Station Eleven
Ratings771
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings771
Average rating4.1
An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.
Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.
Reviews with the most likes.
After winning this years Arthur C. Clarke Award, and constantly seeing it on Goodreads, I knew I wanted to give this one a shot. I appreciate the storytelling and literary side of this book more than the characters and the story. The narrative jumps time, focusing on a world before a pandemic, then again years into the future. The focus of the story is around a traveling symphony making their way around the Great Lakes. I liked the characters and the post apocalyptic world, and especially how the characters were connected, but was distracted by the Station Eleven storyline – a comic book created by one of the characters – which didn't add much to the story for me beyond it's symbolism.
Enjoyed it enough to continue reading it - some exciting moments, not sure i'd recommend it particularly to anyone else though
I had never heard of this book so I had no expectations. I only read it because I participate in my library's adult book club. My feelings about this book are conflicted. On one hand I liked it, but on the other I didn't. When I read the synopsis I got excited. I love dystopian/post-apocalyptic books. I feel as though I was cheated. Don't get me wrong it's beautifully written, but I think the synopsis lied to me.
This reads like a series of novellas. I hate novellas because just as soon as you get hooked on the stories/characters the stories end. That's how I would describe the timeshifting. There was one character in particular I loved from the beginning of the book, but I didn't get to read anymore about him until chapter 27. Characters I'm certain I was supposed to care about I didn't.
I love how interconnected it all was though. I just wish we could've gotten there with more plot and action. I was super disappointed by the "big" scene with the Prophet. All that build up for nothing to really happen in the end.
Not that it matters but I absolutely hate Shakespeare so I didn't enjoy those parts.
If I were describing this book I'd say it's literature meets chick lit meets dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction. I'm still glad I read it though and I can't wait to discuss it at book club next month.
I thought this book was overhyped. There were certainly parts I enjoyed, and the concept was interesting, but I felt the various threads weren't inter-related enough to leave me with a sense of completion.
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