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Here we can discuss our group read for the month: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot related surprises.

Posts should be exclusively about this book.

When you've finished, be sure to post in the July challenge: I finished! thread.

I LOVED this book!! I read it two years ago (for the Popsugar Challenge, book with a number in the title!) so I don't know if I remember enough to really participate in a conversation now. I found it to be completely riveting, and it felt very real to me. I've since seen some reviews complaining that it wasn't believable, and that wasn't my take at all. While I was reading it, I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction. I also found it really hopeful and uplifting, and the ending was very satisfying.

from my review:
One of the many things I loved about this book was how it reflects on modern society, the things we will miss, the things that are ridiculous, the things that we take for granted.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but my daughter encouraged me (we're doing the challenge together) as she had already read it. I am not a fan of dystopian novels, having a hard enough time feeling we are already living in one. To my surprise, I very much liked this book. It was intelligently written, incorporated Shakespeare, and had a very hopeful ending. It was a good choice for a monthly challenge.

I didn't even read the description for this book before I started reading it. I saw the name and put it on my library list and picked it up. That's uncommon for me to start a book without knowing at least a little about what it's about. Dystopian novels are something I generally have to prepare myself for and not knowing that was what I was getting myself into was a shock at first. The writing was good so after my initial hesitation I dove straight in. I really ended up enjoying it.

The author does a good job of bringing things together without it feeling contrived, for the most part. The storyline is fairly smooth. It takes an artist to put so many threads out there and bring them all together. All in all I would recommend this book. It wasn't perfect but it was well written and an enjoyable story.

Those of you who haven't read this book are so lucky -- you get to read it for the first time now! I read it just before Christmas 2014 and still remember it well. My daughter urged me to read it and I reluctantly agreed because I don't usually enjoy dystopian novels. I enjoyed this one! Here's how my GR review starts:

"Wow. Turn off your phone and get comfortable, because you will not want to be interrupted during Part One of this book. After that, plan some distractions � the book is still compelling (I kept thinking about it even when I wasn’t actually reading it), but you’ll need a break from the intensity of it. "

Enjoy!

LOVED this book. Way more than I thought I would. (view spoiler)[ Glad to have it NOT tie up in a pretty bow. I'm a little burned out on nice happy endings every time. (hide spoiler)]

Also, though this is fantastical, I'm a bit unnerved by just how possible this premise could be. Yipes.

Loved this book! Often Dystopian Fiction starts to flirt too heavily with Science or Fantasy Fiction. I like both of those genres so I'm OK with that, however I REALLY enjoyed Station 11 at the same time being terrified at the realism. Being from Toronto I had the added layer of knowing intimately what some of the buildings and locations look, feel and smell like. I'm sure this added to how much I could envision the settings, and yet that could not have been accomplished without fantastic descriptive writing to back up my personal experiences.

I read this book earlier this summer because it was recommended to me. I counted it as my "book from a used book store" because I got it at a library book sale. It's brilliant. I've read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction, and this one stands out both for its new idea and its realistic premise. I read this a few months ago and still think about characters and scenes from the book. I am a Midwestern girl, so I recognized a lot of the places they were, which added to my interest in the book, but as the women from Toronto said, the description was great, so you don't need to have "really been there".

Hard to talk about this without spoilers, so for now I'll just say -- enjoy the adventure.

This book intrigued me from the time I read the back blurb all the way through the final page. Any book able to incorporate Shakespeare and a dystopian society so effectively has my absolute respect. This is a real winner!

Picking up tomorrow!! Can't wait especially since I totally missed out on June's, my book didn't even come yet!

Devoured it in 2 days. Absolutely fell in love with the characters and found myself flipping between the sections to confirm suspicious, and check the connections which were so well woven!

Kim wrote: "This book intrigued me from the time I read the back blurb all the way through the final page. Any book able to incorporate Shakespeare and a dystopian society so effectively has my absolute respec..."

