Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
“One snowy night a Hollywood actor slumps over and dies …. Hours later the world as we know it begins to dissolve”
I went into this book blind. I did not know there was a pandemic, I didn’t even know it was a dystopian novel. So I was in for a ride.
With alternating POV chapters that flow forward and backward in time, this book paints a full and complete picture. I love when stories come full circle, when every details finds itself tied into a tidy little bow.
I went into this book blind. I did not know there was a pandemic, I didn’t even know it was a dystopian novel. So I was in for a ride.
With alternating POV chapters that flow forward and backward in time, this book paints a full and complete picture. I love when stories come full circle, when every details finds itself tied into a tidy little bow.
About 20 pages in, I decided this book should now come with a trigger warning.
Having finished it, I simultaneously want to recommend it to everyone and tell everyone to steer clear.
The world we have created is so brittle. In 2020, we saw that up close. Most of us came out the other side, but Station Eleven reminds us just how easily that might have been different.
Those years changed us all a bit. Reading this I'm both grateful and terrified.
Having finished it, I simultaneously want to recommend it to everyone and tell everyone to steer clear.
The world we have created is so brittle. In 2020, we saw that up close. Most of us came out the other side, but Station Eleven reminds us just how easily that might have been different.
Those years changed us all a bit. Reading this I'm both grateful and terrified.
I'm kind of obsessed with this story and I can't really explain why it was so impactful in 2022. I tried to listen to the audiobook back in 2020 which was an absolutely terrible idea for me personally. But reading it this year, removed from the initial panic yet still experiencing surges of sickness, it felt almost comforting (?) to read. I loved the time jumps and the way the present day story was framed around this one character who dies in the first chapter but has links to all these people. I dunno, it's a super interesting story and I'm glad I gave it another chance.
Also I bought this book while traveling and the blue haired kid at the bookstore and I had a long conversation about pandemic books and their impact on us after experiencing one, so I may have to read some more.
Also I bought this book while traveling and the blue haired kid at the bookstore and I had a long conversation about pandemic books and their impact on us after experiencing one, so I may have to read some more.
A brilliant book that I almost skipped, based on the weak descriptions of the plot. It's about so much more than a touring company in a post-apocalyptic world.
The back-stories of the characters, while well-written and compelling, seem disjointed and random. Then they start to come together, and more than justify their worth.
The ending coda is wonderful - no spoilers, but it's great to read a novel with a hopeful ending that doesn't imply a "new city of survivors", or Adam-&-Eve.
The back-stories of the characters, while well-written and compelling, seem disjointed and random. Then they start to come together, and more than justify their worth.
The ending coda is wonderful - no spoilers, but it's great to read a novel with a hopeful ending that doesn't imply a "new city of survivors", or Adam-&-Eve.
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
+2 for would recommend
+1 for would watch adaptation
+.5 for good writing
+.25 for unpredictable or unique
+.25 for ~feelings~
+.25 for memorable
+.25 for captivating
-.5 for doesn’t pass bechdel test
Heartbreaking and brilliant. It’s hard to know if this book would have had the same impact had it not come close to true only 6 years later. The strongest and simplest argument for the arts.
Heartbreaking and brilliant. It’s hard to know if this book would have had the same impact had it not come close to true only 6 years later. The strongest and simplest argument for the arts.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The entwining of multiple story lines, and bringing them together was very good. The author's writing is very visual and immerses the reader into the world very quickly. I had to check when this was written as it seemed very reminiscent of the early days of Covid, and was surprised to find it was well before the real world pandemic.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes