A Visit from the Goon Squad in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 21, 2013 Nikki Morse rated it really liked it

I read one of the chapters, selling the general, as a stand alone story years ago. Which was so confusing until I figured it out -- had I read the whole novel before and only recognized it at that moment, half way through (it has happened before)? That chapter, like several of them, stands alone as a story, an interesting, bitter sweet story I'd like to go back and read it again to fully grasp the connections and flow -- or perhaps I'll just make a power point flow chart like the 12 year old at ...more

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Nov 28, 2018 kora rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: rtfbb-book-club

if i had ever gone easter egg hunting as a child, i imagine this is what it probably would have felt like... reading this book... it was a delight finding the clues in the crevices of time, linking the characters and their stories... along with dash of confusion, a mix of reflection and definite appreciation of the author's use of a varied writing style throughout the book, this was definitely a surprising treat...

this is one of those rare times where i will be acquiring the print copy of the b ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Ra rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nypl

This book deserves a mediocre rating, and a 2.5 star rating would have done it perfect justice.
It is not hard to pick out the starry pieces that made it into a NY Times Bestseller. For one, its narrative technique is innovative. It goes from flashbacks to flash-forwards. Sometimes telling the entire story of one family line in one paragraph. It is nice if you are reading the book in one sitting but you will lose track of the characters if you let go of the book for a longer period.

The story fol This book deserves a mediocre rating, and a 2.5 star rating would have done it perfect justice.
It is not hard to pick out the starry pieces that made it into a NY Times Bestseller. For one, its narrative technique is innovative. It goes from flashbacks to flash-forwards. Sometimes telling the entire story of one family line in one paragraph. It is nice if you are reading the book in one sitting but you will lose track of the characters if you let go of the book for a longer period.

The story follows the lives of a group of aspiring rockers from their youth in the sixties right into the 2020s. It also narrates of peripheral and key persons in their lives. Each chapter is about a different character sometimes speaking in the first person, other times in the third person. There is barely time to build up rapport with the characters as they change, and the story is only about key events in their lives. What pushes them to the edge, what brings them back from the abyss, and ultimately the things that make people change the life-plan they had or thought they had.

What is bad about the book is that it loses credibility sometimes with its stereo-typing (The blue-hatted dictator is a caricature in the pure American style), then there are the far-fetched predictions of the future, which I found lame.
What appealed to me: Reading this in New York gave it an extra flavor because the places suddenly mean something to me. Also, there are the elements of middle-age, and old-age angst. The passage of a person from their youth where they used to be invincible, where everything seemed to be possible, into the disillusionment of a middle age that did not deliver much of a promise. The message of the book seems to be that regardless of the detours, slips and disappointments you experience in your life, given time, luck and some tenacity, there is always a chance to find that special moment of happiness when you transcend your less than spectacular life.

This message though may be lost to anyone getting caught up in the book's attempts to get clever, and the inevitable Americanizing of the world, where everything outside is merely rendered exotic or described in sterotype. There is also a whole chapter that is narrated by a 12-year old in visual slides, makes for an entertaining visual experience but can hardly be classified as literature.
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May 08, 2019 Jana rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club, audiobooks, x2019-reading-challenge

I may have liked it better if I had read it rather than listening to the audio book. So very many characters in different time periods. It was a little hard to adjust.

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Sep 14, 2019 Julie rated it liked it

Singularly different! Loved the punk rock vibe and the variety of characters, I can see why so many people rave about this book—it has something for everyone. Listened to this on audio and I may have enjoyed it more in book form. It had many different storylines and only listening in the car on my commute meant that I went long periods between listening and that made it tricky to follow.

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May 26, 2011 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: popular-fiction

I was really feeling in a non-fiction mood all winter and spring but I joined a book club and this was May's pick. I read one chapter and I'm already hooked. Fiction, it's good to be back!

I really liked this story and I think it fits well in our modern world. Time is a goon and we all change as time goes on, we just have to learn from our mistakes. ...more

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