Reviews

The Keep by Jennifer Egan

emilieteiko's review against another edition

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5.0

The Keep - an ancient, impenetrable tower within which are guarded all the valuables [secrets] of hundreds of generations of an ancient European family. The Keep is the oldest and most violently defended part of an unimaginably ancient castle that billionaire Howard is struggling to drag into the present as a modern hotel devoted to helping people understand themselves. But Howard cannot complete this renovation until he excavates the secret at the center of the keep, and he can't do this without participation of his cousin Danny, who played a crucial role in the genesis of this secret. The castle seems to me a metaphor for our impossibly complicated minds, cluttered with detritus from the past and from which nothing ever disappears but is stored in countless forgotten rooms accessible only by twisted, overgrown pathways hidden underneath and behind crumbling stone walls. Traveling into The Keep, discovering what it so fiercely defends and finding a way forward and back to the surface and the light of day is a hero's journey, at once intensely personal and possible only with the help of others. It reminds me of the Buddhist prayer of contrition: "All my ancient, twisted karma, born of beginningless fear, hate and delusion, with body, speech and mind, I now fully avow." Contrition, redemption, saving oneself and others - this is the hero's story, beautifully told. Don't try too hard to understand it - just let the words and the story wash over you. I loved it.

joncoutts's review against another edition

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3.0

Having loved Goon Squad, I expected to get a bit more caught up in this. It starts out interesting but the character development isn't strong enough to carry the "where is this going" of the middle third. It does recover, however, and makes for a good weekend read.

rrobinson0515's review against another edition

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2.0

I didn't finish this book, I just gave up. Over a 1/4 of the way through and I have no interest in the characters and could care less about what happens next.

wesleymccraw's review against another edition

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5.0

Everything I love about books.

jt1anglais's review against another edition

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4.0

Terrific read, a story within a story within a story. I couldn't put it down

jenknox's review against another edition

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4.0

I listened to this one on audio. There were slow parts, but I love the way Jennifer Egan writes. I can't wait to read her new one. She's got something rare in bestselling books--a unique voice.

kateoc226's review against another edition

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4.0

My LAST BOOK of the 2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge! (A book set in a hotel. Yeah, I know this was a bit of a cheat, but I think it counts.) And it ended on such a high note with this book. It was mind-bending, engrossing, and will definitely stay with me for a while. Now I just want to read more of Jennifer Egan's books.

danodog's review against another edition

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3.0

I love stories-within-stories but gothic settings not so much. What impressed me was the fact I kept reading when none of the characters were redeemable in anyway. From a plot perspective I did love how she brought two distinct story lines together, where one story, a 30 something unlikeable hipster goes to help a cousin he physiologically harmed as a child build a hotel in a medieval castle in eastern Europe, which is the story being written by a prisoner in his creative writing class to impress his teacher who have fallen in love with each other. He escapes but doesn't come for her and she has to find out if his story real or not?

I'm sure there was more subtext but it was not in my grasp. After reading the Candy House I was disappointed but these were two different books although she always makes reference to the impact of technology.

tina_perseveres's review against another edition

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1.0

The plot was disjointed and hard to follow. I stuck with the book because it was chosen for book club but probably would have given up if it had been a book of my own choosing. The characters did not interest me so there was not much to motivate me.

I feel bad when I do not like a book that is highly acclaimed because I wonder if I am missing something. Chalking it up to experience is for the best. The silver lining is that it provided insight into why I appreciate so many other books.

ruinedbyreading's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5