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The Hope We Seek
Sail north with a sharpshooting telepath and his female companion to a gold-mining camp, whose unhinged boss rules over a bizarre cult. At its center lurks an elusive goddess, who lures us into an intoxicating metaphoric netherworld where aspiration will unlock an unearthly reward.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
43 people are currently reading
743 people want to read
About the author
Rich Shapero
23 books289 followersRich Shapero’s novels dare readers with giant metaphors, magnificent obsessions and potent ideas. His casts of idealistic lovers, laboring miners, and rebellious artists all rate ideas as paramount, more important than life itself. They traverse wild landscapes and visionary realms, imagining gods who in turn imagine them. Like the seekers themselves, readers grapple with revealing truths about human potential. All of his titles—Beneath Caaqi's Wings, Dissolve, Island Fruit Remedy, Balcony of Fog, Rin, Tongue and Dorner, Arms from the Sea, The Hope We Seek, Too Far and Wild Animus—are available in hardcover and as ebooks. They also combine music, visual art, animation and video in the TooFar Media app. Shapero spins provocative stories for the eyes, ears, and imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 4, 2018
The following is a review of this book that I wrote for my college magazine:
One day in Worner [student center], I saw a plastic-wrapped book sitting on an ottoman. Someone said, “Some dude was passing that book out outside.” Within hours, I saw dozens of copies littered around Benji’s [student cafe], the Worner desk, the trash, and even in the Spanish house, where I live.
The book is called The Hope We Seek, and the author’s name is Rich Shapero. It’s 432 pages long, and the cover looks like a cathedral ceiling updated for the Tumblr world. The flap photo portrays Rich Shapero as a profound, insightful older man, and the back cover displays a review that sounds like it was made with an online generator:
“Rich Shapero deftly reveals man’s hunger for gold and sex as mere intoxicating perfume lilting off a far deeper Source. Unexpected and original, this tale is indeed full of the hope we all seek.”
This review is by Rebecca Hoffberger, the Founder of the American Visionary Art Museum. The museum displays “art produced by self-taught individuals”, and is currently displaying the late Donald Pass’s cover art for the Hope We Seek. The three seem to be a love triangle of mediocre art in which Hoffberger reviews Shapero’s work, Shapero uses book art by Pass, and Pass displays his artwork in Hoffberger’s museum.
Rich Shapero’s website features a banner of him against a sunset with the quotation “I’ve attempted to put my intuitions into story form and make them available to others.”
He says in his biography: “The virtue of being at peace with the human condition was not bestowed on me…This outlook may be the result of a genetic defect or some experiential trauma.” It appears he has no religious agenda: “I want people to see what I’ve done. I have no commercial motive. I’m like a street musician playing for whoever might have the interest to stop and listen.”
Where does Shapero get the money to pass these books out? I tried to email him and ask him just that, but his publicist directed me to an answerless website page that I had already seen. However, Justin Kirkham of Boise State’s Arbiter did his own report of a Rich Shapero visit and found some information that I didn’t.
“[Shapero] is a partner at Crosspoint and a board member at AristaSoft and New Edge Networks. This has allowed him to produce and give away his newest pieces of writing and artwork in such high volume,” Kirkham wrote.
So, in an effort to get a fuller idea of this book, I decided to read it. The whole thing. Before cracking it open, though, I asked some people at my Rastall [dining hall] table what they thought.
“Wait, is that the Christian Fundamentalist book?” said Mark Warshaw, Community member.
“I heard the dude was mailing the book to students,” said Juan Conejo Avila, senior.
Junior Bo Malcolm looked at me with his watery blue eyes and gave me a more constructive answer:
“It looked like a waste of paper, printing those copies that ended up lying about campus and filling the trash cans. If you’ve written something that you care for, you should be trying to engage in a dialogue about your artwork, not doling it out.”
Sophomore James Dinneen said, “I read the first paragraph out loud with some other people, sort of chuckled at it the way you might chuckle at reading sex scenes out loud in bookstores. I thought it was an interesting way to market something; you almost never see that. I was mostly confused by how handing the book out could be financially feasible. My immediate thought was that this has some sort of religious or ideological agenda.”
So, after spending about fifteen hours reading the Hope We Seek, I can safely say that it is the worst book I have ever read. It’s also very sexist, and racist.
The book starts with guys on a ship trying to find gold. They find a mining camp called the “Glory Hole” where people are mining in devotion to a goddess named Hope. The main character, Zack, believes that Hope has chosen him to be the leader, and that he must overthrow the boss of the mining camp, “Trevillian”. (My favorite name in the book, however, is “True Bluford.”) The author proceeds to describe mining ad nauseum. Then he describes the characters’ obsession with Hope, ad nauseum. One of many examples is on page 356: “‘You accept the worst kind of tyranny from Trevillian because you think Hope is with him. But she’s not. Hope is speaking to you right now, through me.’” My favorite is on page 201: “Perhaps it was Hope that transfigured Christ”.
Worse than the plot is the quality of the prose, which reads like sub-par His Dark Materials fan fiction. Some of the worst lines include:
“A scarlet beret clung to one side [of her hair] like an obstinate crab.” (Page 93)
“The lavender scar twisted like a segmented worm.” (Page 237)
More on the scar: “The scar on the boss’s chest was purplish. Its color changed with his moods.” (Page 360)
“‘Hope tore through me like the jet from a steam nozzle.’” (Page 347)
The book randomly breaks into quasi-slam poetry on page 151:
“You know your mate, you worthless pelt. It’s Zack, the bastard—boon to maggots, nothing else. Slimy entrails—carnival treats! Gall-green syrup on speckled meats. One dark penny, nothing else. Hurry, people! Take your seats!”
Once in a while, there is a sex scene. “The bedframe was squealing beneath him…Salt Lick was straddling him, hunched like a gargoyle.” (page 154) Once in a while, there’s some bland violence, such as arson or an evil bear. Once in a while, Zack brings up his status as as an illegitimate child, or, as he calls it, “The ghost of a teenage trespass” (page 39). This family drama subplot adds no depth to the story; it just comes across as an obligatory psychological underpinning that Shapero threw in because it’s what writers are “supposed” to do.
After three hundred pages of droning about mines and sexual desires, Zack finds the Hope goddess within the mountain. Then there’s a brawl featuring all fifteen-odd utterly flat characters, then Zack kills Trevillian, and that’s it. There’s no explanation to how gaining the leadership position resulted in, or meant, anything. The evil bear almost kills Zack on the last page, but it scampers away. The overall message is “greed can consume people, especially if it’s driven by something that doesn’t even exist”. Shapero conveniently spells this out on page 377: “Who is Hope?...Something we nourish with our love, in place of a child.”
