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nelisp83's review against another edition
4.0
Slow start on this book. The story is told from three different perspectives, and I struggled to connect with one of those voices. The writing is brilliant, and the author does create three very distinct voices throughout.
thoughtsfromapage's review against another edition
3.0
Boomer1 is a cautionary tale in the internet era. I loved the concept of this book, but I was not as fond of the implementation. Torday’s ideas have stayed with me since I finished the book a while ago, but I could not get past the randomness of portions of the story. Daniel Torday is a fantastic writer with a lot to say and some interesting ideas and thoughts for those who listen. However, I think the book should have followed a straighter path and not tried to include enough for two books into only one novel.
For more reviews, check out my Instagram account, https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfromapage/.
For more reviews, check out my Instagram account, https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfromapage/.
pearseanderson's review against another edition
2.0
I'm like halfway through this and just not super enjoying my time. An interesting topic and a good author but I think the reveal of information—whether that's setting, character, or general tension—isn't working. I tried and I love Maggie Siff but I won't be finishing this.
missmesmerized's review against another edition
5.0
It’s music that makes Cassie Black and Mark Brumfeld fall in love in New York. Together they play in a band and also share their lives, but somehow it doesn’t really fit. It is especially their professional situation that creates a lot of tension, Mark dreams of writing a novel or at least getting a lecturing position at university. When he proposes to Cassie, this is the necessary point of no return for her and they split up. Cassie is offered a job in a somehow strange start-up media company where she fact checks articles but is always unsure of what she really does. After some more failures, Mark returns to his parents’ home in Baltimore. One day, Cassie comes across a video online: her ex published a series of statements against the Baby Boomers who occupy all the good jobs and make life hard for his generation. What was initially meant as a rant due to his personal situation, ends in a violent revolution.
Daniel Torday narrates the novel “Boomer1” through the three perspectives of Cassie, Mark and Julia, Mark’s mother. This gives him the possibility to show the same scenes from different angels which sometimes also spins the way we as a reader perceive it. Even though there are many humorous and highly comical scenes, there are some underlying truths in the story which give it a lot more depth than it might seem to have on the surface.
First of all, I could highly sympathise with Cassie’s job at the media company RazorWire. She always wonders what she is doing – and actually many of her colleagues spend their working time playing computer games and watching YouTube videos. It may seem a common prejudice but reality has shown that many of those start-ups have disappeared more quickly than they were founded since they didn’t create anything at all.
I can also understand Mark’s deception and despair. Being highly qualified but having the impression of being of no use on the labour market because all positions are taken by some old people who could easily retire is just frustrating. Waiting for the life to begin is hard to endure.
Also their struggle with relationships is something that is well-known in the generation of millennials. Heterosexual as well as homosexual experiences, splitting up getting back together – they dream of their childhood when life was easy and families followed traditional patterns. They know that this is not something they will not get as easily as their parents got it. Somehow their whole life is fragile and nothing is sure anymore. What else could be the logical consequence other than a revolution? Starting it online is simply logical for them.
I really liked the novel, it is entertaining and well-written and has a noteworthy message, too.
Daniel Torday narrates the novel “Boomer1” through the three perspectives of Cassie, Mark and Julia, Mark’s mother. This gives him the possibility to show the same scenes from different angels which sometimes also spins the way we as a reader perceive it. Even though there are many humorous and highly comical scenes, there are some underlying truths in the story which give it a lot more depth than it might seem to have on the surface.
First of all, I could highly sympathise with Cassie’s job at the media company RazorWire. She always wonders what she is doing – and actually many of her colleagues spend their working time playing computer games and watching YouTube videos. It may seem a common prejudice but reality has shown that many of those start-ups have disappeared more quickly than they were founded since they didn’t create anything at all.
I can also understand Mark’s deception and despair. Being highly qualified but having the impression of being of no use on the labour market because all positions are taken by some old people who could easily retire is just frustrating. Waiting for the life to begin is hard to endure.
Also their struggle with relationships is something that is well-known in the generation of millennials. Heterosexual as well as homosexual experiences, splitting up getting back together – they dream of their childhood when life was easy and families followed traditional patterns. They know that this is not something they will not get as easily as their parents got it. Somehow their whole life is fragile and nothing is sure anymore. What else could be the logical consequence other than a revolution? Starting it online is simply logical for them.
I really liked the novel, it is entertaining and well-written and has a noteworthy message, too.
hannakutlu's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Hate crime
Minor: Forced institutionalization
act4life's review against another edition
2.0
There was so much promise for this novel and I wanted to like it so badly but it seemed to miss the mark. Cassie’s character was likeable and well developed while Mark seemed to be all over the place. Julia, on the other hand, was completely forgettable.
