Jesse > Recent Status Updates

I’m quite close to my first DNF of the year. If it weren’t so short, I’d have given up by now.

This isn’t storytelling; the characters and “plot” (the novella is marketed as having a plot but it does not) are barely rendered at all so that the author’s own rumination on life, religion, and existence can have a platform, and all of it reads like an undergrad philosophy course.

I can see why Booker through a prize at this novel, but I’m annoyed. When an author inserts their thoughts, opinions, and rumination within the context of the story, it rips up the world of the play and the tone of the piece. I don’t think it is particularly brilliant; such inserts read as pretentious and arrogant. It’s self-seriousness that takes away from an otherwise beautiful and quiet story.

The framing is interesting: strictly told from an omniscient AI system who knows all the characters. It’s a unique blend of first and third person perspective that is quite clever.

Alas… the intrigue is based on an all-knowing entity not telling you everything which can create some glaring plot holes, and the perspective is a lot of telling over showing. When it is showing, it is only for intrigue.

I am kinda liking the "all over the place" storytelling structure that the narrator is giving us. It does a really good job of characterizing him and his world for us.

Damn, the opposing sides for this book are intense! The amount of women who want their romance to not be a marital affair and therefore lambast this book is pretty funny.

The prose is beautiful writing, the setting comes alive unlike most books I read nowadays, but the characters are characterized purely by their attraction for each other… which makes them very bland. Plot centric romances annoy me.

Gary Essendine is such a fantastic character, and I want to play him someday. As always, I love Noel Coward’s witty and banterous (is that a word?) dialogue.

Gary Essendine is such a fantastic character, and I want to play him someday. As always, I love Noel Coward’s witty and banterous (is that a word?) dialogue.

I love how the prose has a weightless quality to it that feels as though you are reading in space. That’s a nice touch with the lack of commas and what not.

I’m not far enough in to say much more. I am excited to read more though.

I’m so sick of the cliche of crazy religious people reciting Revelations deeply out of context for wackadoodle agendas.

It’s lazy writing to criticize Christianity by making a character talk nonsense religious babble while stabbing people. It’s offensive, inaccurate, and cartoony.

I’m kinda disappointed that this book is so… eh. The prose, characterization, and style feel rather underwhelming. The main interest here is the plot and world building, but even those are not extraordinary by any means. In fact, if you changed out the prose for major bullet points of the plot, the tone of the story might not change at all.

So far so Middle School, but I marvel at Jason Reynold’s spectrum of writing types.

The plot has really began to meander. I think Mandel has gotten too wrapped up in the time hoping structure, so we are losing the scope and direction of the plot and some of the characters. However, it is really fun to watch which characters from the past land where in the present.

I am starting to feel like this novel is losing momentum because of the time hopping.

I have a feeling that secrets to the world building and characters are going to be slowly revealed via this time hopping, but the pacing is becoming jittery and muddy.

Nonetheless, the intrigue grows, the characters become more interesting, and the world building is still just as fascinating.

I’m afraid that this one is a dud for me, but I will finish it.

When you build a very important message and perspective on the backs of 2D characters that serve no better purpose than puppetry, you’ve disrespected your message and your audience.

The characters are stereotypes, the plot structure is not well constructed, and the journalistic approach is sapping the story of its emotional gravitas.

The structure is creative and interesting (I like the journalistic framing of the story), but the peripheral characters are all cliches or stereotypes. Except for Jimmy, Opal, and one of the producers, all the other characters are just reflections of better rendered characters types in other stories.

The religious obsessed sister, the gay designer, the ambitious rising star, the racist hicks… no depth to them.

I’m not sure about this plot framing and the structure of the story. Theoretically, a journalism approach to historical fiction is a really interesting way to bump up close and intimately with a historical event, but I think the “editor’s note” told the whole story already. The characters need to be explosive and amazing for this to land for me.

I appreciate that the “gimmick” of this book is rooted in the world of the story and tied intimately with the characters.

I’m always annoyed when a cast of characters are rendered on the foundation of the author’s message, and while this novel isn’t completely exempt from that sin… Atwood at least does a good job of it.

But I find myself bored with this story. Me thinks I’m not the target audience.

The book in a book intrigue is always hit or miss with me. It has to be really well constructed and have intentionality for the plot and more importantly the characters.

So far, I’m very much interested in where this book is going, especially since it has dutifully subverted my expectations, but I also find it a bit boring at the moment.

I misplaced this book because of my wedding, and I just now found it again. 😅

I’m still utterly in love with this world and its characters. I still think the villain is cliche and a half, but the intrigue of Station Eleven and the web of connected relationships is very mesmerizing.

I had a lot of hope for this series, but I as near the end of it, I am very annoyed by the shallow and character building, excessively repetitive exposition, and the myriad of plot holes that are created because of the additions of rules and loopholes in the world building. The characters are cardboard cutouts of other characters in the same series…

So far, it is better written and more surefooted than its older sibling, but I still am annoyed by the unnecessary repetition of exposition (I have the rules memorized at this point).

Noel Coward is a staple, but I’m tired of Blithe Spirit being the only show done by community. I’m reading this to urge the theatre I work for to put on other Noel Coward works.

So far, so Coward. Brilliant, quippy dialogue that I can tell will reveal more depth in the later scenes.

This book is scary in a socially relevant kind of way. Some may say they the depictions of sex, gender, and race are dated and ugly, but this is not a depiction of the author’s prejudices and ignorances but more a look into a time period that has perpetuated (in an inverted way) many now familiar social issues.

Specifically, the depiction of men and the role masculinity plays in our lives is challenging to read.

Guys… I’m really struggling with this one. How do you describe a book that aims for a lot of heart but ultimately has zero substance or depth.

The author has annoyingly used the same two words over and over again to try to drum up intrigue and suspense: “the Incident”. The repetitive nature is tapping into the exhausting, dull side of middle school life: an obsession over useless, trite school drama.

I am disappointed by how boring this book is so far; the plot plods away because of poorly paced jumping between the present and past, the characters are paper thin and built off middle school cliches, and the intrigue of the story is so on the nose, it’s lose its power of me as a reader. I do not have high hopes to finish the book and enjoy it.

This is thrilling story that deals with political corruption, grief, immigration identity, and masculinity.

The mystery is a nuanced and intelligent plotline that does a lot to build a world that is relevant and important. The main character is a bit of a catalyst character, but I have few other complaints.

An interesting read so far, but I’m not too sure the characterization is all that strong. Also, I’m questioning why three separate stories are being told side by side. I wanna know why that was chosen as opposed to creating a short story collection or interlacing the world building of the stories beyond just sharing similar plots.

There is exquisite characterization, and the tone is reminding of Vandermeer's Southern Reach Trilogy: bendy, ethereal, uncanny. The prose reads like recordings with a tape which I find very interesting. I am intrigued and invested... although I have pretty high private hopes for some cosmic horror or something akin to it.

This is a strange, little story. I like the sense of humor and the almost fair-tale comedy this horror story is maintaining.