The book gets even worse: it’s sexist. The mining town keeps its spirits up via a nearby prostitution ring called Blondetown. Every single woman character in the story is a prostitute, save the Hope goddess, who only appears when Zack has sex. Most appearances of women involve a sexual description. Page 177 says: “Despite the gravity of the occasion, she was wearing a revealing dress… her breasts swelled within, like overripe fruit ringed with mold.”
Page 272: “‘It’s a Blonde’s [prostitute’s] job to care, and a doctor’s to heal.’”
A sentence on the morally questionable side appears on page 29: “They appeared not as women do before they’ve been seduced, but rather as the conqueror would see them in the lantern light after he withdrew.”
Of course, every single man character is a noble mine worker. By the way, the book is racist, too: all the cooks are Asian, and all the Asians are cooks. This is introduced on page 58: “Sephy was passed a plate. A young Asian ladled beans and greens onto it.”
The book has a few redeeming qualities. For one, it’s easy to read. Second, there is a relatively good sentence about every hundred pages. Page 239 says: “He didn’t play father to his boys. He ate them.” On pages 115 and 116, the main character describes his magic act, which could have been the basis for a decent novel rather than two pages in the Hope We Seek. The book also has a “protagonist becomes a morally grey antagonist” character arc, which Shapero pulls off smoothly. But it’s been done, and it doesn’t save the book.
The Hope We Seek also comes with a CD called “Songs from the Big Wheel”. It comes in a digipak with the vocalist, Marissa Nadler, on the inside cover. She looks like a vampire with an Photoshop airbrush job done by a 16-year-old. It’s solo acoustic guitar with some mandolin, and I know instantly that if I played it in the car, my friends wouldn’t blink. It was as if Dead Can Dance went acoustic, but worse. Track 4’s clever bluesy twangs are something I could listen to a second time.
Here is an excerpt from the lyrics, which speak for themselves:
“In Lovesick, the threads have dwindled./A flimsy in Giblets. At Peephole, I disappear./The tempting explodes. You feel me near/Spread naked, you hope. But Hope’s not here.”
The lyrics are sure to mention a personified Hope wherever possible. The liner notes claim: “Story detail from ‘the Hope We Seek’ by Rich Shapero.”
Songs From the Big Wheel is a far better CD than the Hope We Seek is a book, but the album is no Pink Moon.
Rich Shapero says on his website: “What I'm doing is reaching out to others like me.” I am not one of these people. Neither are you, Hopefully.
One day in Worner [student center], I saw a plastic-wrapped book sitting on an ottoman. Someone said, “Some dude was passing that book out outside.” Within hours, I saw dozens of copies littered around Benji’s [student cafe], the Worner desk, the trash, and even in the Spanish house, where I live.
The book is called The Hope We Seek, and the author’s name is Rich Shapero. It’s 432 pages long, and the cover looks like a cathedral ceiling updated for the Tumblr world. The flap photo portrays Rich Shapero as a profound, insightful older man, and the back cover displays a review that sounds like it was made with an online generator:
“Rich Shapero deftly reveals man’s hunger for gold and sex as mere intoxicating perfume lilting off a far deeper Source. Unexpected and original, this tale is indeed full of the hope we all seek.”
This review is by Rebecca Hoffberger, the Founder of the American Visionary Art Museum. The museum displays “art produced by self-taught individuals”, and is currently displaying the late Donald Pass’s cover art for the Hope We Seek. The three seem to be a love triangle of mediocre art in which Hoffberger reviews Shapero’s work, Shapero uses book art by Pass, and Pass displays his artwork in Hoffberger’s museum.
Rich Shapero’s website features a banner of him against a sunset with the quotation “I’ve attempted to put my intuitions into story form and make them available to others.”
He says in his biography: “The virtue of being at peace with the human condition was not bestowed on me…This outlook may be the result of a genetic defect or some experiential trauma.” It appears he has no religious agenda: “I want people to see what I’ve done. I have no commercial motive. I’m like a street musician playing for whoever might have the interest to stop and listen.”
Where does Shapero get the money to pass these books out? I tried to email him and ask him just that, but his publicist directed me to an answerless website page that I had already seen. However, Justin Kirkham of Boise State’s Arbiter did his own report of a Rich Shapero visit and found some information that I didn’t.
“[Shapero] is a partner at Crosspoint and a board member at AristaSoft and New Edge Networks. This has allowed him to produce and give away his newest pieces of writing and artwork in such high volume,” Kirkham wrote.
So, in an effort to get a fuller idea of this book, I decided to read it. The whole thing. Before cracking it open, though, I asked some people at my Rastall [dining hall] table what they thought.
“Wait, is that the Christian Fundamentalist book?” said Mark Warshaw, Community member.
“I heard the dude was mailing the book to students,” said Juan Conejo Avila, senior.
Junior Bo Malcolm looked at me with his watery blue eyes and gave me a more constructive answer:
“It looked like a waste of paper, printing those copies that ended up lying about campus and filling the trash cans. If you’ve written something that you care for, you should be trying to engage in a dialogue about your artwork, not doling it out.”
Sophomore James Dinneen said, “I read the first paragraph out loud with some other people, sort of chuckled at it the way you might chuckle at reading sex scenes out loud in bookstores. I thought it was an interesting way to market something; you almost never see that. I was mostly confused by how handing the book out could be financially feasible. My immediate thought was that this has some sort of religious or ideological agenda.”
So, after spending about fifteen hours reading the Hope We Seek, I can safely say that it is the worst book I have ever read. It’s also very sexist, and racist.
The book starts with guys on a ship trying to find gold. They find a mining camp called the “Glory Hole” where people are mining in devotion to a goddess named Hope. The main character, Zack, believes that Hope has chosen him to be the leader, and that he must overthrow the boss of the mining camp, “Trevillian”. (My favorite name in the book, however, is “True Bluford.”) The author proceeds to describe mining ad nauseum. Then he describes the characters’ obsession with Hope, ad nauseum. One of many examples is on page 356: “‘You accept the worst kind of tyranny from Trevillian because you think Hope is with him. But she’s not. Hope is speaking to you right now, through me.’” My favorite is on page 201: “Perhaps it was Hope that transfigured Christ”.
