197th out of 1,617 books
—
3,823 voters
The Keep
by
Jennifer Egan (Goodreads Author)
Award-winning author Jennifer Egan brilliantly conjures a world from which escape is impossible and where the keep-–the tower, the last stand-–is both everything worth protecting and the very thing that must be surrendered in order to survive.
Two cousins, irreversibly damaged by a childhood prank, reunite twenty years later to renovate a medieval castle in Eastern Europe....more
Two cousins, irreversibly damaged by a childhood prank, reunite twenty years later to renovate a medieval castle in Eastern Europe....more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
August 1st 2006
by Knopf
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
god, i am so glad jennifer egan won the pulitzer. when i heard she won, i said "her??"

because i had read invisible circus and thought it was really average and not to my liking at all. but then i read goon squad, for science, which made me read this one, and i loved them both. and now i say loudly "HER!"
this one has similarities to goon squad (and thankfully none to invisible circus). it is a weaving narrative swirling metafictionally between a criminal writing a story for his prison writing cl...more
My review of this book will sound like it deserves more stars than I've given it, because overall, I only found one flaw in this fine homage to ghost stories and their tellers. Unfortunately, it's a major one, though I'm sure some will read right past it without so much as a blip. Egan sets up two fascinating threads, that of two cousins coming together in adulthood to play out the effects of a long-held secret between them, and the prisoner crafting their tale while taking a writing class from...more
i thought this was the most criminally over-hyped and misrepresented book of last year. clearly, Jennifer Egan has many well-placed friends (and fellow back scratchers) at the NY Times Book Section to fawningly and falsely fan the flames for this book. "The Keep" is two half-fleshed out novellas awkwardly crammed together. with a tacked-on third short story/chapter at the end.
i cannot believe that any accomplished and previously published author would look at this fragmentary and sloppy work an...more
i cannot believe that any accomplished and previously published author would look at this fragmentary and sloppy work an...more
I picked this one up a month or so ago based on the NY Times Book Review writeup from forever ago, because was that review so positive that it glowed like a deep-sea anglerfish's esca? Oh, yes. But is that an apt metaphor? Also yes, because reading the book felt like being digested by an anglerfish (if you know what that feels like), plus guess what, and this is the most important take-away:
A book review in the NY Times Book Review is different from a book review in the NY Times; did everyone e...more
A book review in the NY Times Book Review is different from a book review in the NY Times; did everyone e...more
Not my favorite book ever but it ended on a sweet note. It seems Egan has a thing for urban losers and nuclear families. The families are a nice antidote to the losers, but the losers are still losers, making them somewhat annoying to accompany for the majority of a novel. In A Visit from the Goon Squad, the cast of losers rotated frequently enough to keep me from becoming mired in their loserdom, but not so in The Keep. Danny cares more about his boots and his phone his fellow human beings, con...more
I am one of those Cheuseish elitist types who sticks to books written many years ago by old white men, but I read this book and said out loud, when I finished it, THIS WILL BE A CLASSIC. A tightly written novel with intersecting narratives that both stimulated my imagination, entertained and transported me. I had this book in my head for quite a long time after reading it and plan on teaching it to my 201 class next semester. Sara also taught this book with much success, so I recommend it for th...more
Even though I read this way back in 2007, I am posting my review now. I don't think Goodreads even existed in 2007. In any case I was not a member. But tonight I am posting my review of A Visit From the Good Squad, which is related to my feelings about The Keep. So here you go:
Wow! Wow! Wow! So good. I've been fascinated about this book since I first heard of it, but even so all the reviews did not begin to explain what it is really about. Yes, there is a crumbling castle with a keep in eastern...more
Wow! Wow! Wow! So good. I've been fascinated about this book since I first heard of it, but even so all the reviews did not begin to explain what it is really about. Yes, there is a crumbling castle with a keep in eastern...more
This book was such a surprise -- a story within a story within a story. Danny did a horrible thing to his cousin Howie when they were kids. Twenty years later, Howie's a mega millionaire who's bought a castle in Europe and he sends for the troubled Goth Danny. Is this reality, or just a story Ray has created for his prison writing class? Is THAT reality, or just a fantasy a recovering meth addict has created?
