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A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
By Stephanie · 4 posts · 17 views
By Stephanie · 4 posts · 17 views
last updated Jan 04, 2011 08:47PM
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What book did you just start?
By Stephanie · 3501 posts · 467 views
By Stephanie · 3501 posts · 467 views
last updated Feb 27, 2024 08:11PM
What Members Thought
Even before a character explains the title of this book about 100 pages in ("Time's a goon, right? Isn't that the expression?"), you get it: this is a book saturated with melancholy about the passage of time. It passes too slowly when you are getting over a break-up or standing in line behind someone at Subway who wants to know how Black Forest ham is different from regular American ham. It moves too quickly when you are young and nothing hurts. It's eternally both gradually and all at once beat
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Critics loved Egan's newest novel, describing it as "audacious" and "extraordinary" (Philadelphia Inquirer). In the hands of a less-gifted writer, Egans's time-hopping narrative, unorthodox format, and motley cast of characters might have failed spectacularly. But it works here, primarily because each person shines within his or her individual chapter that offers a distinct voice and a fascinating backstory. A few reviewers mentioned the uneven nature of the chapters and the different stylistic
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Like the Bookmarks review - the changing literary styles takes some getting used to. From chapter to chapter, the author changes time in history, first person to third person, point of view and even who the subject of the chapter is. And you might not figure out who the chapter is referring to until several pages into the chapter.
At first I found it unsettling, then I found it somewhat fascinating.
But in the end I grew tired of trying to figure out what and who each chapter was about. The last 1 ...more
At first I found it unsettling, then I found it somewhat fascinating.
But in the end I grew tired of trying to figure out what and who each chapter was about. The last 1 ...more
While I enjoyed this author's writing I did not enjoy the switcheroo style of the chapters and characters. I prefer a continuous story, not jumping around from character to character from past to present to future. I get too confused and didn't always remember that a particular character had appeared back in chapter three as a two year old. I would read another of her books if it was in novel form.
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Brilliant novel that comprises a set of short stories, loosely linked by the occasional reappearances of characters. A young girl in one story is a middle-aged mother in another. A man meets an older music producer and has a vague recollection of having had a single date with a woman who had worked for that producer years ago (he doesn't even recall her name). I don't know whether it's the form that enhances this effect, but the book really highlights the way that lives intersect and influence o
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This novel is a mixed bag for me ... in some ways it was more of a 2 but in others it was more of a 4. So, I split the difference and am giving it a 3!
All in all, I found this to be a very readable novel. I was never bored. I never struggled with any aspect of reading it. I found the creative use of format throughout the novel to be interesting and kept me reading, curious to see what might come my way next. I really enjoyed the unorthodox-ness of the entire book - the format, the characters, t ...more
All in all, I found this to be a very readable novel. I was never bored. I never struggled with any aspect of reading it. I found the creative use of format throughout the novel to be interesting and kept me reading, curious to see what might come my way next. I really enjoyed the unorthodox-ness of the entire book - the format, the characters, t ...more
A Visit from the Goon Squad is a clever novel that focuses on the two main characters of Sasha and Bennie. Each chapter jumps in time and place and is narrated by a person who knows one or both of the main characters. As another goodreads reviewer noted, it has a "six degrees of separation" aura. On its surface it seems more like a collection of stories however the narrations are all linked by the main characters as well as the themes of time and identity.
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My friend Karen T. told me I would love this one. I am already looking forward to rereading it.
Loved it and will reread it soon, the better to appreciate the intricate design of characters, narrators, and time. And, best use of Power Point ever.
Okay, I can see why this book was given a Pulitzer prize for fiction, but I don't like it any better than the first time I tried to read it. I enjoyed the power point chapter the very best. I'm so character driven when reading fiction. Here is a novel where none of the characters are likable or sympathetic & I just found it painful.
Second try! For this month's book club.
The painful loss of youth’s innocence and pervasive adult dissatisfaction / disillusionment of life is too much for me to get ...more
Second try! For this month's book club.
The painful loss of youth’s innocence and pervasive adult dissatisfaction / disillusionment of life is too much for me to get ...more
I really enjoyed this book. It jumps back and forth through a timespan of a few decades, and switches character perspective every chapter. Each character is connected to another in some way, generally pertaining to music. You often get more insight into one character's story through another, or get told how certain character's lives are end up in the future. These are all aspects of the novel enjoyed. I did, however have a few problems with it. I found it to be painfully "hip", and I wasn't a bi
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Egan structures this work more like short stories than a novel, though all the characters are connected in some way and a story might seem to end ambiguously only to have the narrative thread taken up again in another character's tale.
Enjoyed the writing and will look for something else by this author. ...more
Enjoyed the writing and will look for something else by this author. ...more
Pretty incredible character development
3.5 stars
Apr 19, 2011
Kathy
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2011
Jean
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2011
Denise
marked it as to-read
Jun 02, 2011
Julie
marked it as to-read
Aug 19, 2011
Linda
marked it as to-read