Worse than the plot is the quality of the prose, which reads like sub-par His Dark Materials fan fiction. Some of the worst lines include:
“A scarlet beret clung to one side [of her hair] like an obstinate crab.” (Page 93)
“The lavender scar twisted like a segmented worm.” (Page 237)
More on the scar: “The scar on the boss’s chest was purplish. Its color changed with his moods.” (Page 360)
“‘Hope tore through me like the jet from a steam nozzle.’” (Page 347)
The book randomly breaks into quasi-slam poetry on page 151:
“You know your mate, you worthless pelt. It’s Zack, the bastard—boon to maggots, nothing else. Slimy entrails—carnival treats! Gall-green syrup on speckled meats. One dark penny, nothing else. Hurry, people! Take your seats!”
Once in a while, there is a sex scene. “The bedframe was squealing beneath him…Salt Lick was straddling him, hunched like a gargoyle.” (page 154) Once in a while, there’s some bland violence, such as arson or an evil bear. Once in a while, Zack brings up his status as as an illegitimate child, or, as he calls it, “The ghost of a teenage trespass” (page 39). This family drama subplot adds no depth to the story; it just comes across as an obligatory psychological underpinning that Shapero threw in because it’s what writers are “supposed” to do.
After three hundred pages of droning about mines and sexual desires, Zack finds the Hope goddess within the mountain. Then there’s a brawl featuring all fifteen-odd utterly flat characters, then Zack kills Trevillian, and that’s it. There’s no explanation to how gaining the leadership position resulted in, or meant, anything. The evil bear almost kills Zack on the last page, but it scampers away. The overall message is “greed can consume people, especially if it’s driven by something that doesn’t even exist”. Shapero conveniently spells this out on page 377: “Who is Hope?...Something we nourish with our love, in place of a child.”
The book gets even worse: it’s sexist. The mining town keeps its spirits up via a nearby prostitution ring called Blondetown. Every single woman character in the story is a prostitute, save the Hope goddess, who only appears when Zack has sex. Most appearances of women involve a sexual description. Page 177 says: “Despite the gravity of the occasion, she was wearing a revealing dress… her breasts swelled within, like overripe fruit ringed with mold.”
Page 272: “‘It’s a Blonde’s [prostitute’s] job to care, and a doctor’s to heal.’”
A sentence on the morally questionable side appears on page 29: “They appeared not as women do before they’ve been seduced, but rather as the conqueror would see them in the lantern light after he withdrew.”
Of course, every single man character is a noble mine worker. By the way, the book is racist, too: all the cooks are Asian, and all the Asians are cooks. This is introduced on page 58: “Sephy was passed a plate. A young Asian ladled beans and greens onto it.”
The book has a few redeeming qualities. For one, it’s easy to read. Second, there is a relatively good sentence about every hundred pages. Page 239 says: “He didn’t play father to his boys. He ate them.” On pages 115 and 116, the main character describes his magic act, which could have been the basis for a decent novel rather than two pages in the Hope We Seek. The book also has a “protagonist becomes a morally grey antagonist” character arc, which Shapero pulls off smoothly. But it’s been done, and it doesn’t save the book.
The Hope We Seek also comes with a CD called “Songs from the Big Wheel”. It comes in a digipak with the vocalist, Marissa Nadler, on the inside cover. She looks like a vampire with an Photoshop airbrush job done by a 16-year-old. It’s solo acoustic guitar with some mandolin, and I know instantly that if I played it in the car, my friends wouldn’t blink. It was as if Dead Can Dance went acoustic, but worse. Track 4’s clever bluesy twangs are something I could listen to a second time.
Here is an excerpt from the lyrics, which speak for themselves:
“In Lovesick, the threads have dwindled./A flimsy in Giblets. At Peephole, I disappear./The tempting explodes. You feel me near/Spread naked, you hope. But Hope’s not here.”
The lyrics are sure to mention a personified Hope wherever possible. The liner notes claim: “Story detail from ‘the Hope We Seek’ by Rich Shapero.”
Songs From the Big Wheel is a far better CD than the Hope We Seek is a book, but the album is no Pink Moon.
Rich Shapero says on his website: “What I'm doing is reaching out to others like me.” I am not one of these people. Neither are you, Hopefully.
December 28, 2019
Some people love to say the best things in life are free. Here's evidence to the contrary. I got this book for free years ago at an Austin Psych Fest, and I just today started reading it today (my book backlog is vast). I am also finished reading it today. It is rare that I won't finish a book once I've started, but this is just not worth grinding through. It's bad, it's boring, it's poorly written, and the characters have nothing to them. 50 pages is enough. I'm going to move on to something that will give me pleasure. I'm going to tear this thing apart and put it in the recycle bin.
March 1, 2014
Aw man, I am so done with this book. I am glad the author provided me a copy of this for honest review but I just did not like it at all. I gave it a go, read 30% of the actual book and I could not go on. It is waste of my time which I can use for other books. Here are some things about this book that I did not like (which is basically what makes an entire book).
1) HOPE. I know it is supposed to be a big part of the story but every other sentence mentions Hope in some way. Either she is a savior, protector, provider, enlightener, a forbidden treasure, a something to be conquered, etc. It was soo annoying. I get it, it is another word for God and God-like entity, but jeez, will you stop talking about it for just a second? In the Captain’s presence, everything that was said had at least one mentioning of Hope. The men on the land search for her by digging in a coal mine. Yeah, it is that dumb. No person would stupid enough sacrifice their health and their life for such a thing. Oh wait…
2) CHARACTERS. Inky, Lucky, Salt Lick, Private (also there is Captain/boss. Confusing to keep track of who is in charge), and plenty of other stupid sounding names. How am I supposed to care about a man called Streetcar (really?)?There are so many characters and I did not care about any of them. I had tough time keeping track who is good and who is “bad”. Really Sephy? You will marry a man who saves you from drowning and barely had two insightful conversations with you? She felt vulnerable so by page 34, she already said yes to complete stranger (this was so writer does not waste time developing their relationship when they reach land). BTW, she kind of abandons that by page 100 because she is now sleeping in a tent for women only. I get it, Zachary has a goal in mind that could help you find your brother, but still. She falls in love with him in less than 24 hours. That is just stupid. Basically it is like if you marry someone after a first date. Getting drunk, meeting a woman in Vegas, having few good laughs and sharing your dreams and ambitions in life and getting married the next day sounds more reasonable than Sephy’s relationship. Here’s an excerpt of actual conversation that depicts Zachary proposing to Sephy:
Sephy's arm was raised. The charred lamb was dripping fat down it.
"I'll be a--"
'What"
"Quick meal for you."
"I know nothing about love," Zack said.