Shakespeare AND Star Trek!!! Not two things I would expect together, but it worked :-)

I like the book too, but I would love to read the comic books written by Miranda.

Fannie wrote: "I like the book too, but I would love to read the comic books written by Miranda."

Yes!

I loved this book so much, I wish I could read it for the first time again. I thought the author was great at tying everything together, but in a way that felt more realistic. One of my favourites from this year.

Just put a hold on this book from my library. I kept seeing this book but not choosing it because the description said it was about a group of actors. After reading all your input, I'll give it a try.

I have owned this book since it was released in paperback- got it as a Xmas gift I tried starting it once, and gave up quickly. Hopefully this time it will hold my interest and I'll be in the proper 'head space' for it! --Jen from Quebec :0)

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but not enough to call it amazing or put it on an all-time favorites list. I thought a lot about what I would do in a similar situation - if I would survive, and how, and what would happen after the initial event. Would I find a permanent place to settle? Would I wander abandoned cities looking for something I could never quite find?

The writing was excellent, but I do wish there had been more about the actual comic books. I realize that wasn't the focus of the book; the relationships and connections between the characters were compelling, but I found myself wanting the comic books to create some kind of deeper connection to the world the author described so richly. Almost a story-within-a-story; I felt the author really could have taken it to the next level to have the comics more prominently featured. I did enjoy how the timeline progressed jumping between chronological flashbacks and the progression of the present action.

I felt quite divided about this book. I liked and at the same time thought the book too centered around King Lear with the metaphoric central character (Arthur Leander) taking up too much space. I would have wished the book was less centered on him embodying King Lear in our modern times showing the woes of our present world and more on other characters, like Jeevan or even Tyler, but then it would be a very different book. Altogether it was an original and well-written book even if not exactly the type I usually read. And it wrapped up with hope after a long desolated walk through hopelessness. So I'll round it up to four stars even if sometimes I found it too sad and too slow paced.

I gave this book four stars. I enjoyed the story but at the same time wanted more and less if that makes sense. There were some things that I wish there was more of and at the same time wanted less of others. All in all it was a good book, it really makes you think about how quickly our world can change.

I adore this book. I am all about the grimdark dystopias, but I love Station Eleven precisely because it is one of the most hopeful post-apocalyptic novels I've read. It's about what we hold on to during the darkest times, and how we can build a life worth living under the strangest and most difficult of circumstances, which is the the kind of book it's good to have on hand these days.

I read the book knowing very little about it. Probably what helped me the most was re-reading the first couple of chapters to see what I had missed the first time.

I have been going back to the first few chapters and re-reading things to see how so much of the story was established so early on! --Jen from Quebec :0)

I seriously loved this book. And I was disappointed when it got chosen for this month because I've had Kindred downloaded on my Kindle for a while and voted for that. Boy, am I glad I decided to read this anyway! I knew nothing about it, but it's definitely my favorite monthly read that we've picked so far. I read a lot of dystopian novels--everything from Divergent to The Road. I felt like this landed perfectly in the middle of the genre. It was realistic and the writing was fantastic, but without being horrific and depressing. Some of the chapters about the immediate aftermath the pandemic scared me!

My only issue with the story was (view spoiler)[that I felt like the Prophet storyline got wrapped up too quickly. There was so much buildup to us realizing that the Prophet was actually Tyler, but then he just got killed by that kid quickly and everyone forgot about him. I also would've liked to know what happened to Elizabeth. (hide spoiler)]

I'm really enjoying this, started it yesterday!

Rachel wrote: "I seriously loved this book. And I was disappointed when it got chosen for this month because I've had Kindred downloaded on my Kindle for a while and voted for that. Boy, am I glad I decided to re..."

Don't neglect to read Kindred! I'm about 60% of the way through it now and it's gripping! Highly recommended.

I voted for it too, and I'm reading it for the monthly challenge because I've already read Station Eleven, which I loved as well.

