Book Title: The Circle
Author: Dave Eggers
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
My Rating: ♥ ♥
Source: Library
Goodreads, Amazon UK
Goodreads Summary: When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.
What did I think? Sadly, I feel rather meh about this one. It has a great premise. I was very excited to dive into the social media dystopia, especially now that we lose more and more of our privacy. Don't worry, it's not all bad. The Circle is a quick and entertaining read and I read it in almost one sitting. It definitely managed to keep my interest and attention.
Dave Eggers is a skilled writer. The pacing is good, the prose very readable and despite all the flaws, I enjoyed myself.
I like the idea of a social media company that links our real names, to everything else and just how far it could go. Definitely a great thought experiment and one that is very current.
Dave Eggers is a skilled writer. The pacing is good, the prose very readable and despite all the flaws, I enjoyed myself.
I like the idea of a social media company that links our real names, to everything else and just how far it could go. Definitely a great thought experiment and one that is very current.
But the main character... and not just the main one. They are all two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. Almost caricatures. I couldn't get myself to care about any of them. Quite the opposite, in fact. I was so annoyed with most of them, that I was hoping they'd jump off a cliff somewhere in the middle of the book.
Mae is shallow, gullible and easily influenced. I'd even go as far as to call her stupid. The only thing she cares about is being liked. It made me want to bang my head against a wall. Grow a backbone. Stand up for yourself!
Besides the unlikable and boring characters, Dave Eggers doesn't really offer anything new to the conversation. This kind of book has been written before and will be written again. Hopefully better.
I hope everyone is having good week and looking forward to the Holidays. I'm busy putting together my list of books I want to read in 2017. While reading the last 8 books of 2016.