She tried to laugh. "You're chaste than?"
He stared at her. "Marry me?"
3) THE DIALOGUE. Simply atrocious. It was written by someone who does not know how real dialogue sounds. It is not supposed to sound like characters are reading from cue cards. It needs to have a flow. My 13 year old self could write better dialogue. There was so many interruptions, so many topics being changed in mid conversations, so many weird and useless references, and times where a character asks a question and the author starts describing the place that they live in or the thoughts that other characters have, and never going back to that question or even acknowledging it. It just annoyed the hell out of me when a person starts talking and the other characters blurs out, “What?” for no reason, as if the other character was not going to finish their sentence. Here’s how the dialogue seemed to sound to me in this book (not actual dialogue but just as bad as this):
“So, do you have any siblings?” asked John.
“I used to ride horses when I was a teenager. I like when wind blows my hair back,” said Mary.
“That’s good. Maybe we should go eat and call it a night.”
“This place sucks”, said Mary, playing with a rock that was pushed ashore by raging waters. “it reminds me of...”
“What” said John.
“my grandfather’s cabin on top of a mountain.” she said with a soft voice.
See? That made no sense and there were instances where it even got worse than that.
THE STORY: The story itself does have an interesting premise but I feel like it falls apart due to awful dialogue and characters that I did not care about. The characters on the land blindly follow their Captain in search of Hope, hoping that hope will bring them peace, stability, wisdom, blah, blah, blah. Maybe I am just stupid and arrogant, but I just cannot read a book where I don’t care about anything happening or anything being said. That’s just pointless words on the page and I felt many times that this book is just that. There were some instances where descriptions were very well done, but a lot more were lifeless and boring.
If you actually go and read the other two books Shapero has written (Too Far and Wild Animus), they received just as much hate as this one might get, for the same reason too. Most people abandon those books. Few reviewers on Amazon said they gave up after page 40 and they regret getting the book for free. I hope the author reads some of these comments and improves his characters and the writing. Shapero, I admire you for publishing this book but I have no idea who did you have to pay to get a good review for it. Sorry, but this book was not good. BTW, I DO like the cover art. Fantastic work there.
P.S. The one 5 star review of this book here on Goodreads was from a person being generous without actually reading the book.
1) HOPE. I know it is supposed to be a big part of the story but every other sentence mentions Hope in some way. Either she is a savior, protector, provider, enlightener, a forbidden treasure, a something to be conquered, etc. It was soo annoying. I get it, it is another word for God and God-like entity, but jeez, will you stop talking about it for just a second? In the Captain’s presence, everything that was said had at least one mentioning of Hope. The men on the land search for her by digging in a coal mine. Yeah, it is that dumb. No person would stupid enough sacrifice their health and their life for such a thing. Oh wait…
2) CHARACTERS. Inky, Lucky, Salt Lick, Private (also there is Captain/boss. Confusing to keep track of who is in charge), and plenty of other stupid sounding names. How am I supposed to care about a man called Streetcar (really?)?There are so many characters and I did not care about any of them. I had tough time keeping track who is good and who is “bad”. Really Sephy? You will marry a man who saves you from drowning and barely had two insightful conversations with you? She felt vulnerable so by page 34, she already said yes to complete stranger (this was so writer does not waste time developing their relationship when they reach land). BTW, she kind of abandons that by page 100 because she is now sleeping in a tent for women only. I get it, Zachary has a goal in mind that could help you find your brother, but still. She falls in love with him in less than 24 hours. That is just stupid. Basically it is like if you marry someone after a first date. Getting drunk, meeting a woman in Vegas, having few good laughs and sharing your dreams and ambitions in life and getting married the next day sounds more reasonable than Sephy’s relationship. Here’s an excerpt of actual conversation that depicts Zachary proposing to Sephy:
Sephy's arm was raised. The charred lamb was dripping fat down it.
"I'll be a--"
'What"
"Quick meal for you."
"I know nothing about love," Zack said.
She tried to laugh. "You're chaste than?"
He stared at her. "Marry me?"
3) THE DIALOGUE. Simply atrocious. It was written by someone who does not know how real dialogue sounds. It is not supposed to sound like characters are reading from cue cards. It needs to have a flow. My 13 year old self could write better dialogue. There was so many interruptions, so many topics being changed in mid conversations, so many weird and useless references, and times where a character asks a question and the author starts describing the place that they live in or the thoughts that other characters have, and never going back to that question or even acknowledging it. It just annoyed the hell out of me when a person starts talking and the other characters blurs out, “What?” for no reason, as if the other character was not going to finish their sentence. Here’s how the dialogue seemed to sound to me in this book (not actual dialogue but just as bad as this):
“So, do you have any siblings?” asked John.
“I used to ride horses when I was a teenager. I like when wind blows my hair back,” said Mary.
“That’s good. Maybe we should go eat and call it a night.”
“This place sucks”, said Mary, playing with a rock that was pushed ashore by raging waters. “it reminds me of...”
“What” said John.
“my grandfather’s cabin on top of a mountain.” she said with a soft voice.
See? That made no sense and there were instances where it even got worse than that.
THE STORY: The story itself does have an interesting premise but I feel like it falls apart due to awful dialogue and characters that I did not care about. The characters on the land blindly follow their Captain in search of Hope, hoping that hope will bring them peace, stability, wisdom, blah, blah, blah. Maybe I am just stupid and arrogant, but I just cannot read a book where I don’t care about anything happening or anything being said. That’s just pointless words on the page and I felt many times that this book is just that. There were some instances where descriptions were very well done, but a lot more were lifeless and boring.
If you actually go and read the other two books Shapero has written (Too Far and Wild Animus), they received just as much hate as this one might get, for the same reason too. Most people abandon those books. Few reviewers on Amazon said they gave up after page 40 and they regret getting the book for free. I hope the author reads some of these comments and improves his characters and the writing. Shapero, I admire you for publishing this book but I have no idea who did you have to pay to get a good review for it. Sorry, but this book was not good. BTW, I DO like the cover art. Fantastic work there.
P.S. The one 5 star review of this book here on Goodreads was from a person being generous without actually reading the book.
March 19, 2014
Kinda bizarre....really bizarre. I received the book as a Goodread's first reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. So here goes (hang on):
A cult of slave miners which have more than friendly relations with the female portion of their camp who in turn allow the true believers within the group conjugal visits with a rock (as in she's made if minerals not as in Van Halen) goddess that fuels their belief and entrapment. Oh yeah the goddess also manifests as a bear that can't be killed. She's also a snake at times. And the protagonist was tricked into being a slave after he gave up a road show of deceiving people on a circus like atmosphere.
