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What Members Thought
There is nothing that makes me happier than picking up a book, reading a couple of pages, and knowing in my heart that the book is going to be a wonderful read.
A Hologram for the King is such a book.
The plot is thin: a Death-of-a-Salesman middle-aged fellow is in Saudi, waiting to see the king, hoping to sell the king on a business idea. Not much happens. The days are hot. Our main character, Alan Clay, is stuck in a tent that isn’t air conditioned and lacks an Internet connection with two young ...more
A Hologram for the King is such a book.
The plot is thin: a Death-of-a-Salesman middle-aged fellow is in Saudi, waiting to see the king, hoping to sell the king on a business idea. Not much happens. The days are hot. Our main character, Alan Clay, is stuck in a tent that isn’t air conditioned and lacks an Internet connection with two young ...more
Here we go again; here’s another story of a white, sad sack salesman, taking stock of where he went wrong in his life—but this time amidst the desert sands of the UAE! Ooh, so original. Except not. And yet, there’s a certain hypnotic, meditative quality to the novel. The book basically feels like a Sophia Coppola movie. Nothing much happens, but because Eggers adeptly weaves the waiting for the king in the UAE with Alan’s thoughts and memories of other parts of his life, the story didn’t feel st
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I'm a huge Dave Eggers fan and this book didn't disappoint. What I loved about it is how accurate his description is of life in the Persian Gulf and how well he drew the characters, both Arabs and expats. I love that his language is not flowery an that and that he goes straight to the point and keeps the story flowing nicely without the extra layers of over-the-top language. I love Eggers because he is sharp, witty and very funny. Can't wait to see the movie.
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I wish there was a .5 option with the ratings because I'd probably really give this a 3.5 instead. But it did get more than a 3 from me...just not quite a 4 if I am being completely honest.
Some have mentioned the lack of plot...but I felt like that was the plot if that makes sense. The waiting was the plot. But no it was not filled with action around every corner.
I did love the imagery though and there were two standout characters in the Doctor and Yusef.
This was not Dave Eggers at his best, bu ...more
Some have mentioned the lack of plot...but I felt like that was the plot if that makes sense. The waiting was the plot. But no it was not filled with action around every corner.
I did love the imagery though and there were two standout characters in the Doctor and Yusef.
This was not Dave Eggers at his best, bu ...more
This book reminded me of "Waiting for Godot", and I find both of them very depressing. I know The underlying messages of both, but when I read, I want to be entertained or uplifted, not depressed about how awful the world is.
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A really disappointing book. I probably would have given up on this book if I hadn't had faith that Dave Eggers would pull through in the end. There were a few bright moments, but I think the cover was the best part of the book.
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Nov 13, 2012
Jamie
marked it as need-to-get
Nov 14, 2012
Nanosynergy
marked it as to-read
Nov 18, 2012
Janna
marked it as to-read
Jun 10, 2013
Jessica
marked it as to-read
