction. It’s an ending true to the livelihood of the story. But I have to wonder, would they have been happier if they stayed in Russia?
I received an ARC of this story from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.
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Chapters alternate between multiple storylines as they tell where they have come from and their growing struggles while in the United States. The lives of Vica, Sergey, Regina, and Vadik are so deeply intertwined with each other that the different points of view gives deep understanding into each of their lives. What is one’s greatest regret is an eyeroll to another. How we see ourselves is vastly different from how others view us. Each character has a very distinct background, but all of their issues come down to the same concepts we all understand and relate to: joy, depression, love, the simple struggles of adulthood.
While we all can relate to those issues, I couldn’t get behind the characters. They’re motivated by weak grudges, jealousy, greed, wanting to fit in with a group they almost hate. The four of them are like a ruined marriage that has been together since high school and can’t imagine splitting despite the toxic relationship and joint unhappiness at the situation. Beyond their hate, they are bland. I didn’t feel for their struggles, embarrassing moments, or their successes. Still Here thrives in reliving the past while the four are slowly fading away in the present.
This isn’t a novel that ends with all questions answered. Flowers do not grow out of every crack in the sidewalk, but yet there is some satisfaction. It’s an ending true to the livelihood of the story. But I have to wonder, would they have been happier if they stayed in Russia?
I received an ARC of this story from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter
hcothran's review against another edition
5.0
I like books where the characters are just as depressed, bitter, messy and anxious as real life people, and this book definitely has that. A five-star rating may be overly generous, because I'm still in my "books are wonderful" glow from the release of the 2017 ToB longlist, but I really enjoyed reading this book, and thought it had a lot of smart things to say about such weighty topics as death, grief, social media and the Russian immigrant experience.
kelseyweekman's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book, I really did.
The story focuses on four friends -- all from Russia living in NYC, all about 40 years old, and all entirely miserable with barely any redeeming value.
Most of them are sad because they have a loved one that has passed away. That's what's supposed to move the story of an app they are trying to create that will keep you alive online forever along. It's very topical. But, as happens constantly in the book, I just don't buy it. I feel like the author forced the narrative along without making it happen. There are so many forced moments and unbelievable coincidences.
This book just seems like one that would be joyful and hopeful but fails to be either. I get wanting to read an edgy book about unhappiness, especially a Russian one, but I just felt like I didn't get much out of it at all.
I did like the ending. I won't spoil it, but I thought it was as a nice change of pace.
Note: I received an advanced copy free from NetGalley.
The story focuses on four friends -- all from Russia living in NYC, all about 40 years old, and all entirely miserable with barely any redeeming value.
Most of them are sad because they have a loved one that has passed away. That's what's supposed to move the story of an app they are trying to create that will keep you alive online forever along. It's very topical. But, as happens constantly in the book, I just don't buy it. I feel like the author forced the narrative along without making it happen. There are so many forced moments and unbelievable coincidences.
This book just seems like one that would be joyful and hopeful but fails to be either. I get wanting to read an edgy book about unhappiness, especially a Russian one, but I just felt like I didn't get much out of it at all.
I did like the ending. I won't spoil it, but I thought it was as a nice change of pace.
Note: I received an advanced copy free from NetGalley.
nikkinmichaels's review against another edition
4.0
Lara Vapnyar writes simply and straightforwardly while creating layered, nuanced, memorable characters. You think you know them at one moment, but before you can blink, Vapnyar has neatly rearranged your impressions of them. What's most impressive, though, is that this character development never feels gimmicky or out-of-left-field; instead, you realize that the depth and complexity have been there all along, thanks to Vapnyar's deft skill.
She conjures characters who feel utterly and completely like people: simple and superficial at first glance, but in reality impossibly and intricately made. In packaging them in the digital age, she's crafted a thoroughly modern, often uncomfortable reflection of our world — consumed by technology and obsessed with both ourselves and information, but simultaneously hopeful and redeemable.
She conjures characters who feel utterly and completely like people: simple and superficial at first glance, but in reality impossibly and intricately made. In packaging them in the digital age, she's crafted a thoroughly modern, often uncomfortable reflection of our world — consumed by technology and obsessed with both ourselves and information, but simultaneously hopeful and redeemable.