Reviews

Look at Me by Jennifer Egan

ari__s's review

1.0

Part Three of this book almost saved it - it almost tied everything together for me, but not in a way that was as effective as needed to make this book a power punch. For me, this was one of those books that had a wonderfully intriguing and potentially impactful plot and intention, but it was executed in such a bizarre way that all of that good momentum was lost half way through.

brooke_review's review against another edition

1.0

It's okay ... if you like that sort of thing. Too long, too many words on a page, too much of a disconnected 80's vibe. Tediously boring paragraphs that go on and on and on about nothing much. Also, pretty hard to follow/comprehend what is happening in the story. The novel did have some shining moments, but they were few and far between. I couldn't wait for it to end.

tarakingwrites's review

4.0

Lovely writing, but...the end. Hmmm.

karieh13's review

4.0

It's interesting...there are so many themes being played out in this book - and my opinions mirror those of the characters on almost all of them - and yet? I was not as engrossed in this book as I thought I would be.

Urban sprawl/blight, the superficiality of our society, the happy/fat/stupidity/contentedness of Americans, our desire to believe that "reality" media is actaully reality...Egan tackles all of these subjects and more...including an eerily prescient portrait of a terrorist in New York (this was written just prior to 9/11).

Given my four star rating - I certainly cannot say that I disliked the book - I just wanted to be drawn in a bit more. Although - in thinking of the nature of most of the main characters - that is the last thing they would have wanted. The only things that seem to matter are surface things. Like the book's title - "Look at Me"...suggesting that if the characters had their way - we would only judge this book by the cover.

cgpc's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

nappower's review

3.0

3.5 stars. 5 stars for eerie predictions of future.

cheyenneisreading's review against another edition

5.0

Jennifer Egan is a fantastic writer. I was dissapointed with [b:A Visit from the Goon Squad|7331435|A Visit from the Goon Squad|Jennifer Egan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356844046s/7331435.jpg|8975330], which was the first novel I read by Egan, but blown away by Look at Me. Dynamic and eventful, Look at Me screams talented and eventful. This novel, and her outstanding, perfect in everyway [b:Invisible Circus|12957468|Invisible Circus|Jennifer Egan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338004258s/12957468.jpg|3772], gave me a new favourite author.

bamairi's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

numbuh212's review

inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

booksforbrooks's review

2.0

This had neither an engaging plot or likeable characters, so I struggled. While the occasional vaguely interesting chapter saved this from dipping into one star I honestly couldn't tell you what the goal of the story was apart from a constant stream of sexual encounters which served no purpose to further either character arcs or plot. Putting this on the "meh" shelf and moving on.