Lots of tunnels, and words, and the color orange, and dungeons and secrets.
Lots of tunnels, and words, and the color orange, and dungeons and secrets.
I was puzzled while I was reading this book, and am still puzzled after finishing it. It's a story within a story: we watching a suspenseful tale unfold, set in a European castle, through the eyes of a narrator who happens to be a prisoner writing the story for a writing class. Jennifer Egan does some interesting "technical" things--moving between the first person and third person, between the present and the past, creating some moments of true suspense. (One scene that took place in an enclosed...more
Mar 17, 2009
Ceridwen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Ceridwen by:
Annie
Shelves:
gothic,
pomo-a-go-go
Reading is contextual, right? We all have times when we read, the ways we read, on the bus, before bed, in that weird moment of quiet in the afternoon when the boy is playing Bakugans and not entreating me to play with him, for once. (Okay, that last one's a little specific to me.) That external stuff gets internalized a bit, becomes part of the narrative, gives stage to the language and the way it sounds.
So for this book the context was hanging in my mother's house while she was whacked out on...more
So for this book the context was hanging in my mother's house while she was whacked out on...more
Here's another one of my "write the review as I go" commentaries. ** SPOILERS **
1- I would NEVER have chosen this book on my own, which means someone recommended it to me, but I can't for the life of me remember who.
2- I don't like the protagonist. I didn't from the start, and 1/4 into the book he's only just starting to have some redeeming qualities, but even so I just can't warm up to him.
3- The swearing. Too much, I just don't like swearing in books, and I know many would say this is middle,...more
1- I would NEVER have chosen this book on my own, which means someone recommended it to me, but I can't for the life of me remember who.
2- I don't like the protagonist. I didn't from the start, and 1/4 into the book he's only just starting to have some redeeming qualities, but even so I just can't warm up to him.
3- The swearing. Too much, I just don't like swearing in books, and I know many would say this is middle,...more
My first thought: if you don't want a challenging read, don't pick up this book. It is not for mainstream reading; you seriously have to consider what it is that you have in front of you. And when you're finished, you'll STILL be thinking about it, and have a lot of questions.
I originally picked up this book because of the cover blurb saying something about gothic horror, supernatural, ghosts, tragedy, etc etc...but it turns out to be something incredibly different. The author has provided us wi...more
I originally picked up this book because of the cover blurb saying something about gothic horror, supernatural, ghosts, tragedy, etc etc...but it turns out to be something incredibly different. The author has provided us wi...more
The second I finished this book, the only way I could think of how to describe it is "Bah, humbug." Let down. Disappointed. Why do I keep believing these "Thriller! What a page turner!" critic reviews? Lies, all lies.
If I could give this 2.5 stars, I would. I'm going to be generous and bump it up to 3, since at least I wasn't extremely bored during my read. But I knew a few pages in when the word "frigging" was used to describe something that this was probably not the most literary book I'd be...more
If I could give this 2.5 stars, I would. I'm going to be generous and bump it up to 3, since at least I wasn't extremely bored during my read. But I knew a few pages in when the word "frigging" was used to describe something that this was probably not the most literary book I'd be...more
Oct 26, 2007
Katherine
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
goths, novel readers
I'm not sure what I think about The Keep, or better said, I'm not quite sure what to do with it yet. This is what I do know: I don't know a thing about crystal meth, and this is the second book I've read this year that touches on the topic--synchronicity.
