A review by 2shainz
Acceptance, by Jeff VanderMeer
Did not finish book.
Shaina's rating: DNF
Original review here (includes thoughts on Authority): http://www.shainareads.com/2015/03/the-southern-reach-trilogy-parts-2-and.html
Acceptance definitely started out more interesting than Authority, since we started hearing the story from a few different perspectives (Control, Ghost Bird, the former Southern Reach director, and the lighthouse keeper). Around page 100 or so, I started finding reasons to put the book down. I was traveling and couldn't focus, or I wasn't in the mood for something so meandering. Finally, I had a quiet moment over coffee to try again. After I read the same paragraph for what had to be the sixth time and my mind was still wandering, I paused to reconsider. Why was I still trying to read this? Did I really care about what was going on in Area X anymore? And the answer, unfortunately, was a resounding no. I even stopped flipping through the remaining pages for spoilers—I was that disengaged. I DNFed at page 171 and haven't looked back since.
Despite my failure to get pulled into the story, VanderMeer has some really great moments, particularly in setting his stage:
Would it have worked for me at another point? It's entirely possible, especially if I hadn't been traveling and coming up on a due date without an option to renew. A couple of days after my decision to DNF, I'm still not regretting it, so I don't think I'll be making another effort.
I think this trilogy could be fantastic for someone with significantly more patience and concentration to devote to it. It's mysterious, cerebral, and anything but straightforward. I hope you get more out of it than I did!
Original review here (includes thoughts on Authority): http://www.shainareads.com/2015/03/the-southern-reach-trilogy-parts-2-and.html
Acceptance definitely started out more interesting than Authority, since we started hearing the story from a few different perspectives (Control, Ghost Bird, the former Southern Reach director, and the lighthouse keeper). Around page 100 or so, I started finding reasons to put the book down. I was traveling and couldn't focus, or I wasn't in the mood for something so meandering. Finally, I had a quiet moment over coffee to try again. After I read the same paragraph for what had to be the sixth time and my mind was still wandering, I paused to reconsider. Why was I still trying to read this? Did I really care about what was going on in Area X anymore? And the answer, unfortunately, was a resounding no. I even stopped flipping through the remaining pages for spoilers—I was that disengaged. I DNFed at page 171 and haven't looked back since.
Despite my failure to get pulled into the story, VanderMeer has some really great moments, particularly in setting his stage:
"The long, wide swathe of green that was the island at that distance was made irregular and disheveled-looking by the few tall oaks and pines that, along with the shattered spire of the lighthouse, broke through the skyline. Trapped between: the calm motionless sky and the always restless sea, the island shimmering in the middle distance, surrounded by distortion as if it emanated heat. Sliding in between them from either side, rangy, scruffy islets with pine trees contorted low upon them, the silhouettes of these outposts extended by the rough gray-black line of oyster beds shot through with a startling iridescent white from dead shells pried open by birds." - p. 112, Acceptance
Would it have worked for me at another point? It's entirely possible, especially if I hadn't been traveling and coming up on a due date without an option to renew. A couple of days after my decision to DNF, I'm still not regretting it, so I don't think I'll be making another effort.
I think this trilogy could be fantastic for someone with significantly more patience and concentration to devote to it. It's mysterious, cerebral, and anything but straightforward. I hope you get more out of it than I did!