A Visit from the Goon Squad in ReadingGroupGuides.com

Apr 22, 2011 Ellen rated it did not like it

Shelves: audio-book, dnf

OK, I'm on the second to the last disk of this audio book and I just cannot go on. I don't know if it's the awful narrator which is setting my teeth on edge or the interconnected stories about people I can't keep straight and just don't care about. I cannot bear the thought of getting in my car and listening to another line of this book. I read a bunch of other reviews to try to figure out what I'm missing in this award winning novel, and most of them talk about the unique style. I've read lots ...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Teri rated it liked it

I started this novel awhile ago, then had to put it aside for a couple of months. You can do that with some books, but not with this one because it jumps around in time. So I was lost for awhile when I picked it up again. Each chapter reads almost like a short story. Now that I'm past the halfway point, I can see how the threads are somewhat overlapping and combining. I'll wait until I finish before pronouncing judgment.

It got better, but without a thread or even a main character to follow, it l ...more

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Jun 18, 2018 Robin rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-list, fiction

What a trip! This was initially a bit difficult to get into for me but I challenged myself to stay focused and only read this book when I could do so without interruption. This won the Pulitzer in 2011 and not long after I started reading it, intrigued as I was by a novel that seemed so accessible having won. Alas, my attention went elsewhere and I gave up. When my book group chose Egan's latest novel, "Manhattan Beach" for its May meeting, I had to go back to this one and read it because nearly ...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Bookclubcheerleader rated it it was amazing

Linked Stories, Linked Lives
Jennifer Egan’s acclaimed A Visit From the Goon Squad releases in paperback on the 22nd of this month. It’s a “Must Read” for any generation—but Boomers will especially be nostalgic.

Summary: Egan takes us on a thrill ride—not only back in time and forward into the future—from California to Africa to New York—but also inside our own hearts and minds. Do you remember the first time you heard edgy raw talent? Do remember how fresh it sounded and how alive it made you fee Linked Stories, Linked Lives
Jennifer Egan’s acclaimed A Visit From the Goon Squad releases in paperback on the 22nd of this month. It’s a “Must Read” for any generation—but Boomers will especially be nostalgic.

Summary: Egan takes us on a thrill ride—not only back in time and forward into the future—from California to Africa to New York—but also inside our own hearts and minds. Do you remember the first time you heard edgy raw talent? Do remember how fresh it sounded and how alive it made you feel? Egan brings us back to that place and time of innocence and naiveté—yet, at the same time she treats us as smart, sophisticated readers. Through 16 loosely linked stories, we follow “friends of friends” (sort-of like FaceBook) and family of Bennie, a record producer, and his one-time assistant, Sasha, through their world of the music business, back to high-school and college, forward to families and kids. Although there is no traditional story arc, we accompany these unique and flawed characters through vignettes of their lives—with a speculative ending that is not too far removed from today’s technology and social connections.

Characters: In addition to Bennie and Sasha, we meet Alex, Alison, Bosco, Dolly, Jocelyn, Jules, Lou, Rhea, Rob, Scotty, Stephanie, Ted and others. But rather than a harmonic blending of voices as some ensemble novels employ—they each take their individual turn as the solo star at the mic.
Structure: These imperfect and complicated characters not only have unique voices, but each tells his or her own story of angst and humor in a unique way—first, second (yes—that was not a typo) and third person—as a narrative, a celebrity interview, and even as a PowerPoint slide show. This latter is one of my favorites—written by Alison, Sasha’s daughter, who tells her family story, “Great Rock and Roll Pauses.” The staccato feeling that Allison describes in these musical pauses mirrors the energy and vibrancy that the author brings to her novel through the structure of these seemingly random stops and stops of the individual stories. But don’t get me wrong—even with the sporadic rhythm—the stories hang together as a whole to result in a witty, sarcastic, and at times poignant novel that will haunt you long after you’ve read it.

Themes: Although her stories are distinctly post-modern, Egan’s themes are decidedly timeless and universal: Ageing, Life Changes, Hopes and Fears, Identity and Belonging; Balancing Success with your Moral Values—but the strongest theme throughout is Relationships.

Why Book Clubs Will Love it: There is much fodder for book club conversation: the characters, the structure, the themes…If your club doesn’t mind a book that doesn’t tie everything up in a neat little bow at the end—you will be glad you went along for the ride!

Pick up ‘Goon Squad’ on the 22nd in paperback!

Cheers!
BCC

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