Hello Everyone!
This review is so overdue and it is totally my bad. I finished it during tech-week of Wizard of Oz and the backlash of work since closing has been overwhelming. Also, Summer is almost here! School ends for me on the 22 of May, so reviews will probably be flowing more frequently between then and July 8th. I start my Summer Conservatory around this time and then Senior year starts, so I will try to produce or schedule a significant amount of content while I have this break. For now, enjoy :)
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Awards: National Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2014), Arthur C. Clarke Award Nominee for Best Novel (2015), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Nominee (2015), The Rooster - The Morning News Tournament of Books (2015), Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2015)
Overview (Non-Spoliery Section) This work combines everything wonderful in books (multiple, fluid points of view, flashbacks, great characters,strong female and male protagonists, mystery, incite, puzzle piece storylines that make you pay attention) into one Pre and Post Apocalyptic novel. Focusing mainly on the events of one rather unfortunate night at the theatre, watching a production of King Lear and building the story from there, Emily St. John Mandel crafts a world that will keep the reader intrigued for 352 pages. There are some parts that are a little mature for the normal YA audience, so keep this in mind when you pick this book up. They are nothing too extreme however and make total sense in the Post Apocalyptic realm. Overall, this work deserves all of the recognition that it has gained and deserves all of the stars I can give it. It is truly a work about hope and resilience rather than death, leaving the audience feeling inspired. ***Spoilers*** I freaking loved this book! So far, it is my absolute favorite book of the year. I am usually not one for Apocalyptic books, they just really aren’t in the genres that I usually lean toward. However, when I saw the reviews of this book and that it had a Midsummer Night’s Dream (a production that I was in with my Conservatory last summer) and King Lear, I couldn’t resist. I found myself thoroughly surprised when I truly enjoyed every view that we got to see from. The process of being introduced to several characters in the beginning and then having them all be woven into the story was so interesting and intriguing. I also loved that we never really got a first person perspective throughout the whole story. I mean, technically we did, because we got to see from a character's point of view but the perspective was more prominently one of the 3rd person, which worked because the audience was able to float seamlessly from one time period/character to the other. Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about the book. Even the dust jacket and actual hard cover are beautiful! Things I liked: -Everything! Things I didn’t liked: -Basically nothing. Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
100% out of 100% -Jaime