I think there is a deeper meaning but I can't tell if it is Christ centered or new age transcendental thinking centered or perhaps Scientology - who knows? I kinda loved it, kinda hated it, but if you're in need of a "mix things up" break from your normal read I could recommend it. For most either a 5 star or a 1 star. For me a 3 star because I'm half way between either extreme.
A cult of slave miners which have more than friendly relations with the female portion of their camp who in turn allow the true believers within the group conjugal visits with a rock (as in she's made if minerals not as in Van Halen) goddess that fuels their belief and entrapment. Oh yeah the goddess also manifests as a bear that can't be killed. She's also a snake at times. And the protagonist was tricked into being a slave after he gave up a road show of deceiving people on a circus like atmosphere.
I think there is a deeper meaning but I can't tell if it is Christ centered or new age transcendental thinking centered or perhaps Scientology - who knows? I kinda loved it, kinda hated it, but if you're in need of a "mix things up" break from your normal read I could recommend it. For most either a 5 star or a 1 star. For me a 3 star because I'm half way between either extreme.
June 18, 2014
After repeatedly seeing teams of people handing this book out on campus, I have to admit I was initially pretty skeptical of them and it. Of course, my first instinct told me that it was some sort of religious or political propaganda, but I couldn’t see anything to signal any kind of affiliation. So my curiosity eventually got the best of me. When I talked to one of the women on the team, she told me about the author, Rich Shapero, and that he is just a guy who writes books and wants the world to read them. As an artist myself, I couldn’t argue with that, so I took one.
After leisurely making my way through the novel, I can definitely say that this is not your standard paperback fare. While the themes touch on familiar subject matter—man and nature, good and evil, redemption, lust—the writing and the story are imbued with a strange, fantastical tinge, and remind me of when waking from a dream, unsure whether it was good or bad, being left only with the impression that something unusual has just occurred.
I think that, in this way, Shapero succeeds as an artist, even if the feeling you are left with is disconcertment. A reader can’t always be left with satisfaction as after a good meal, and I certainly don’t expect literature to always make it that easy or simple. After watching a Fellini or Jodorowsky film, I am not left feeling particularly great, nor do I necessarily even understand what I have just experienced, but therein lies the artists’ aim. The questions are often far more important than the answers.
I can not attest as to whether this was Shapero’s intention in writing this book, or if the beauty I saw in it was the result of something haphazard and random, like shards glass from a smashed car window, glittering across the asphalt on a sunny day.
Regardless, I enjoyed the novel for what it was and could be tempted to have a go at another of Shapero’s works.
After leisurely making my way through the novel, I can definitely say that this is not your standard paperback fare. While the themes touch on familiar subject matter—man and nature, good and evil, redemption, lust—the writing and the story are imbued with a strange, fantastical tinge, and remind me of when waking from a dream, unsure whether it was good or bad, being left only with the impression that something unusual has just occurred.
I think that, in this way, Shapero succeeds as an artist, even if the feeling you are left with is disconcertment. A reader can’t always be left with satisfaction as after a good meal, and I certainly don’t expect literature to always make it that easy or simple. After watching a Fellini or Jodorowsky film, I am not left feeling particularly great, nor do I necessarily even understand what I have just experienced, but therein lies the artists’ aim. The questions are often far more important than the answers.
I can not attest as to whether this was Shapero’s intention in writing this book, or if the beauty I saw in it was the result of something haphazard and random, like shards glass from a smashed car window, glittering across the asphalt on a sunny day.
Regardless, I enjoyed the novel for what it was and could be tempted to have a go at another of Shapero’s works.
May 9, 2016
I attempted to read this but I only made it to page 60 before I gave up. I felt so confused - like I was missing something the entire time. The cover reminds me of the classic silent movie Metropolis, or maybe Hell.
November 16, 2022
don't remember this book other than the fact that i hated it, it was written so aggressively by a man, and now that i am older i can see that this is a wannabe heart of darkness but instead of colonialism there is no deeper meaning. this is the definition of the male gaze. fuck this book fr
August 19, 2015
I tried so hard to like this book but I just feel it was missing key details and didn't have a plot I cared enough about. The climaxes didn't excite me all that much and I didn't feel the story went any where. I think it had a very interesting concept but would have made a better movie than a book. The abstract imagery was just too much in words. This book was being given out out campus at Ohio State and I happened to walk by when they were handing out copies so I guess I can't complain about a free book!
May 4, 2014
Komaeda Nagito started this cult, didn't he? The only thing that would make this book better is if Chaim Potok wrote it and it was about Jews who played baseball.
Want to read
October 7, 2014Random book being handed out on campus. One of my rules is "Never turn down a free book."
April 25, 2014
My first thought in writing about The Hope We Seek is that Shapero’s novel plays out like a Steinbeck story set in the literal and metaphorical wilderness of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Chronicling the struggles and Sisyphean toil of working class laborers who have turned their backs on the lives they once knew to journey to the early 20th century coastal gold mines of Alaska in pursuit of an elusive material and spiritual wealth, the story, almost from it’s outset, sets a mood of dizzying surrealism. As they make their way to Alaska by sea, up the western North American coast, we are just becoming familiar with Zack and Sephy, the novel’s primary protagonists, when their ship catastrophically hits a reef, breaking up and casting them violently into the sea. Though they manage to finish their voyage aboard what is left of the ship, along with some salvaged provisions, it is this event which throws Zack, Sephy, and the surviving members of the ship’s passengers and crew down the rabbit hole. It is clear from this point that our heroes may not be on quite the voyage, headed toward the same destination they anticipated. Indeed, upon their arrival at the mining encampment, the characters see their situation continue a steady dissolution into a state of barbaric oppression, cultish manipulation and a drug-like, hallucinatory search for Hope, at once a deity of salvation as well as corrosive force, like Tolkein’s Ring, playing on the greed and ambitions of man.
With the use of classic literary devices such as the early introduction of catastrophe to suggest an alteration of the characters and their journeys, I think that Shapero does a great job of sculpting a multi-dimensional story. The setting of the Alaskan wilderness along with the unremitting environment of a mine, violently forcing its way through the earth, sets up a man-versus nature theme, which, though not entirely original, somehow manages to feel fresh non-derivative. I would attribute this to Shapero’s terse and tense writing stile which carries us swiftly through the narrative, forcing our perspective and focus to remain on the broader scope of the characters’ journeys and evolutions.
