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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Book Review

Reasons For Reading This Book:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  came recommended to me by my mom. I can't remember exactly what made her recommend it but she enjoyed it and thought I would too. When recommending it she told me that the plot involved a pandemic which resulted in an apocalyptic-like world. I have a history of either really liking or strongly disliking books revolving around a pandemic, knowing this I went into it with an open mind.

Content of This Book:

During a production of King Lear, Hollywood actor Arthur Leander had a heart attack on stage. Kirsten Raymonde, a child actor in the production has never forgot this night. This is also the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrives in the city. Civilization as we know it has come to an end within weeks of the pandemic. It is now twenty years later and Kirsten is traveling between settlements with a small troupe of actors and musicians. The troupe, The Traveling Symphony, are dedicated to bringing the arts to those still alive. After arriving in St. Deborah by the Water, the troupe is met by a violent prophet who threatens to harm and disband The Traveling Symphony. The story is told through past and present accounts of life before and after the pandemic by varying narrators. But the underlying question is what connects them all to one another. 

What I Liked About This Book:

The main thing that I liked about this book is that the author did not skim on details. I never felt as though there were missing pieces to the plot or the world that they created. I was always satisfied with the level of detail given. The plot point that I enjoyed the most was the preparation and beginning of the pandemic. I was most interested in how citizens reacted, prepped, and there choice on whether to stay put or leave. At times I was really wanted the author to switch back to that narration because I found it the most interesting. This is even a comment I made to my mom while reading and she reassured me that that narration would switch back. The next praise I will give the author is their ability to develop characters that were so different in all ways that it made for a full-picture point of view of the society because each character had lived a vastly different experience in the pre and post-pandemic world. Going along with this, the characters' narrations also have varying tones and voice so it was easy to know which chapter was which without the headers. Now onto the plot points that I enjoyed. From the beginning I had no clue where the plot was going to go since the world had been in this state for so long that I did not know what the state of society would be like at the conclusion of the book. Either way I was not favoring a return to pre-pandemic or remaining in the world the way it was post-pandemic. As a reader who loves to make connections between characters, I loved that there was some connections between the characters/narrators. The last thing I would give compliments to is the way the author switched between narrators and timeframes effortlessly. It never felt choppy and the transition from one to another was intentional and helped in the progression of the plot. I did not know how I would feel about this book, but as my mom thought, I did enjoy my time reading it. It produced a lot of thoughts in me about pandemics and the rise and fall of society/civilization. A reason I can see my mom liking this book is because of the theme of King Lear and Shakespeare that was weaved into the plot from beginning to end. I am not as familiar with King Lear or Shakespeare as she is, but I can still appreciate the literary references and running theme. 


What I Disliked About This Book:

One of my main complaints about this book is that each narrators' section involved a lot of side characters. This became overwhelming at times because there were so many characters to each track of. My mom did suggest making a physical or mental note about one characteristic or detail about each character so it was easier to remember then when the were brought up again. In saying that, I also preferred certain side characters and stories more than others but see how each added to the plot as a whole, so I can appreciate the author's choice to include them. One other dislike I have is at times it felt like the author stayed in one character's narration for too long and resulted in me wanting to learn more about another character or plot point. This is more of a personal opinion and I can see not all readers feeling the same. Without spoiling the ending, I was satisfied with the conclusion, but can also see some readers wanting more or not feeling justified in how it ended. 


Would I Recommend This Book?

I enjoyed this book for what it was, but there are not many people in my life who I would intentionally recommend it to. I know that other readers and readers of my blog would also enjoy it and appreciate it as much as I did. Overall I would recommend this book.

Check out my book reviews for 2024!!


Check out my book reviews for 2023!!

Horse by Geraldine Brooks  
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Hester by Laurie Pico Albanese
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Environmental and Sustainability Book Reviews 2022
Self-Improvement Book Reviews 2022
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Not All Diamonds and Rosé by Dave Quinn
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham 
Girls With Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman
Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton
The Summer Series by Jenny Han
A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard
The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives by Brian Moylan
Verity by Colleen Hoover
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart 
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Majesty: American Royals 2 by Kathrine McGree
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Check out my book reviews for 2021!!

2021 Book Rankings

Beach Read By Emily Henry
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Educated by Tara Westover
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins 
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins 
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Klara and the Sun 
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
American Duchess by Karen Harper 
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Girl With No Job by Claudia Oshry
Down the Habit Hole by Holly Madison Book Review
My Story by Elizabeth Smart
Layla by Colleen Hoover

Check out my book reviews for 2020!!

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