During act 4 of a production of king lear in toronto, arthur leander playing the lead role stumbles around on stage with three young girls, one of whom is kirsten raymonde. The book is called station eleven and the author is emily st john mandel. Station eleven is about all of these things, but none of them fully capture the magic of the book, which is. They all carry, imo, a similar amount of depth and character exploration. John mandel and im actually quite surprised by how enjoyable it was, especially considering that i bought this book on a whim two days ago without knowing anything about it whatsoever. Inside are the husks of the dead occupants, and august searches for tv guides while kirsten searches for a book called dear v. Station eleven is a truly haunting book, one that is hard to put down and a pleasure to read. Books are highly valuable in their many different forms in the postcollapse world. Now that youve read the entire novel, go back and reread the. John mandels 2014 novel is the velvet elvis of postapocalyptic books, a surprisingly different form than usual with a style all its own. John mandels fourth novel station eleven recently made the national book awards shortlist for fiction.
For example, the title of the book comes from a set of unpublished comic books called station eleven, which turn up in the unlikeliest places throughout the story. Reading through station 11, i am still not entirely sure why some novels eg book of the unnamed midwife are genre fiction while station 11 or the road get shelved as literary. She carries with her a set of graphic novels called station eleven that arthur. Sep 15, 2014 station eleven is a complex, eerie novel about the years before and after a pandemic that eliminates most of humanity, save for a troupe of actors and a few traumatized witnesses. Station eleven isnt your usual apocalyptic or postapocalyptic novel. Set in the days of civilizations collapse, station eleven tells.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Steindorff also produced jon favreau s chef last year. Station eleven study guide contains a biography of emily st. Sep 14, 2014 also in the bag are two much read issues of a comicbook series featuring a character called dr. A tough us air force officer and a skeptical scientist investigate ufo and alien conspiracies as cold war paranoia spreads. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in station eleven, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Station eleven jeevans understanding of disaster preparedness was based entirely on action movies, but on the other hand, hed seen a lot of action movies. Jeevan called laura on his sixth trip through the store, but his call went to voicemail. Finding a book when youve forgotten its title the new york. Jun 20, 2015 station eleven has been a best seller. Tries to catch arthur when he is falling and makes him want to be a paramedic. Station eleven is a magnificent, compulsive novel that cleverly turns the notion of a kinder, gentler time on its head. On a snowy night in toronto, movie star arthur leander has a heart attack onstage while playing the title character in shakespeares king lear. A flu pandemic wipes out 99% of humanity in this muchtipped novel. This is an update of a previous post by sharon rickson. It can be tough to remember the title and author of a book you read a long time ago. Station elevens apocalypse is wrought by the georgia flu, a virulent disease that races across the planet, kills within hours and wipes out 99% of the worlds population.
The novel takes place in the great lakes region after a fictional swine flu pandemic, known as the georgia flu, has devastated the world, killing most of the population. He could be described as pretentious and selfabsorbed. Female, gives kirsten a paper weight, affair with arthur. Station eleven is an adult post apocalypticdystopian novel written by emily st. No doubt the authors lack of interest in eliciting conventional responses helps explain her national book award nomination, but this is not one of the years bolder or more soulplumbing books. John mandel, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Station eleven by emily st john mandel themes, characters, tips for study. Doug knoop, the seattle times mandels spectacular, unmissable new novel is set in a nearfuture dystopia, after most seriously, 99. Eleven graphic novels, and she maintains a collection of tabloid clippings. Station eleven study guide literature guide litcharts. Unlike most books you have read station eleven has no true climax. The novel station eleven is dominated by six main characters who all connected to each other as well as the secondary characters. And, oh, the pleasure of falling down the rabbit hole of mandels imagination a dark, shimmering place rich in alarmingly real detail and. The story isnt a linear one and alternates, without any.
Postapocalyptic literary science fiction was one way i have heard it described, and also pastoral science fiction and i here adopt both descriptions. This study guide consists of approximately 79 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of station eleven. Throughout the novel he was married to three women and is often. John mandels the glass house reimagines a world thrown off its axis by financial collapse. But, what really made this book for me was the gorgeous writingthis is a highly quotable book. Clarke award in 2015 the novel was well received by critics, with praise emphasizing the understated nature of. Bestseller station eleven acquired by jane got a gun. Also in the bag are two much read issues of a comicbook series featuring a character called dr. The book was also a finalist for the penfaulkner award in fiction in 2015 and the national book award in fiction in 2014.
Check out selected results from nypl title quest 2019, held august 2, 2019, as well as title quest 2018. Station eleven is the kind of book that speaks to dozens of the readers in me the hollywood devotee, the comic book fan, the cult junkie, the love lover, the disaster tourist. This is my second favourite book in the entire vcaa english study design. Years in the future, a band of actors called the symphony travels throughout the postapocalyptic landscape to perform shakespeare for settlements. John mandel this study guide consists of approximately 79 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of station eleven. The novel is generally categorized as science fiction, due to its postapocalyptic setting and themes. Station eleven is the kind of book that speaks to dozens of the readers in methe hollywood devotee, the comic book fan, the cult junkie, the love lover, the disaster tourist. Clarke award, the toronto book award, and the morning news tournament of books, among other awards finalist for a national book award and the penfaulkner award longlisted for the baileys prize formerly the orange prize, the impac dublin award, and the andrew carnegie medal for excellence in fiction. Station eleven by emily st john mandel lisas study. Chapters skip back and forth pre and postpandemic and focus on different ch. Printed text is extremely important within station eleven.