Mike wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I seriously loved this book. And I was disappointed when it got chosen for this month because I've had Kindred downloaded on my Kindle for a while and voted for that. Boy, am I glad ..."

Good! I'm glad you liked it! I fully intend on reading it soon anyway.

Katie wrote: "Devoured it in 2 days. Absolutely fell in love with the characters and found myself flipping between the sections to confirm suspicious, and check the connections which were so well woven!"

I devoured it in 2 days as well. I wasn't looking forward to this book and now all I can say is Thank you! to those of you who voted for it. So good.

I loved all the different story lines and how they tied together. I can completely believe this is our future, this is how it ends for us. Someone earlier in this thread said [this book is}, "the most hopeful post-apocalyptic novels I've read." and I completely agree. (view spoiler)[I loved the parallels between different aspects of the book, King Lear & the Shakespeare plays put on by the traveling symphony, Station Eleven & Year 20, Miranda & Kirstin,

Some questions I still have: Who is V? What happened to Elizabeth? Will Jeevan and Kirstin ever meet? (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

I cannot tell you just how much I loved this book! It is way outside what I would normally read - not a dystopian, sci fi, or even fantasy reader, but proves two things: 1. genre slots are all too often misleading (Station Eleven really does not just slot into a single genre, and 2) write a beautiful, thrilling, entertaining book and any one will read and enjoy it.

I found the writing so beautiful. The structure of the narrative was unexpected, yet as a result it gave the book an ebb and flow that not only kept the story moving but eased the emotional impact.

Having finished, I find myself going back and rereading sections, tracing different references through the narrative. It's definitely living with me.

It's funny, I misread or misunderstood some of the previous posts mentioning going back to reread earlier chapters as being for clues. So I went to the very end waiting for some big plot twist or reveal, not that it isn't engaging or surprising but it was not as I expected. Overall I enjoyed the book. I found it reminiscent of Atwood's dystopias in the realism and focus on human and social interactions and nature. Being a huge Atwood fan, particularly of her speculative fiction, I really loved it!

I really, really liked this book in the end. Ultimately, I feel the message of this book is about the *importance of language* in the world of we silly little humans. Anyone else think this? --Jen from Quebec :0)

Jennifer Lynn wrote: "I really, really liked this book in the end. Ultimately, I feel the message of this book is about the *importance of language* in the world of we silly little humans. Anyone else think this? --Jen ..."

Jen, I read this book when it first came out, so it's been awhile, but I still hear the traveling theater's motto in my mind, "Survival is insufficient." I understood it as the idea that we need to meet more than our basic needs, we also need culture, to express and understand ourselves through the arts -- and language is certainly a part of that.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I listened to it as an audiobook and I honestly think I would have enjoyed it more if I read it in its physical form. I enjoyed the overall story, however by the end I still had unanswered questions.

I read this book in 4 days (including on my phone during bathroom breaks at work!). I couldn't put it down.

Initially I was intrigued how everything fit together and the payoff was beautiful on that front.

It also really freaked me out. It's the first week of the summer holidays here so the public transport is much emptier than normal. Reading this at the same time kind of freaked me out. and I'm going to say it right here. I don't want to survive the apocalypse!

Rachel wrote: "...I'm going to say it right here. I don't want to survive the apocalypse! ..."

Me, neither!

I enjoyed this book and that surprised me since it is not a typical Karla read. Grateful for this group and for the stretch. Reading it gave me new eyes for the everyday things I often take for granted and made me want to snuggle with my loved ones even more.

A...MAZING!!!! Just fantastic.

While most of the dystopian novels I've read have had some sort of political uprising (V for Vendetta, 1984, The Handmaid's Tale), this one is different because it's a virus that changes the face of civilisation, which means there's no one way of living or prescribed laws and politics. Instead, there are pockets of existence, living in a different ways. This brought a different kind of danger to the book, and a different type of survival.

All in all, a great read - highly recommended!!