In this way, Shaperos unique writing style is an asset, though some may see it as a weakness. The laconic style (if such a thing is possible in a novel) can be a bit confusing at times, occasionally lacking thorough descriptive explanations or analyses of the characters, settings or events. As well, it may come off as repetitive, though I personally like the hypnotic sense of rhythm established by Shapero’s succinct descriptions and dialogue.
My strongest criticism probably lies in overall character development. Especially as concerns many of the secondary characters, we have little to go on in formulating any meaningful understanding of their personalities, motivations, and morals. We witness the bourgeoning love affair between Zack and Sephy in what seems like hours after they meet. As well, the brutality of the mine boss and his allies seems attributed to little more than loyalty toward each other and toward the majesty of Hope. Again, I think all of this is symptomatic of Shapero’s particular writing style, and thus, much of it may be intentional, assisting in the creation of the The Hope We Seek’s hallucinatory landscape. Personally, however, I would have liked to see more reasoning and development behind the characters.
All that aside, Rich Shapero really succeeds in delivering a unique and challenging story with The Hope We Seek. I definitely plan on adding more of his books to my queue of future reads.
With the use of classic literary devices such as the early introduction of catastrophe to suggest an alteration of the characters and their journeys, I think that Shapero does a great job of sculpting a multi-dimensional story. The setting of the Alaskan wilderness along with the unremitting environment of a mine, violently forcing its way through the earth, sets up a man-versus nature theme, which, though not entirely original, somehow manages to feel fresh non-derivative. I would attribute this to Shapero’s terse and tense writing stile which carries us swiftly through the narrative, forcing our perspective and focus to remain on the broader scope of the characters’ journeys and evolutions.
In this way, Shaperos unique writing style is an asset, though some may see it as a weakness. The laconic style (if such a thing is possible in a novel) can be a bit confusing at times, occasionally lacking thorough descriptive explanations or analyses of the characters, settings or events. As well, it may come off as repetitive, though I personally like the hypnotic sense of rhythm established by Shapero’s succinct descriptions and dialogue.
My strongest criticism probably lies in overall character development. Especially as concerns many of the secondary characters, we have little to go on in formulating any meaningful understanding of their personalities, motivations, and morals. We witness the bourgeoning love affair between Zack and Sephy in what seems like hours after they meet. As well, the brutality of the mine boss and his allies seems attributed to little more than loyalty toward each other and toward the majesty of Hope. Again, I think all of this is symptomatic of Shapero’s particular writing style, and thus, much of it may be intentional, assisting in the creation of the The Hope We Seek’s hallucinatory landscape. Personally, however, I would have liked to see more reasoning and development behind the characters.
All that aside, Rich Shapero really succeeds in delivering a unique and challenging story with The Hope We Seek. I definitely plan on adding more of his books to my queue of future reads.
March 28, 2015
It was an interesting coincidence that the publisher for "The Hope We Seek" offered an ARC right around the time when my general research was leading me back to the history and myth of the American West. This book fits very soundly within the current, as it is essentially an exploration of those symbols--mining, in some sense, for an American myth, rather than gold.
The prose is at its best when it describes the land itself as an outpouring of the human spirit; at times the craft actually reaches the sublime that the author is clearly reaching for throughout. However, the flip side of this is that at times it feels as though we aren't so much coming along on the journey as watching someone else's religious experience from afar. That goes a way toward saying that my experience of the book is that it isn't nearly as gripping or even interesting as it is good -- and this raises a big question for me of what "good" even means, in this context.
But that question will have to wait for another day. I applaud the effort invested in plumbing the shared psychological history of hope and loss which represents not only the best and worst of the West, but also all of our own personal journeys. That it doesn't seem to speak to the heart as much as it seeks, however earnest the effort seems, is the only flaw in what might otherwise be a five star effort.
Reviewed by http://www.ModernMythology.net
The prose is at its best when it describes the land itself as an outpouring of the human spirit; at times the craft actually reaches the sublime that the author is clearly reaching for throughout. However, the flip side of this is that at times it feels as though we aren't so much coming along on the journey as watching someone else's religious experience from afar. That goes a way toward saying that my experience of the book is that it isn't nearly as gripping or even interesting as it is good -- and this raises a big question for me of what "good" even means, in this context.
But that question will have to wait for another day. I applaud the effort invested in plumbing the shared psychological history of hope and loss which represents not only the best and worst of the West, but also all of our own personal journeys. That it doesn't seem to speak to the heart as much as it seeks, however earnest the effort seems, is the only flaw in what might otherwise be a five star effort.
Reviewed by http://www.ModernMythology.net
August 6, 2016
A friend of mine was moving out of her house into a smaller apartment and needed to get rid of a lot of her stuff. I took a bunch of books off of her hands and The Hope We Seek was one of them. I’ve never heard of Rich Shapero before but I really liked the cover art and my friend said she really liked the beginning of the book, but she’s working a lot and doesn’t really have the time to finish it.
It’s a classic story of a group of men casting off in pursuit of a better life, and maybe getting more than they bargained for. They settle in a mining colony in what I think is turn of the century Alaska, in search of the ever elusive Hope, only to find themselves in indentured servitude under the whip of Trevillion, the mine boss who dangles the carrot of Hope’s wealth and glory, while running the mine through brute force. The book being set in a mine provides a really great backdrop for the characters as they search for Hope, whom you might call God/Goddess, and as they clash in their struggles for wealth, freedom and survival. I really liked the action provided in these clashes, especially the tension that builds up toward the book’s calamitous climax.
It’s a classic story of a group of men casting off in pursuit of a better life, and maybe getting more than they bargained for. They settle in a mining colony in what I think is turn of the century Alaska, in search of the ever elusive Hope, only to find themselves in indentured servitude under the whip of Trevillion, the mine boss who dangles the carrot of Hope’s wealth and glory, while running the mine through brute force. The book being set in a mine provides a really great backdrop for the characters as they search for Hope, whom you might call God/Goddess, and as they clash in their struggles for wealth, freedom and survival. I really liked the action provided in these clashes, especially the tension that builds up toward the book’s calamitous climax.
March 3, 2014
I received this book at the Sundance Film Festival. It's intense, and not for the faint-of-heart. In a gold mining camp in turn of the century Alaska, the miners have turned gold into a goddess whose approval and embrace they desperately chase. It sounds very spiritual, but in truth, there is a hell of a story here. I love the character names and the colloquial of the miners, and overall the portrait of the time and place is beautiful and immersive. Shapero goes on wild flights of spiritual transcendence, but stay with it, because it totally works. You could strip away the spiritual and have a great, gritty, masculine novel, but with the transmogrification of gold into Hope, and the miners building a cult around her, the story runs deeper, embraces the feminine, and leads to an exploration that runs much deeper than the mine. This book took some effort to find the current, but once there, I was all in for the ride.
