jlye's review against another edition
2.0
This book is pretty “meh” for me, which is a shame because I really enjoyed other works by Eggers. I didn’t find his use of satire particularly clever or funny. Everything was just a little too on the nose. Trump is an imbecile and a laughing stock, which goes without saying, hence the problem with this book. It’s a quick read but you aren’t missing out by avoiding it altogether.
steffi_lag's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
oddly's review against another edition
4.0
Literature, no matter if it's fantasy, memoir, cultural criticism, short stories, whatever, always offers a portal, or maybe shines a light on, the time it is created in. Maybe it isn't always obvious at the time, but time does leave a stamp on a book. And literature also has a duty to shine that light, to show to future generations and readers what it was like to live back when the book was created, to leave an impression that's more than just history books or news articles.
Literature also lets us examine and pick apart and reimagine the world we live in. Sometimes it lets us slip away for a while and dream of a different world, and sometimes it helps us put concrete images and words to the spilling of thoughts and emotions we have about a certain topic.
Eggers, ever a concise and thoughtful cultural critic in his work, brings us a cuttingly witty and keen-eyed look at America's current political moment through the story of a self-centered man who, though he has no experience, is made the captain of a ship and all the chaos that ensues.
This novella is a necessary breath of fresh air. This satirical story allows us to process the current social and political state of America with a bit of humor instead of constant anger and depression. I think we all might need that. It gives a bit of catharsis to a situation that we don't have a lot of control over.
It also serves as a call to action, one we can't afford to ignore any longer.
My thanks to Knopf for my copy of this one to read and review.
Literature also lets us examine and pick apart and reimagine the world we live in. Sometimes it lets us slip away for a while and dream of a different world, and sometimes it helps us put concrete images and words to the spilling of thoughts and emotions we have about a certain topic.
Eggers, ever a concise and thoughtful cultural critic in his work, brings us a cuttingly witty and keen-eyed look at America's current political moment through the story of a self-centered man who, though he has no experience, is made the captain of a ship and all the chaos that ensues.
This novella is a necessary breath of fresh air. This satirical story allows us to process the current social and political state of America with a bit of humor instead of constant anger and depression. I think we all might need that. It gives a bit of catharsis to a situation that we don't have a lot of control over.
It also serves as a call to action, one we can't afford to ignore any longer.
My thanks to Knopf for my copy of this one to read and review.
ravi_meka's review against another edition
2.0
Funny and clever for a few pages, but quickly a grind after.
editrix's review against another edition
This was surprisingly satisfying (in part because it’s wisely short), and even though it’s intended to be mostly funny, I was just glad it wasn’t wholly, overwhelmingly upsetting, which it has full potential to be. (It *is* funny, yes, but I’m sensitive about Certain Things.
audreycar's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
Strong satire (caroline wouldn’t understand)
petra_s's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book based on the art alone having no idea what it was about. Thank goodness I’m not a Republican, otherwise that would have been a nasty shock.
It was funny at first, but it lost its appeal about 1/2 of the way in. The writing style was good enough, and I have no real complaints about anything to do with the book. My 3 star rating stems from my general boredom and dislike for political books in general. The ending confused me a little, as I’m not 100% sure what the author was basing it on. It was more hopeful an ending than we deserve.
After reading some other people’s reviews, I’d like to agree and add the sentiment of “so what”? What was the actual point of this book? It was a retelling of what actually happened, but it didn’t really add anything to the conversation, and it didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know.
It was funny at first, but it lost its appeal about 1/2 of the way in. The writing style was good enough, and I have no real complaints about anything to do with the book. My 3 star rating stems from my general boredom and dislike for political books in general. The ending confused me a little, as I’m not 100% sure what the author was basing it on. It was more hopeful an ending than we deserve.
After reading some other people’s reviews, I’d like to agree and add the sentiment of “so what”? What was the actual point of this book? It was a retelling of what actually happened, but it didn’t really add anything to the conversation, and it didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know.