Overall Rating of "Station Eleven"

Discuss the March 2017 Book of the Month, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
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MsMartha
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Re: Overall Rating of "Station Eleven"

Post by MsMartha »

I'm really enjoying these ratings. Readers are making interesting comments, and a lot of us really like this book--how about 4 out of 4 stars for the ratings?
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Post by Momlovesbooks »

I'm just now reading this one. I've been looking forward to it for awhile now. I've seen a few comments about how it didn't quite meet certain expectations. The storyline still seems interesting, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy it. I'll be posting later when I've finished reading.
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Post by Scerakor »

I found that Station-Eleven was one of the few "post-apocalyptic" (and I use the words in quotes here as most of the book does in fact deal with before the apocalypse) which is borderline pure literary fiction as well. It was well done and did keep me thinking/reading the whole way, but unfortunately for me the only downside is that the story really didn't go anywhere. Between page one and the last page, very little happened in the post-apocalypse storyline. That being said, I absolutely loved the dancing story lines and character paths who eventually converged at the very end.
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Post by gali »

I started it this week and wasn't drawn in. It started well enough, but then began to lose steam. It just didn't interest me enough to want to finish it, and I had to force myself reading it. I didn't enjoy the book, so decided to quit it.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

I'll go with three stars. Interesting characters but I feel like the overall plot isn't that different for the genre. I didn't find it that much different than other survival stories in similar settings. Can't really pin down exactly why I feel this way. Maybe after some time (just finished it last night), I'll have a better notion.
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Post by greekgirl71 »

Was not a fan of this book. It was very hard to get involved in. I think the final five chapters was when I started enjoying it. I am a big fan of dystopia fiction and felt like this was a let down.
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Post by dbrooks8109 »

I liked this book but I felt underwhelmed at times, especially at the end. I feel like it took me a while to finish it because I kept getting distracted by other things and it didn't hold my attention at the end. It had a really interesting story line though and I would be interested in reading more by this author.
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Post by kio »

I rated it a 3. It was imaginative and I liked the characters enough, but couldn't really get into it.
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Post by Kitkat3 »

I rated it 4 stars. I think it was well written. It was not at all what I was expecting when I first started reading. That was one of my favorite things about it; it was not the stereotypical post-apocalyptic novel. Station Eleven's points about life and its purpose and beauty really rung true with me. However, I finished it with almost a sense of disappointment. I don't know if it was because I was expecting something else or just because it caused mixed emotions for me. I will recommend it, but I will certainly let people know that it is a heavy read. I also didn't like how I could see what was happening in parts. I liked how it all came together, but it seemed a little too predictable. I like how she describes Miranda looking out the window and watching the guy in the red shirt while she talks to Arthur after he has lost his mother. Mandel reminds me of Hemingway in how she describes the way her characters are feeling without spelling it out. The resolution of the book also reminds me of Hemingway. I personally don't like his works, but I appreciate him as a writer and can see the beauty in his writing style. She has accomplished a completely different type of novel with an intriguing story, well developed characters, and an artfully depicted world. I would say that in many ways this book was successful.
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Post by jhollan2 »

I loved this book! The way everything was all woven together past to present was so interesting and the writing was truely beautiful. Like The Walking Dead, what interested me most was that other people are both the best and the worst things out there.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

gali wrote:I started it this week and wasn't drawn in. It started well enough, but then began to lose steam. It just didn't interest me enough to want to finish it, and I had to force myself reading it. I didn't enjoy the book, so decided to quit it.
It's interesting that you say this because I had read the book a while ago (2-3 years ago?), and I remember kind of enjoying it, but not loving the story. Nonetheless, I was willing to revisit for this month's discussion, but every time I tried to read a couple of pages, I felt like I was back in high school reading a required book that didn't interest me. After a few attempts in this fashion, I decided to not give it a re-read and move on to something more appealing to me.
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Post by bookowlie »

hsimone wrote:
gali wrote:I started it this week and wasn't drawn in. It started well enough, but then began to lose steam. It just didn't interest me enough to want to finish it, and I had to force myself reading it. I didn't enjoy the book, so decided to quit it.
It's interesting that you say this because I had read the book a while ago (2-3 years ago?), and I remember kind of enjoying it, but not loving the story. Nonetheless, I was willing to revisit for this month's discussion, but every time I tried to read a couple of pages, I felt like I was back in high school reading a required book that didn't interest me. After a few attempts in this fashion, I decided to not give it a re-read and move on to something more appealing to me.
I have to agree with both of you. I am finding it a struggle to get through as if it was a required read for school. Still, I am sticking with it because I want to find out what happens. The fact that many people hear liked it a lot makes me think it will get better as the story progesses.
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Post by Momlovesbooks »

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It is character driven, without all the action of a typical apocalyptic novel. The characters have depth and are connected in unique ways. I liked the author's writing style. However, I did feel like the ending left me wanting to know more. I haven't read anything else by this author, but look forward to reading other books.
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Post by Harsh99 »

I'm thinking about reading it. I've heard a lot of good things about it and have nothing to spend my Amazon gift cards on. Everybody's rating it 3 or 4, so I wonder how can everybody like it? It's really got me intrigued.
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Post by Jessica Samuelsen »

I haven't read this book yet. It's in the que.
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