Zone One - Anyone else reading?

[Dana]

I started reading Zone One by Colson Whitehead a few days ago. I am having some trouble getting into it and am starting to think about dropping it. What do you think? Is it worth the time?

[BoBandy]

Maybe. It's a good story, and it speeds up a bit, but you still have to wade through his turgid prose.

[Dana]

Turgid - great word and very descriptive of this work... I brought it back to the library and picked up a Terry Goodkind novel.

[William]

Yes, I loved the attempt at real writing with zombie subjects, as opposed to the usual drivel, but while in scattered moments here or there he'd have a great line or two, the entire thing seemed a little forced. Good idea, almost delivered well.

[Miz Moffatt]

Hi Dana—I read Zone One not too long ago, and I definitely found it difficult to get into at first (especially since Whitehead opens the book with a zombie attack that somehow [?] manages to get lost in literary details…?). If you can get through that section, you'll get to stories focusing more on the survivors, which I felt were the most interesting portions. Also, I liked the idea about the Stragglers and their general natures. If you read a lot of zombie fiction, Zone One is worth the read, even if it's just for a comparison basis.

[Marc-Antoine]

I read and loved it, just finished this morning.

[Frank]

No. Its not worth it. Unless you just want to hopelessly wish that all of the incredibly boring characters die by the end of the novel. Spoiler alert. They don't.

[Dan]

Yes. Worth reading. Helps with vocabulary. Pretty hoity-toity. Keep forcing your way through and it should eventually hook you.

[Lester]

I agree with Miz - it's worth a read if you're into your zombie fiction and want a point of comparison. I felt it was a nice change to the usual zombie fare out there.

[Chad]

No, not that worth it if you are not enjoying it. It redeemed itself in the last 10 pages or so with trying to tie things together and actually having some present tense action rather than jumping around in time randomly. There was so much atmosphere and so little substance. I am a zombie fan and a Whitehead fan, and though I gave it 3 stars (barely), I was disappointed. Got something else you are itching to pick up on your shelf,do it. But don't give up on Whitehead. He's great when he's not so in love with the sound of his own voice. Try Sag Harbor- much more accessible. As for helping with vocabulary, I think he is kidding. (I hope.)

[Michael]

I thought it was okay, but if I hadn't been a) trapped on a boat with nothing else to read and b) writing my own zombie book, I might not have stuck with it. It could have used a trim, if you ask me. I skimmed major passages as well and didn't really miss anything. Much of the action is same-same recollections of safehouses or z-sweeping action. But, you know, some people loved it, and their opinions are good too.

[Peter]

It does get better. Not great, but better. It's worth reading because the story does stick with you, kind of floats around in the back of your mind, popping up at odd moments.

[[deleted user]]

I was happy I finished it. The ending was probably the best part and if you've already worked your way through a good chunk of the prose it's worth it to finish. That was my first Whitehead book and look forward to trying some others.

[Michael]

I completed it but it wasn't worth it. I wish I had found a few more reviews that gave it a thumbs down so that this book had not ended up in my queue.

I admit I'm not sophisticated enough to enjoy the literary skills of the author. The story's plot line was too well hidden for me to follow. Not much going on in that book except the author doing wheelies with his thesaurus.

[Donald]

I think it is worth reading. You wont walk away feeling it was a fantastic read but it is intertaining and I wished they explored the psydo zombie aspect more.

[Gerhard]

Dana wrote: "I started reading Zone One by Colson Whitehead a few days ago. I am having some trouble getting into it and am starting to think about dropping it. What do you think? Is it worth the time?"

The best advice is to ignore what everyone else tells you, and to go with your gut. What I do with a book I can't get into, for whatever reason, is put it down and start something else. Then I go back to the previous one with, perhaps, a fresher approach. As I've gotten older, I've lost the urge to finish everything I read, especially if I don't like it or it doesn't grip me. Life is just too short, and there are just too many books. By the way, it is no reflection on the author -- every book will have its ideal reader.

[Joe]

Yes, Zone One is worth the read for two reasons. First it is a fine addition to the zombie genre. Second, it is worth reading if one is interested in Colson Whitehead. For example, the basic idea for Zone One is spelled out in a humorous passage in 'Sag Harbor', Whitehead's novel/memoir about summers of his youth spent out on eastern Long Island back in the 1980s. On the genre issue, the zombie genre is pretty limited so things boil down to setting and the character of survivors. Setting his novel in an attempted reclaim of Manhattan is a nice twist as is putting his (purposefully) painfully mundane lead character, Mark Spitz, in a military squad charged with a mop up operation. It allows for the occasional predictable action sequence and offers a good vantage point to view the wreckage of humanity. Spitz' character is also a nice twist on the genre. Whitehead remarked in an interview that the folks who survive a zombie apocalypse are going to be the folks who operate on auto-pilot (kind of like the characters in Shaun of the Dead). Anyone with any sense would either have been devoured immediately or would have killed themselves to avoid the inevitable fate of being eaten. So kudos to Whitehead for getting to the soul (such as it is) of the genre.

[Matt]

I started it, but kind of wandered away after about 100 pages.

[Nancy]

I just finished Zone One last week and the ending was totally worth it. The metaphors were pointed and thought provoking throughout the book but the ending tied it up with a big splash! ;-)

This was my first Colson Whitehead novel. I'm wondering if his others wander back and forth on the timeline like Z1 did. I found that was sort of disconcerting but I got around it by listening to my audible.com copy in the car and then skimming it later on my Nook. It was easier to manage the verbosity of his prose and I found I absorbed a lot more from it that way.

At first I was thinking Virginia Wolff, stream of consciousness, but Colson Whitehead was much easier to follow than VW!

Stick with it to the .... end.

[Dominique]

Dana wrote: "I started reading Zone One by Colson Whitehead a few days ago. I am having some trouble getting into it and am starting to think about dropping it. What do you think? Is it worth the time?"

I started reading it and just could'nt get into it. Maybe it was not the right time to read it at the time but might pick up during xmas break

[Chad]

Dominique wrote: "Dana wrote: "I started reading Zone One by Colson Whitehead a few days ago. I am having some trouble getting into it and am starting to think about dropping it. What do you think? Is it worth the t..."

I finished Zone One and didn't really feel like it was worth it in the end. The time jumps were off putting, and I wanted to like it so much more. I love his prose and think he can be a great writer. But Sag Harbor was a much better read in my opinion.