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jakej's Reviews (94)
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
I prefer Fooled by Randomness, but this is certainly the apotheosis of his ideas. Overlong but I can't really complain since he flat out preemptively says to skip many of the less relevant sections. Would highly recommend reading the 2010 addition with the extended essay at the end, reflecting on the book post-2008.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Drowning in the depths of tragedy. The plot is unfocused and takes a backseat to other elements, but other than that this is amazing. Some of the most beautiful writing I've ever seen.
This is not some debased smut or an attempt to garner sympathy for pedophiles. It is the portrait of one man's excision of his tremulous and rotten heart for all to see.
This is not some debased smut or an attempt to garner sympathy for pedophiles. It is the portrait of one man's excision of his tremulous and rotten heart for all to see.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Very informative as to the inner workings of Enron and how it fell. My only complaint is that it was written too soon: a 10 page epilogue is all the reader gets on the legal aftermath of the bankruptcy.
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So deliberately labyrinthine and excavatory of the deepest recesses of humanity. An absolute masterpiece. DFW uses the short story format in such an interesting way, going beyond mere twist endings and shock value (the standard purview of most short stories) to plunge the reader into a swollen river of ideas only to hoist them back out by their ankles just when they can't take it anymore.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An impressive feat, so ambitious it needed to be spread across two books (ala the Hyperion Cantos).
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Much more recycled content than I expected (which is probably my fault). Obviously from the podcast, but other things as well: the majority of quotes in here are quotes he’s referenced prior, and even some of the podcast episodes are themselves recycled from other Vlogbrothers videos (like Jerzy Dudek).
I enjoyed it regardless, but I would not recommend this to people familiar with the Vlogbrothers unless they’re uber fans.
I felt like this could’ve been much more of an original memoir instead of a repackaging of the podcast. The Googling Strangers chapter is a perfect example of what I wanted out of this book, an absolute gem of a story that weaves together novel autobiographical content and the review itself.
I enjoyed it regardless, but I would not recommend this to people familiar with the Vlogbrothers unless they’re uber fans.
I felt like this could’ve been much more of an original memoir instead of a repackaging of the podcast. The Googling Strangers chapter is a perfect example of what I wanted out of this book, an absolute gem of a story that weaves together novel autobiographical content and the review itself.