magnetgrrl's review against another edition
3.0
I have no idea what shelves to put this book on. It's about a lot of things. There's a murder/disappearance, at the beginning, and I can't honestly remember if it gets solved, but I'm not sure I would call this a thriller or a mystery. Although that drives the central story, it's by far the least interesting thing about a novel filled with modern Situationism, conspiracy theories about alternative, secret train systems in Chicago, and a Utopian society of great minds living in an undisclosed location that may or may not be on this plane.
The only thing I do recall is that when reading the first 20 pages or so it seemed like the author was really trying to set this book in Chicago and give it a real "Chicago" feel, but something was off about it - as though the author hadn't lived here in years, if ever. Kind of disappointing, only mildly so. I'm continually exhausted by everything being set in NYC and love to see things set in my city but I wish it could be done not only more often, but better.
Probably the best parts of this book are the ideas about aesthetics and the self in private vs public spaces and fame and cities, and those come mostly from other, older source materials, not the story of this book. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining and quick read.
I read this I think in... January? But I haven't added a single book I've read to Goodreads all year, so I'll be adding a whole lot of them between now and the end of the year.
The only thing I do recall is that when reading the first 20 pages or so it seemed like the author was really trying to set this book in Chicago and give it a real "Chicago" feel, but something was off about it - as though the author hadn't lived here in years, if ever. Kind of disappointing, only mildly so. I'm continually exhausted by everything being set in NYC and love to see things set in my city but I wish it could be done not only more often, but better.
Probably the best parts of this book are the ideas about aesthetics and the self in private vs public spaces and fame and cities, and those come mostly from other, older source materials, not the story of this book. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining and quick read.
I read this I think in... January? But I haven't added a single book I've read to Goodreads all year, so I'll be adding a whole lot of them between now and the end of the year.
excellent_taste's review against another edition
I just found it convuluted and wasn't drawn to the characters.
mdcnlmldrm's review against another edition
3.0
Kept me interested with a few flares of the dramatic and some surprising plot twists. I will admit that I am new to this style of writing, science fiction is usually more my forte, however the book was worth the read, regardless of the cliff hanger of an ending. (Which I personally disliked, although for some the imagination running wild after the close of a book makes it even better for them.)
caedocyon's review against another edition
3.0
The experimental/meta in this book worked great for me - likening it to Inception is pretty accurate. I don't feel compelled by the Situationists' actual goals, unfortunately! Some of the philosophy, totally - random walks, exploring the built-in borders and questioning whether they make sense. But covering the earth with construction and cities because it's fun and playful can't sit well with me when I find nonhuman approaches to space, life, and movement even more varied and fascinating, and it's hard to suspend my personal disbelief when the entire structure of the story is about breaking down that suspension, yanno?
More complaints about [New] Situationists: there's a vast and echoing void at the heart of this book where workers, work, and material and monetary resources should be.
I'm undecided whether I count that all against Disabato, because what she's trying to do here is not necessarily pro- or anti-Situationist, just playing in their jungle gym. The story itself is well constructed and interesting, if you like that kind of thing (I very much do), so!
More complaints about [New] Situationists: there's a vast and echoing void at the heart of this book where workers, work, and material and monetary resources should be.
Spoiler
For the story to operate, vast amounts of money just has to appear from the usual obscure sources (a pop star's career, a random trust fund partyboy) and the people who actually do the work (installing and building weird and intense architecture, constantly fixing up and repainting NB's sex-apartment) are entirely taken for granted and beneath notice. I feel like it would be interesting to know what the people building the NS lair thought of the plans! At the very very end someone says they now actually physically do construction work instead of outsourcing, but it's tell-not-show and seems more like a plothole filler.I'm undecided whether I count that all against Disabato, because what she's trying to do here is not necessarily pro- or anti-Situationist, just playing in their jungle gym. The story itself is well constructed and interesting, if you like that kind of thing (I very much do), so!
ethorwitz's review against another edition
2.0
A great premise. Lady-Gaga-Meets-Che-Guevara goes missing and a couple of reporters (ok low-tier internet bloggers) decide to solve the mystery, in the process unearthing a conspiracy involving an avant-garde artistic and political movement that may or may not exist and may or may not be out to get them. It should have been Pynchon by way of Enrique Vila-Matas.
But it was infuriatingly uneven. I mean it was this great premise delivered with some choppy-ass prose. There were times when I felt like I was reading a Buzzfeed listicle. Also the lead was a clear author stand-in working with a glamorous dream girlfriend. I don't like that kind of wish-fulfillment when straight male authors do it, so it wasn't great here.
But it was infuriatingly uneven. I mean it was this great premise delivered with some choppy-ass prose. There were times when I felt like I was reading a Buzzfeed listicle. Also the lead was a clear author stand-in working with a glamorous dream girlfriend. I don't like that kind of wish-fulfillment when straight male authors do it, so it wasn't great here.
pearlc's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bookhobbit's review against another edition
3.0
A conspiracy story that feels built on a foundation of Atlas Obscura articles, midcentury philosophy, and Lady Gaga memorabilia, with a double frame narrative and lots of footnotes.
amyzig's review against another edition
1.0
DNF! This started promising, but really quickly got bogged down in boring-ness.
corbear's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. I suppose one's enjoyment might depend on how interesting one finds all of the info dumps spread throughout. I found the parts about Sable Island and Antoine Monson interesting, but the rest, especially anything to do with the Situationists, just made my eyes glaze over.
I also noticed a few date errors that kind of annoyed me. Molly Metropolis was supposed to have disappeared in January of 2010, but I found two places where it referred to her disappearance as being in 2009. Also,. I know I'm nitpicking, but whether an author gets dates and ages right is one of those things I've always paid attention to when reading.
I also noticed a few date errors that kind of annoyed me. Molly Metropolis was supposed to have disappeared in January of 2010, but I found two places where it referred to her disappearance as being in 2009. Also,