Like I mentioned, the topic of Baby Boomer vs Millennials and the impacts of each generation is a great concept but the execution was poor. This could have been a great conversation starter. I even like the idea of the story basically poking fun at itself but that all ended up falling flat.
I may possible read more of Daniel Torday’s work in the future because I do think that he writes well.
Like I mentioned, the topic of Baby Boomer vs Millennials and the impacts of each generation is a great concept but the execution was poor. This could have been a great conversation starter. I even like the idea of the story basically poking fun at itself but that all ended up falling flat.
I may possible read more of Daniel Torday’s work in the future because I do think that he writes well.
librarimans's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the Cassie and Mark portions of the story, but the Julia sections were so rambling that I ended up just skimming them to get through it.
viralmysteries's review against another edition
3.0
I took up this book on a whim (I'm trying to be a bit more spontaneous with reading random books?) The description drew me in; I really wanted to like this book.
It's a shame I didn't. It had all the ingredients of a good book: an interesting plot, two interesting characters in Carrie and Mark, and a compelling narrative abour generational wealth and political inequality. I feel like it all got muddled in unnecessary detail and tangents; it felt like the story would pick up quickly, then fade for a bit, then pick up again, then fade again. By the end, I wasn't really surprised at what happened and I found it to be kinda boring. A solid try, but not a worthwhile read in my opinion.
It's a shame I didn't. It had all the ingredients of a good book: an interesting plot, two interesting characters in Carrie and Mark, and a compelling narrative abour generational wealth and political inequality. I feel like it all got muddled in unnecessary detail and tangents; it felt like the story would pick up quickly, then fade for a bit, then pick up again, then fade again. By the end, I wasn't really surprised at what happened and I found it to be kinda boring. A solid try, but not a worthwhile read in my opinion.
td3's review against another edition
2.0
I was born at the very end of the baby boomer years, so I’m thinking I am not quite the right audience for Daniel Torday’s newest novel. The story is told through the viewpoints of three characters and I never felt a connection with any of them.
The story opened with Cassie, who added the f-word to nearly every sentence out of her mouth. I’ve no problem with profanity in general, but felt it was often gratuitous. Then there is Cassie’s behavior. She seems to have no regard for her intimate relationships or other people’s feelings.
Mark’s portion consisted mainly of his whining over his lack of a high-paying job. His anger at older workers who didn’t retire on time (in his opinion) was off-putting. It wasn’t long before I began skimming his portions of the story.
Then there is Julia, Mark’s mother. We learn quite a bit about her past, but I never felt like she added much to the story. I did enjoy reading about her fiddle collection and her perspective on Mark’s troubles.
This one just didn’t keep me engaged. I guess I was expecting more music and less opinions on economics. Maybe millennials will enjoy this book more than readers from the baby boom generation.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review an advance copy and give my honest review.
The story opened with Cassie, who added the f-word to nearly every sentence out of her mouth. I’ve no problem with profanity in general, but felt it was often gratuitous. Then there is Cassie’s behavior. She seems to have no regard for her intimate relationships or other people’s feelings.
Mark’s portion consisted mainly of his whining over his lack of a high-paying job. His anger at older workers who didn’t retire on time (in his opinion) was off-putting. It wasn’t long before I began skimming his portions of the story.
Then there is Julia, Mark’s mother. We learn quite a bit about her past, but I never felt like she added much to the story. I did enjoy reading about her fiddle collection and her perspective on Mark’s troubles.
This one just didn’t keep me engaged. I guess I was expecting more music and less opinions on economics. Maybe millennials will enjoy this book more than readers from the baby boom generation.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review an advance copy and give my honest review.
ramonamead's review against another edition
2.0
While I appreciate that this novel is timely and relevant, it simply didn't resonate with me. I am in between the millennial and baby boomer generations, and I can see both sides of the issue. Boomers are working past the retirement age, hanging on to jobs the younger generations have been working toward.
The novel started out strong and I was intrigued, however by the half way point, I just didn't care too much. The writing throughout is sharp and witty, but I just couldn't rally any emotional energy for Mark and Cassie. The only character I enjoyed is Julia, whose sacrifices for her family (and some resentment because of them) felt more realistic than the rest of the story.
The novel started out strong and I was intrigued, however by the half way point, I just didn't care too much. The writing throughout is sharp and witty, but I just couldn't rally any emotional energy for Mark and Cassie. The only character I enjoyed is Julia, whose sacrifices for her family (and some resentment because of them) felt more realistic than the rest of the story.