I really loved (all) of these books and yes, I was tired after I made my through them. And reading these books helps me see with even more clarity that we are all hungry children, hungry for connection (fame, attention, love), all of us vulnerable, all of us tricked and trapped by the allure of all kinds of humans and their creations that aren’t what they appear to be. The title refers to Hansel and Gretal, of course. But I will say that taken together as one long story, both of Egan’s books explore how people are connected personally and collectively and it’s a wild ride into real issues of our (real) times. I recommend this review in the New York Times for a much more thorough discussion. That’s all I’m going to say about the dense and ambitious plot. Decades later, however, the threat of rampant capitalism morphs and humans find themselves grappling with the newest technology of the day (invented by one of the characters in Goon Squad) that connects everyone through memory upload to the collective. Candy House features many of these characters years later (1990s-2030s) as well as their offspring, friends and acquaintances who are again connected in small ways and large. So in a nutshell, Goon Squad featured, “a zig-zagging multigenerational saga centred on a multiplatinum record producer, Bennie Salazar” in the 70s/80s. (All I remembered of the book is that I loved it, but there are way too many characters and events to recall twelve years later.) However, the arc of the whole story is far, deep and wide, and I would have missed all the connections that make the books what they are if I hadn’t re-read Goon Squad first. ![]() Both books feel like a cacaphony of voices-every chapter features a different character and as the story progresses from chapter to to chapter AND book to book, we see more and more connections between them. The Candy HouseĪm I crazy to have read both Goon Squad and Candy House together? Well, yes. And we see the whole story through each of the band members’ eyes as the band grows, as they each grow, and as events unfold from England to Italy to San Francisco.Īs you can tell, I really liked Utopia Avenue and I’d love to know what you think about it if you’re read it. We get to “meet” many of the great celebrities of those times, from Keith Moon to David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin and so many more. Can we change the world in turbulent times, or does the world change us?” “…riots in the streets and revolutions in the head of drugs, thugs, madness, love, sex, death, art of the families we choose and the ones we don’t of fame’s Faustian pact and stardom’s wobbly ladder. ![]() We get to see what England might have been like as the Beatles rose in stardom. One of the best elements is the magical era of 1960s rock ‘n roll coming to life. This review of Utopia Avenue in The Guardian describes the novel perfectly (so I don’t have to!) Basically, this is a book about love for music, the edges of ambition and also, family. Set in 1960s London, we meet four separate and struggling musicians, Dean, Elf, Griff and Jasper, and then the honorable agent-to-be with a keen eye for talent, Levon, who brings them together to form a band called, you guessed it, Utopia Avenue. I agree with one reviewer who said that like Black Swan Green, it’s is a coming of age novel, but in this case a coming of age of a band. ![]() This book is such a wonderful treat! I am a big fan of David Mitchell’s work (loved Cloud Atlas, Number Nine Dream and my favorite Black Swan Green). ![]() But both books require attention and thought as all good art makes us do-and this is all to say that I didn’t write about them here on the blog on time as I intend each month because I simply didn’t have any more bandwidth.īut now, here I am, ready to say just a little something about each novel-and even better, give you a few goo links to real reviews which fill in the details. Both writers use language that flows easily and beautifully. May and June ended up featuring two BIG BOOKS for this little reading project, especially considering the fact that I felt like I had to re-read Egan’s first novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad again because The Candy House is essentially a sequel to it, and it’s true, they do fit together as one story-one VERY long story. And if you want to join me, here are links to places you can find digital and physical books. You can find my thoughts for each of the other books so far for my Read with Me Project page. Today I want to report back on the last two books I haven’t had a chance to talk about yet, Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell and The Candy House by Jennifer Egan.
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