I found the main character Danny completely unbelievable, all because Egan mentions fleetingly that he arrived at the castle in a goth getup. I wasn't sure the whole time whether the baroness was real or a ghost--and I'm still not sure. I don't...more
I found the main character Danny completely unbelievable, all because Egan mentions fleetingly that he arrived at the castle in a goth getup. I wasn't sure the whole time whether the baroness was real or a ghost--and I'm still not sure. I don't...more
A very peculiar book, about two cousins who re-unite at an old castle in Germany after not having seen each other since childhood. Along with this, it's the story of an inmate in prison for shooting someone in the head. At first, the transitions seemed a little jarring, as well as the narration, but I found it pretty easy to get the swing of.
A lot of readers seemed put off by the vague narration style, and how at times you don't really know what happened or if things were just a dream. I'm a fan...more
A lot of readers seemed put off by the vague narration style, and how at times you don't really know what happened or if things were just a dream. I'm a fan...more
I can't stop thinking about this book. Jennifer Egan is masterful at taking something (or sometimes a character) that's beautiful and forbidding and mysterious and slowly rendering it recognizably, imperfectly human. This book is particularly accomplished at just that. And the way she does it in two (actually three) parallel narratives reveals the shape of the over-arching metaphor in a particularly affecting way. I don't want to give anything away here, because the process of unfolding the myst...more
Feb 20, 2008
Gwen
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who needs mediocrity to get them through the night
Recommended to Gwen by:
*grumble* Barnes and Noble employee
This book was recommended to my by a bookstore employee. Why not? The back description seemed pretty cool, and the first few pages were intriguing.
Gaaaaah. It was predictable - even the twist at the end was obvious. The writing was just short of inspired. It was very good, but I couldn't bring myself to sympathize with any of the characters. To me, that's essential. I need to connect with someone, anyone, in the book to enjoy it. There has to be something, some sort of spark - and I didn't feel...more
Gaaaaah. It was predictable - even the twist at the end was obvious. The writing was just short of inspired. It was very good, but I couldn't bring myself to sympathize with any of the characters. To me, that's essential. I need to connect with someone, anyone, in the book to enjoy it. There has to be something, some sort of spark - and I didn't feel...more
This book is told (written) by an inmate in prison taking a writing class. The narrator (the inmate) isn't a great writer; he doesn't always know the "correct" word for things. (on the first page he refers to the top of castle having those "rectangle things that kids always put on the top of castles.") This "untalented" narrator allows for some of the best, coolest description of things and feelings I've ever read.
A very fast read. The end is disappointing, but only b/c so much of the book is gr...more
A very fast read. The end is disappointing, but only b/c so much of the book is gr...more
Nov 22, 2008
Blair
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ghostly-and-magical,
mystery-thriller-etc
I didn't immediately take to this, primarily because I instantly disliked both the protagonist and the narrator, but I stuck with it because the book is so short - more of a novella than a novel, really. It's diverting enough, but the supernatural element of the story - which for me is by far the most captivating part - is relegated in favour of the less interesting battle of wits between Danny and Howard, and the narrator's own tale. The book could have been something to really get your teeth i...more
Is this a fantasy, ghost story, mystery, suspense, crime novel, Gothic tale or all of these and more. The story is beautifully told - it actually mingles many stories and it is a while before you find the connections - the surprise is that you don't even look for connections because the story draws you in and all you want to do is keep reading and you go wherever the story takes you. I did not anticipate the ending - I didn't anticipate anything in this book. There are no false notes, no half-dr...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
It wasn't really that this book was amazing as I was reading it. But it kind of was after I had finished. I checked it out from the library based on the liner notes (a system I rarely use) and I found myself reluctant to give it back. Even though it's long overdue now and I'm feeling guilty that I'm depriving others of the book, there's something about it that I just can't let go of.