April 16, 2014
What really struck me about The Hope We Seek is the mist of surrealism in which the novel's world and its characters reside. I certainly wouldn't describe this as a work of fictional realism, yet it doesn't quite belong on the fantasy shelf either. The blur between basic, empirical truth and the book's spiritualistic and psychedelic elements are profound. Often times I was captured by the starkness of the imagery, as well as the staccato rhythms of Shapero's dialogue.
Some people may question the story's moral ambiguity—the parallels between the pursuit of material and spiritual wealth can be a little unsettling at times, as well as miners digging into the Earth as a not-so-subtle metaphor for the relationships between men and women, man and nature. However, I appreciate this kind of ambiguity as it doesn't seem to make any attempt to whitewash over some of the more questionable aspects of human nature, and the true motivations and desires in our hearts.
Some people may question the story's moral ambiguity—the parallels between the pursuit of material and spiritual wealth can be a little unsettling at times, as well as miners digging into the Earth as a not-so-subtle metaphor for the relationships between men and women, man and nature. However, I appreciate this kind of ambiguity as it doesn't seem to make any attempt to whitewash over some of the more questionable aspects of human nature, and the true motivations and desires in our hearts.
January 15, 2015
this book completely consumed me. the imagery, and the deep darkness created here is incredible... caves and deep mining shafts below ground, bars and brothels carved into rock... everything mixed up in madness and lust and deep spiritual craving. It's an interesting look into the heart's of simple men, those that seek power, and this enthroned feminine mystery. This is a very masculine book, but I found it fascinating to get so far into the hearts and minds of these crazed laborers I could allow the fanciful role women play. I'd recommend this book if you are intrigued by the dark and mysterious side of human nature, it will certainly satisfy you.
October 8, 2014
Richard Shapero is a fascinating author, and for this novel he's even got eerie music to accompany the mood. Our protagonist heads for Alaska seeking gold, runs into an environment where the local strong man resembles a cult leader, and learns that life isn't all about money. I'm excited about his other books, although like this one they're not for everyone. I won a copy of this book on Goodreads Firstreads site, but I accepted no compensation or benefit to write this review. Wish I could figure out where the author is appearing next, I relish people with a strong spiritual dimension.
August 12, 2014
I enjoyed this book very much. It painted a wonderful picture and was very descriptive. I liked how it painted Hope as a real person rather then just an idea or belief. It really makes you think about hope in a different light.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2025
Don't read this book. I wasted almost 2 weeks of my life reading it. I think I lost 50 years off my life span. The book is so confusing. When you start reading you are thrown in to action which is nice but there is no explanation for how it starts. The book is just about people in Alaska who got gas posioning and start a cult. They mine for 'Hope' this Goddess that men can only feel by having intercourse with the women in the brothel or the 'Blondes'. This book was a mess and I wish I never had read it but I'm also glad I did. There were a lot of things that pissed me off in this book like:
1) Zack and Sephy get together like 5 minutes after meeting and then after their boat crashes he asks her to marry him. When they get to the camp everyone already knows that they are together. Also the book talks about how madly in love they are even though they only knew eachother for like an hour.
2) All the characters sucked. Except for Prowler the bear and for the Captain. The Captain is the only one you can really understand is coherant. While the others arn't and will say things in the conversations that don't match what t s about.
3) How Sephy is suppose to be like the 2nd main character and how she is supposed to lead Zack through riddles to find hope. But they arn't riddles. They are just words incoherently in a sentence. I feel as though when she spoke she was a 2nd grader. Some of her sentences were missing basic words not even improtant ones. She spoke like the 5 year old I use to babysit.
4) It was so confusing knowing if they just wanted to take down the priest or just the whole cult. It was so confusing the whole tme. It seemed like they wanted to just take down Trivillian. But it was so confusing if the whole thing went one way or another in the end they just took down the Priest.
Don't read the book.
1) Zack and Sephy get together like 5 minutes after meeting and then after their boat crashes he asks her to marry him. When they get to the camp everyone already knows that they are together. Also the book talks about how madly in love they are even though they only knew eachother for like an hour.
2) All the characters sucked. Except for Prowler the bear and for the Captain. The Captain is the only one you can really understand is coherant. While the others arn't and will say things in the conversations that don't match what t s about.
3) How Sephy is suppose to be like the 2nd main character and how she is supposed to lead Zack through riddles to find hope. But they arn't riddles. They are just words incoherently in a sentence. I feel as though when she spoke she was a 2nd grader. Some of her sentences were missing basic words not even improtant ones. She spoke like the 5 year old I use to babysit.
4) It was so confusing knowing if they just wanted to take down the priest or just the whole cult. It was so confusing the whole tme. It seemed like they wanted to just take down Trivillian. But it was so confusing if the whole thing went one way or another in the end they just took down the Priest.
Don't read the book.
May 31, 2018
This book first caught my attention late last year, when I saw it sitting on the shelf as part of my university coffee shop’s book exchange. Though my reasons were fickle - I liked the cover and the title - I kept my eye on it for months, until I finished my previous book and finally picked it up.
It came packaged with a CD containing music that’s meant to go alongside the text, but this has mostly remained untouched (I found the multimedia app more convenient). I did read the Goodreads reviews before I started; a lot of the negative ones did almost put me off, but after reading it myself I can say that I actually quite enjoyed it.
The wordiness was something I enjoyed, and the ethereal nature of Hope drew a lot of comparisons to organised religion and its issues, which as an atheist, I could identify with. I also found Zach to be an intriguing protagonist - starting off as a somewhat bland hero, but turning into a character who’s unpredictable, and unable to fully accept or reject Hope.
Around the time I started reading this I’d also just finished Angela Carter’s The Passion of New Eve, so Trevillan’s character was, in my mind, assumed to be an expy of Zero from there. However, he too turned out to be much more nuanced, with a dependency on Zach that I initially didn’t expect, especially considering some later actions of his.
Overall, I’m glad I decided to follow my own mind and read this. Shapero’s novel is immersive on its own, never mind the app alongside it, and to me is an example of why you should never judge a book by its cover.
It came packaged with a CD containing music that’s meant to go alongside the text, but this has mostly remained untouched (I found the multimedia app more convenient). I did read the Goodreads reviews before I started; a lot of the negative ones did almost put me off, but after reading it myself I can say that I actually quite enjoyed it.
