Scan barcode
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Memories, experiences, and time are perceived relatively, colored by each individual, which can make recalling specifics a slightly hazy experience, as seen in Adrienne Celt’s End of the World House.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Best friends since high school, Bertie and Kate take a trip to Paris together before Kate’s impending departure from San Francisco to Los Angeles is destined to separate them. Bertie hopes that the trip they’d dreamed about since their teen years can distract Kate from her choice to leave, despite the attempts she’s already made to persuade her to stay. With the world suffering from dangerous conflicts, resource shortages, and an ever changing climate, when the pair are offered an opportunity to have a private tour of the Louvre from a stranger in a bar shortly before the end of their vacation, they happily seize it. Alone in the museum, Bertie and Kate have a sense of unease, finding themselves caught up in a repeating day, experiencing minor alterations that eventually separate them. Trying to make her way back to the disappeared Kate, Bertie slowly comes to realize how much control she has over her life, past, present, and future.
An experience that works your brain to make sense of the nebulous presentation of various lives and timelines, this story was interesting and raised some thought-provoking concepts to consider. Primarily an exploration of friendship, particularly in the first half, the narrative had moments of humor, small joys, frustration, and sadness that made it relatable and real – the apocalyptic backdrop for this story was one that hit a little too close to home at times. Though both Bertie and Kate were present, in some manner, throughout the novel, Bertie was the main focus and was fleshed out as a character a bit better but still not overly easy to connect with. When explicitly mentioned in the second half of the novel, the time loop conceit was a fascinating one but not quite explained in a satisfactory way and it left me with far too many questions about how exactly it works; there is something to be said that we all do this to some extent through the daily routines we make for our lives, but there was a missing component regarding the resetting of the time loop that never had an aha! moment to help clarify, leaving it as an assumed and accepted bit of weird.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Best friends since high school, Bertie and Kate take a trip to Paris together before Kate’s impending departure from San Francisco to Los Angeles is destined to separate them. Bertie hopes that the trip they’d dreamed about since their teen years can distract Kate from her choice to leave, despite the attempts she’s already made to persuade her to stay. With the world suffering from dangerous conflicts, resource shortages, and an ever changing climate, when the pair are offered an opportunity to have a private tour of the Louvre from a stranger in a bar shortly before the end of their vacation, they happily seize it. Alone in the museum, Bertie and Kate have a sense of unease, finding themselves caught up in a repeating day, experiencing minor alterations that eventually separate them. Trying to make her way back to the disappeared Kate, Bertie slowly comes to realize how much control she has over her life, past, present, and future.
An experience that works your brain to make sense of the nebulous presentation of various lives and timelines, this story was interesting and raised some thought-provoking concepts to consider. Primarily an exploration of friendship, particularly in the first half, the narrative had moments of humor, small joys, frustration, and sadness that made it relatable and real – the apocalyptic backdrop for this story was one that hit a little too close to home at times. Though both Bertie and Kate were present, in some manner, throughout the novel, Bertie was the main focus and was fleshed out as a character a bit better but still not overly easy to connect with. When explicitly mentioned in the second half of the novel, the time loop conceit was a fascinating one but not quite explained in a satisfactory way and it left me with far too many questions about how exactly it works; there is something to be said that we all do this to some extent through the daily routines we make for our lives, but there was a missing component regarding the resetting of the time loop that never had an aha! moment to help clarify, leaving it as an assumed and accepted bit of weird.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
lottie1803's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
czarina_misha's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
katemybreathaway's review
4.0
Won this ARC via Goodreads. This was definitely an interesting albeit at times a confusing read. The schtick of the book becomes apparent really early on, the time loops that characterize the middle 80% of the book, but doesn't come full circle until the VERY end. Why the loops connect together in the Louvre is never really explained or how interactions between different people experiencing loops affects each other. However, I did still enjoy the read as the neverending series of apocalyptic/end of the world events ressonated with me as a millennial.
cartridgepink's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
tayckingaldor's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The beginning of the book was so good. The more I read the more disappointed I became. Finishing the last 20 pages took me several days because I was so annoyed. I truly hated how the main character never knew what was going on and there were no real answers. You were always close to finding things out but never did. And in the end I was disappointed with how all their stories ended. I would rate it lower if it wasn't for the beginning.
kristianawithak's review
4.0
End of the World House is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s the end of a friendship, during the end of the world, in the Louvre, and also it’s like Groundhog’s Day. It is both incredibly easy to read and incredibly thought provoking. I’m still trying to unpack my thoughts on it.
Bertie and Kate have been friends since highschool and they finally make it to Paris. They’re invited to visit the Louvre privately, and on their trip somehow they’re looped into the same day. It’s a soliloquy to friendship. It’s about growing up and growing apart. It’s about the choices we make in our lives and questions what choices we would make if given different opportunities. It’s beautiful, it’s peculiar, and quotable. Enjoy.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.
Bertie and Kate have been friends since highschool and they finally make it to Paris. They’re invited to visit the Louvre privately, and on their trip somehow they’re looped into the same day. It’s a soliloquy to friendship. It’s about growing up and growing apart. It’s about the choices we make in our lives and questions what choices we would make if given different opportunities. It’s beautiful, it’s peculiar, and quotable. Enjoy.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.
sharky_shark's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nightowl22's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75