The book was a hodge of a few different story lines. It's a meta-fictional frame story - a story within a story wh...more
The book was a hodge of a few different story lines. It's a meta-fictional frame story - a story within a story wh...more
The layout of the book is very interesting. Initially I did not like the writing when I first read the first chapter as I thought it was written poorly and in a confusing way. But then when I realized that it was a story narrated by a character in a second story, I was able to “let go” and enjoy it more. While on the outskirt the book is a story within a story, if you focus on narratives belonging to individual characters, you can see that they share similar motifs and experiences. As a reader,...more
My impression of this novel is almost entirely derived from one aspect of it, the pacing. This book is one of those rare cases in which I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it when I initially started reading, but once I got through the slow build at the beginning and into the real meat of the story, I very much enjoyed it. Part of the reason it took a little while to hook me is that the first few times the narrating perspective flipped to the prisoner character, I was less interested in his storylin...more
There are two things an author can do that almost guarantee I will not finish reading her book. The first is to break standard prose conventions, especially if the intent is to showcase how 'edgy' or 'experimental' the author is. The second is when an omniscient narrator's voice intrudes on the flow of the story. Jennifer Egan does both of these things in THE KEEP, but what is remarkable - and the reason that I said "almost guarantee" rather than "ensure" - is I kept reading THE KEEP. In fact, d...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When I bought this, it was marketed as a ghost story. It’s not. It’s literary fiction.
I struggled to find a suitable rating for The Keep, doubting between giving it 3 or 4 stars. The book itself has a lot of good points, namely the plot, which is build up of two different stories that connect halfway through the book. I actually like this ‘story in a story’ concept, which reminds me of Inception. But then there are also so many bad things about this book that I have trouble summing all of them u...more
I struggled to find a suitable rating for The Keep, doubting between giving it 3 or 4 stars. The book itself has a lot of good points, namely the plot, which is build up of two different stories that connect halfway through the book. I actually like this ‘story in a story’ concept, which reminds me of Inception. But then there are also so many bad things about this book that I have trouble summing all of them u...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The Keep is an interesting sort of novel. The blurb provided by the jacket and short reviews focus on an event that occurs when two cousins are teenagers and how they come together later in life with different lives because of that event. After reading the book I feel like it isn't about the cousins or the event. It is about perception and the lengths that people will go to in order to be close to the people and things they love. It's also about choices.
Egan chooses to begin the story by focusin...more
Egan chooses to begin the story by focusin...more
See this review on 1776books.net...
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2010/05...
I was drawn to this novel by the cover and description...a suspenseful, psychological, gothic atmosphere...exactly my cup of tea. When I hear words like castle, baroness, and twins, I know that I will be taken for a ride. When this book was good, it was very, very good, and when it was bad, well, you know the rest.
The Keep intersects two stories, one set in a castle in Europe, the other in a prison. The castle was recentl...more
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2010/05...
I was drawn to this novel by the cover and description...a suspenseful, psychological, gothic atmosphere...exactly my cup of tea. When I hear words like castle, baroness, and twins, I know that I will be taken for a ride. When this book was good, it was very, very good, and when it was bad, well, you know the rest.
The Keep intersects two stories, one set in a castle in Europe, the other in a prison. The castle was recentl...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| It's not really about the plot. | 1 | 18 | Nov 11, 2012 05:57am | |
| questions i have | 2 | 86 | Jan 18, 2008 09:27am |
Jennifer Egan was born in Chicago and raised in San Francisco. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and St John's College, Cambridge.
She is the author of three novels, The Invisible Circus, Look at Me, a finalist for the National Book Award, and the bestselling The Keep, and a short story collection, Emerald City. She has published short fiction in The New Yorker, Harper's, McSweeney's and...more
More about Jennifer Egan...
She is the author of three novels, The Invisible Circus, Look at Me, a finalist for the National Book Award, and the bestselling The Keep, and a short story collection, Emerald City. She has published short fiction in The New Yorker, Harper's, McSweeney's and...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“That's what death is, Danny thought: wanting to talk to someone and not being able to.”
—
2 people liked it
“The seconds pass. I know what’s going on because it’s the same thing that always happens: give me something nice, something I love or want or need, and I’ll find a way to grind it into dust.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…

Loading...


































Sep 20, 2012 01:54pm
Sep 20, 2012 02:02pm