Jan 01, 2015 reading through station 11, i am still not entirely sure why some novels eg book of the unnamed midwife are genre fiction while station 11 or the road get shelved as literary. On one side of the timeline are the survivors, mainly a traveling troupe of musicians and actors and a stationary group stuck for years in an airport. She demonstrates an exceptional aptitude for writing, and matthias, for a time, indulges her with reed pens, papyri, and other 16 c. Station eleven is the fourth book by american novelist emily st. Station eleven author pens brilliant follow up the bookseller. Also in the bag are two much read issues of a comic book series featuring a character called dr. And, oh, the pleasure of falling down the rabbit hole of mandels imagination a dark, shimmering place rich in alarmingly real detail and peopled with such human, such very appealing characters. John mandel, opens with a famous actor, arthur leander, playing king lear on stage. With aidan gillen, michael malarkey, laura mennell, ksenia solo. The book is called station eleven and the author is emily st johnmore i just set down one of the best books i have ever read. Although there are many tense and intriguing moments, the plot is not presented in a linear way. But book awards and paperback releases are a thing of the. Picador has acquired a new novel from station eleven writer emily st.
Feb 09, 2015 station eleven imagines that the world as we know it has been destroyed utterly, irrevocably, and swiftly by the outbreak of the so called georgia flu. When he collapses, a paramedic in training jumps up onto stage to. Station eleven is a complex, eerie novel about the years before and after a pandemic that eliminates most of humanity, save for a troupe of actors and a. Guided only by the graphic novel called station eleven given to her by leander before his death, she sets off on an arduous journey toward the museum of civilization, which is housed in a disused. Ana is the daughter of matthias, head scribe to herod antipas, tetrarch of galilee. It won several major awards, was an npr books concierge pick, and its just come out in paperback. An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilizations collapse, station eleven tells the spellbinding story of a hollywood star, his wouldbe. If you have read or are planning to read station eleven by emily st john mandel with your book club which we would highly recommend, take these questions along to get your discussion started. Days later, a massive epidemic called the georgia flu wipes out most of the earths population. Station eleven imagines that the world as we know it has been destroyed utterly, irrevocably, and swiftly by the outbreak of the so called georgia flu. Finding a book when youve forgotten its title the new. And its biggest scares come early, without much followthrough. Sep 25, 2014 station eleven is a magnificent, compulsive novel that cleverly turns the notion of a kinder, gentler time on its head. Botum probably has slightly better structure over all again, subjective opinion here.
Station eleven offers suspense and science fiction, but it. I was expecting to be disappointed because of all the hype about this book being released in a digital format first. This word is most commonly used as an adjective, but in station eleven, emily st. Eleven, a physicist who lives on a space station after escaping an alien takeover of earth. John mandels station eleven, an apocalyptic novel about a world just like our own that, much as our own might, dissolves after a new strain of influenza. Arthur leander is the first character we are introduced to in the novel, a famous actor. Aug 18, 2016 station elevens apocalypse is wrought by the georgia flu, a virulent disease that races across the planet, kills within hours and wipes out 99% of the worlds population. Clarke award, which is given for the best science fiction novel in the united kingdom, and the toronto book award in the same year. Chapters skip back and forth pre and postpandemic and focus on different characters. Sep 09, 2014 2014 national book award finalist a new york times bestseller an audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilizations collapse, station eleven tells the spellbinding story of a hollywood star, his wouldbe savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the great lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
Station eleven is a novel that resonated with a number of readers, and there are many different reasons to love it. Mandels first three novels were classified as crime novels or thrillers, and so she wrote station eleven in part to escape from being pigeonholed into one generic category. This ambitious story tackles a postapocalyptic world in which a super flu has wiped out the majority of the population. Equal parts pageturner and poem entertainment weekly, the novel is. Nov 22, 2017 finding a book when youve forgotten its title by gwen glazer, communications november 22, 2017. Finding a book when youve forgotten its title by gwen glazer, communications november 22, 2017. Sep 09, 2014 the story concerns the before and after of a catastrophic virus called the georgia flu that wipes out most of the worlds population. The question and answer section for station eleven is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Childhood and marriage and violence and comic books. He started with water, filled one of the oversized shopping carts with as many cases and bottles as he could fit. Clarke award, was a finalist for the national book award and penfaulkner award, was an amazon best book of the month, and was named one of the best books of the year by more than a dozen publications. John mandels novel, station eleven, a shakespearean troupe clings to scraps of civilization after a deadly pandemic. John mandels station eleven sensitively explores the dynamics of. If you loved station eleven, try reading these 9 books, too.
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