The wordiness was something I enjoyed, and the ethereal nature of Hope drew a lot of comparisons to organised religion and its issues, which as an atheist, I could identify with. I also found Zach to be an intriguing protagonist - starting off as a somewhat bland hero, but turning into a character who’s unpredictable, and unable to fully accept or reject Hope.
Around the time I started reading this I’d also just finished Angela Carter’s The Passion of New Eve, so Trevillan’s character was, in my mind, assumed to be an expy of Zero from there. However, he too turned out to be much more nuanced, with a dependency on Zach that I initially didn’t expect, especially considering some later actions of his.
Overall, I’m glad I decided to follow my own mind and read this. Shapero’s novel is immersive on its own, never mind the app alongside it, and to me is an example of why you should never judge a book by its cover.
November 8, 2022
I wanted to like this book so badly I really did but I just could not get into it. The women in this book feel like they are all written by an A.I. that was fed images and plot lines of damsels in distress and prostitutes and told to write a character about it.
The story in premise is so good, and there so much potential here but it feels as though it kind of got off the rails it feels like it started with one goal in mind and then verged in another area. For instance the main love interest Sephy, her whole point of traveling is to find her brother, but she basically gives up on that and we don’t hear much more than a sentence about it for 200 pages.
In concept I like it, but in publication I really think it should be worked on. For one I think some things could be really shortened and condensed, I’m all for a lot of detail, but most of the story just feels repetitive and convoluted. It really felt like the author just made the story up as he went over a long period of time.
The story in premise is so good, and there so much potential here but it feels as though it kind of got off the rails it feels like it started with one goal in mind and then verged in another area. For instance the main love interest Sephy, her whole point of traveling is to find her brother, but she basically gives up on that and we don’t hear much more than a sentence about it for 200 pages.
In concept I like it, but in publication I really think it should be worked on. For one I think some things could be really shortened and condensed, I’m all for a lot of detail, but most of the story just feels repetitive and convoluted. It really felt like the author just made the story up as he went over a long period of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2018
I think it's amazing. I don't think it's perfect or a masterpiece, but I did find it to be at once transporting and oppressive, and I had an experience unlike I have had with any other book. The erotic aspect of the novel worked. It does contain adult subject matter, though it's not prominent throughout. I liked everything but the end of the book. It's too rushed. This is a very novel novel. Which is why people used to read novels, for the novelty. It's about exposing new ground, deep in the heart of the mountain.
August 3, 2020
Review is of a free copy of the book. Seems like many reviewers did a big thumbs down; and a few really liked it - I find that I am in the big thumbs down crowd. I managed to force myself to finish the book, but it seems a waste of a few hours of my life. I really found the passages where characters were "communing" with Hope to be without meaningful, entertaining or informative content (babble).
April 19, 2025
This book has been sitting on the nightstand by my bed since before Alex died in 2016. I don't remember all the details, but as I recall, he was walking across campus and people were giving this book out. The author may have been there. I don't know. I'm pretty sure Alex never read it.
It seemed like time for me to read it. I had this crazy idea that some magic would happen and it would connect me back to Alex somehow. It didn't.
It seemed like time for me to read it. I had this crazy idea that some magic would happen and it would connect me back to Alex somehow. It didn't.
November 17, 2023
If you like tripe & dribble, this is a book for you. I've never read an author, that could take so many interesting subjects, & make the reader not want to read anymore about any of them ever again.
I'll devour a good book in a day or too. I slogged though this groan of work, in pieces over a six month journey. I'm just sorry I came upon this atrocity, do yourself a favor walk on by.
I'll devour a good book in a day or too. I slogged though this groan of work, in pieces over a six month journey. I'm just sorry I came upon this atrocity, do yourself a favor walk on by.
June 11, 2018
About the book: It’s a stand-alone novel about Zachary who seeks gold, and along the way, he meets a woman named Sephy. They find a camp run by a man called Trevillian, but Zack wants to overthrow the boss.
First impressions: It’s such a strange story. I had no idea what was going on at the beginning. Nothing made much sense to me.
Characters: There are so many characters. I could barely keep track of them. Worse, I didn’t know how anyone looked like.
I wish I had a better sense of everyone’s role. If you’re not paying close attention, it’s easy to lose track of who’s who. The author could’ve done a better job introducing new characters and establishing their identity.
“To escape from desire is to withdraw from life.”
Writing: The writing isn’t that bad. Shapero is descriptive and uses a lot of dialogue. That being said, I still struggled to imagine what was happening. The book has some mature scenes as well.
The chapters are long, but the breaks in between helped. The hardcover’s a little over 400 pages, yet it felt longer.
Final thoughts: The Hope We Seek was not my cup of tea. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people either. Even after finishing the novel, I’m still a bit confused.
The beginning and middle advance at a slow pace. There’s a bit more action towards the end though. At least, the novel sort of comes back full circle.
The premise of the plot seemed promising, yet it ultimately fell flat for me.
First impressions: It’s such a strange story. I had no idea what was going on at the beginning. Nothing made much sense to me.
Characters: There are so many characters. I could barely keep track of them. Worse, I didn’t know how anyone looked like.
I wish I had a better sense of everyone’s role. If you’re not paying close attention, it’s easy to lose track of who’s who. The author could’ve done a better job introducing new characters and establishing their identity.
“To escape from desire is to withdraw from life.”
Writing: The writing isn’t that bad. Shapero is descriptive and uses a lot of dialogue. That being said, I still struggled to imagine what was happening. The book has some mature scenes as well.
The chapters are long, but the breaks in between helped. The hardcover’s a little over 400 pages, yet it felt longer.
Final thoughts: The Hope We Seek was not my cup of tea. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people either. Even after finishing the novel, I’m still a bit confused.
The beginning and middle advance at a slow pace. There’s a bit more action towards the end though. At least, the novel sort of comes back full circle.
The premise of the plot seemed promising, yet it ultimately fell flat for me.
June 2, 2018
I'm having a hard time figuring out how I feel about this. It kept me reading, but I didn't really like it. I found the beginning really confusing and the ending only vaguely satisfying, but the middle was weirdly compelling? I don't know.
September 2, 2024
This is the first time I've ever rated a book with 1 star. I'm not sure who convinced this man that this book should be published, but they lied to him. It's no wonder they were giving this away for free.
March 10, 2018
Wordy with little story
July 6, 2018
A thought provoking novel on the power of hope and how the greed of men corrupts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews