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on April 6, 2017
What an eye-opening and mind-blowing read. It's a mite slow to start, but once you get going this becomes difficult to put down. The development of Mae as a character is so real, and so good. Honestly there were parts where my jaw would drop due to her decisions. The story is enthralling.
It's just such a shame that people in my age bracket hardly read because if they did read, and they read this book, they might seriously reconsider their desperate dependence on technology and realize the complete idiotic lunacy of their imagined Utopias based around these technologies.
Very thought provoking. I seriously doubt the upcoming film will do this book justice.
It's just such a shame that people in my age bracket hardly read because if they did read, and they read this book, they might seriously reconsider their desperate dependence on technology and realize the complete idiotic lunacy of their imagined Utopias based around these technologies.
Very thought provoking. I seriously doubt the upcoming film will do this book justice.
on May 4, 2017
Made up of three books. First book was very interesting and disturbing. The concept of zero privacy--privacy is bad for the greater good--is frightening, but author walks you through all the reasoning for zero privacy that you would hear today when being justified (e.g., if it saves one life its worth it--if it saves 100's its insane to think otherwise). Like all fiction, you have to disregard certain realities for the story to work. In this case, you had to disregard the greed of other corporations that would surely compete to limit the power/monopoly The Circle had in the story. Book II gets more into the character and starts to get drawn out, repetitive and a bit boring. You're waiting for something more significant as you see the remaining number of pages dwindle and you realize nothing will happen. Book III a couple of pages of disappointment. Seems like author wanted to keep it open to a sequel at the expense of a excellent book and ending.
on May 10, 2017
First of all, don't try to love Mae. One of the most impressive and more intriguing aspects of Mr. Eggers’ writing is that his main character, Mae, seems to be neither protagonist nor antagonist. Mae is a lens through which the reader can observe the changing dystopian world around her while Mae herself is static, apathetic, easily manipulated, and unbelievably self-centered. Not once throughout the entire book does she truly consider anyone else's point of view as she becomes more and more enamored with her own.+
So, don't try to love Mae. All you really need to understand about Mae is that she craves the enthusiastic approval of everyone with whom she comes in contact, especially from those who actually know her. Such approval is her drug of choice when life is overwhelming; and the Circle is more than happy to provide her with ever-increasing doses of applause. The more people follow Mae through the Circle’s social media with positive comments, the more positive followers she craves while the Circle uses her popularity to distract the world from their real agenda. As the Circle feeds her addiction, Mae comes to believe so strongly in the power of the Circle to make the world a paradise that she sacrifices everything to it, including the real people who love her, in order to keep her wildly growing audience of social media followers applauding. So what if paradise is only for those (like Mae) at the top of the Circle while everyone else is enslaved? The more applause she gets, the more Mae believes that the right thing to do is whatever will get her the loudest and most immediate applause.
***SPOILER ALERT! (I’m about to discuss the ending.)***
Some have called the end of the book anticlimactic, and I think that the anti-climax is the point. By the last pages of the book, the voice of reason has been martyred. Mae’s BFF has been sacrificed. Mae’s honest and loving parents have had to flee. Furthermore, the true agenda of the Circle has been revealed! As soon as all humanity is united under an imminently completed Circle system (including banking, healthcare, government, education, and all personal and consumer data), none of the advertised social benefits will matter. One cunning and ruthless man will simply use it to control the entire world - and woe to anyone who resists him in any way. But a hero arises! He sees one last chance to stop this ruthless villain and dismantle this great instrument of tyranny! The hero loves Mae and he believes in her. Mae is now vastly popular and polished while the hero is brilliant but reclusive. So, the hero puts the power to break the Circle into Mae’s hands.
But, if Mae breaks the Circle and its virtual paradise that now has millions of people in awe, who will applaud her for that?
I would love to read a sequel to this story, to see if the Circle can actually be overcome post-completion. Meanwhile, I highly recommend reading this book! It might be much easier to read if you don't try to love Mae.
+ Finding something to satisfy someone ASAP and move on with your day is not the same thing as caring about them. Neither is feeling entitled to know someone else's thoughts.
So, don't try to love Mae. All you really need to understand about Mae is that she craves the enthusiastic approval of everyone with whom she comes in contact, especially from those who actually know her. Such approval is her drug of choice when life is overwhelming; and the Circle is more than happy to provide her with ever-increasing doses of applause. The more people follow Mae through the Circle’s social media with positive comments, the more positive followers she craves while the Circle uses her popularity to distract the world from their real agenda. As the Circle feeds her addiction, Mae comes to believe so strongly in the power of the Circle to make the world a paradise that she sacrifices everything to it, including the real people who love her, in order to keep her wildly growing audience of social media followers applauding. So what if paradise is only for those (like Mae) at the top of the Circle while everyone else is enslaved? The more applause she gets, the more Mae believes that the right thing to do is whatever will get her the loudest and most immediate applause.
***SPOILER ALERT! (I’m about to discuss the ending.)***
Some have called the end of the book anticlimactic, and I think that the anti-climax is the point. By the last pages of the book, the voice of reason has been martyred. Mae’s BFF has been sacrificed. Mae’s honest and loving parents have had to flee. Furthermore, the true agenda of the Circle has been revealed! As soon as all humanity is united under an imminently completed Circle system (including banking, healthcare, government, education, and all personal and consumer data), none of the advertised social benefits will matter. One cunning and ruthless man will simply use it to control the entire world - and woe to anyone who resists him in any way. But a hero arises! He sees one last chance to stop this ruthless villain and dismantle this great instrument of tyranny! The hero loves Mae and he believes in her. Mae is now vastly popular and polished while the hero is brilliant but reclusive. So, the hero puts the power to break the Circle into Mae’s hands.
But, if Mae breaks the Circle and its virtual paradise that now has millions of people in awe, who will applaud her for that?
I would love to read a sequel to this story, to see if the Circle can actually be overcome post-completion. Meanwhile, I highly recommend reading this book! It might be much easier to read if you don't try to love Mae.
+ Finding something to satisfy someone ASAP and move on with your day is not the same thing as caring about them. Neither is feeling entitled to know someone else's thoughts.
on March 6, 2017
Really creepy, and a view into what's happening all around us. I'd recommend reading it before seeing the movie. Most , if not all, of the book is neccessary for the full story you never know what they'll have to leave out
on April 30, 2017
WARNING: spoilers
Dave Eggers has taken current technical trends and pushed them just a few years into the future to weave an imaginative and compelling story. The main premise is that in the process of improving security and promoting good citizenship, a seemingly benign technology company could potentially use information in ways that completely eradicates personal privacy. Eggers builds up the narrative patiently and methodically. Unfortunately, the plot falls short of being a dystopian tale as intended.
Mae, the central character, is clearly chosen to be a puppet in this story because of her youth, naiveté, and underprivileged background. She is also supposedly intelligent yet she behaves like an idiot savant.The other characters are so two-dimensional as to appear cartoonish. The events in the story are purposely exaggerated to create an emotional impact. The exaggerations resonate at such a high pitch, however, that the impact loses any grounding in reality and suspension-of-disbelief does not occur. In addition, the narrative completely ignores the fact that laws and regulations would prevent many of the events from happening as portrayed in the story.
The shark metaphor itself is a brilliant idea but fails the believability test and loses it power.
This is an entertaining book but there are so many holes in the fiber of the story that the overall view is ultimately unsatisfying.
I hope the movie is better.
Dave Eggers has taken current technical trends and pushed them just a few years into the future to weave an imaginative and compelling story. The main premise is that in the process of improving security and promoting good citizenship, a seemingly benign technology company could potentially use information in ways that completely eradicates personal privacy. Eggers builds up the narrative patiently and methodically. Unfortunately, the plot falls short of being a dystopian tale as intended.
Mae, the central character, is clearly chosen to be a puppet in this story because of her youth, naiveté, and underprivileged background. She is also supposedly intelligent yet she behaves like an idiot savant.The other characters are so two-dimensional as to appear cartoonish. The events in the story are purposely exaggerated to create an emotional impact. The exaggerations resonate at such a high pitch, however, that the impact loses any grounding in reality and suspension-of-disbelief does not occur. In addition, the narrative completely ignores the fact that laws and regulations would prevent many of the events from happening as portrayed in the story.
The shark metaphor itself is a brilliant idea but fails the believability test and loses it power.
This is an entertaining book but there are so many holes in the fiber of the story that the overall view is ultimately unsatisfying.
I hope the movie is better.
on April 28, 2017
I think I like Dave Eggers. I've read most of maybe all of his novels, so something keeps me coming back. But so many of them feel like they're just lacking...something. And the Circle is among his worst when it comes to that. This novel could be much shorter and would get just as much across. It also already feels old -- even when it was first published in 2014 it's themes were already a little stale. I guess that's the danger in writing about technology in today's ever-changing world.
Anyway, I don't recommend this one much. What is the What is probably Eggers' best. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius when amazing when written but I fear it hasn't held up well. Zeitoun was okay and I actually enjoyed the much-maligned A Hologram for the King. This one should probably be skipped though.
Anyway, I don't recommend this one much. What is the What is probably Eggers' best. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius when amazing when written but I fear it hasn't held up well. Zeitoun was okay and I actually enjoyed the much-maligned A Hologram for the King. This one should probably be skipped though.
on June 23, 2017
I was really excited to read this book then watch the movie when it came out. Unfortunately I just could not get behind the main character. She was weak, selfish, and kinda one dimensional. She kept making stupid decisions that were frustrating to read, and came off as arrogant and self important when others had a different view than her. I was hoping they'd build her into a likable character in the end that stands up and does the right thing, but unfortunately I never thought that happened. Also, the book got a bit tedious with some of the descriptions of events and things that were happening, which made me want to rush through those parts. Some of the other characters were flat and could have used more dimension. It's such a shame, because the idea behind the book was really interesting and relevant to today's world, especially since I live in San Francisco, where tech and new tech companies are everywhere. I saw the movie got bad reviews as well, so I'm hesitant to even watch that.
on May 9, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book; the plot moved quickly and the language flowed smoothly, even though it was close to 500 pages. There were a few twists to liven things up. That said, I was rather disappointed with the ending. Not to give anything away, but it left me wondering whether the author was pro or against the New World Order. It almost warrants a second volume.
I did feel the characters could have been more developed than they were, and there could have been more and deeper perspective from other characters who opposed the Circle's philosophy. As is, it appears that the entire world, or almost, agrees with and blindly goes along with the Circle's encroaching world domination. Surely that cannot be a credible reality.
Overall, it is an interesting take on how a powerful tech company could (seemingly) easily take over the world.
I did feel the characters could have been more developed than they were, and there could have been more and deeper perspective from other characters who opposed the Circle's philosophy. As is, it appears that the entire world, or almost, agrees with and blindly goes along with the Circle's encroaching world domination. Surely that cannot be a credible reality.
Overall, it is an interesting take on how a powerful tech company could (seemingly) easily take over the world.
on March 7, 2017
I really hated the main character, Mae, and kept waiting and waiting to like her! Without spoiling anything, once the Circle was complete I came to terms with my relationship with her. I'm concerned about this being made into a movie. The ending might not jive with what America expects from its cinema. It was difficult to read at times because it amped me up and gave me great anxiety. I should give it 5 stars, but it made me so anxious at times. This is the first book by Eggers that I have read since I tried to read and didn't care for "Heartbreaking work...". I will read his books again and recommend this one for sure.
Now I'd like to see him tackle a commentary on the world's addiction to sugar!
Now I'd like to see him tackle a commentary on the world's addiction to sugar!
