Evocatively Portrayed End of the World...

Well not actually the end of the world, but the end as we know it. In my opinion Emily St. John Mantel writes about a terrifying (and yet wonderful and exciting* in its way) scenario brilliantly. The main characters - who's lives, past and present are intertwined in a series of flash backs and flash forwards - are well portrayed - and I cared about them. For once, an author who writes about "what if" as I think it really might be. Who considers the thoughts and feelings of people caught up in an event as huge as this. Initially numbed and shocked, but later somewhat desensitized. Well thought out consequences from the end of civilization as we recognize it. There are no zombies and only a little scary tension but this stands as one of my favorite books in the post apocalypse genre. Excellent!

I'd love more in this genre from Emily St.JM because she captures it so well.

Jack Hawkins' narration really is excellent - so much so I've started digging around to see what else he has been involved with.

* - As a bit of a misanthrope who despairs at what I see as the overpopulation of Earth by mostly uncaring mankind - at huge cost to the natural world and environment - there IS something uplifting at the idea of a planet with a tiny fraction of our previous numbers. I'm conveniently ignoring the suffering which took place to make the transition to that point.

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17 people found this helpful

What if...

Any additional comments?

Have just finished this a minute ago, and feel compelled to write my first review on here: Deep sigh; deep thoughts; it will stay with me a long while... This story and the narration have rendered me wistful and reflective. I am sad to say goodbye to this book. Survival is definitely not enough...The title and the thought of a post-apolcalyptic sci-fi story made me hesitate at first: Don't judge a book by its title! I'm so glad I ignored my hesitations and listened to this wonderful story - in two days! (My house is immaculate!) The title of course becomes clear in time and is completely fitting.Thoroughly recommended, will leave you thinking...what if...

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17 people found this helpful

Complex, compelling and consuming

The premise of the story is a sudden pandemic that wipes out 99.9% of the population. We follow the stories of some of the survivors in a complex tale of survival, loss and hope. The genius of this story is just how well the stories are interwoven, and there are surprising connections made.

It jumps around time lines and characters but is never confusing and all the characters become compelling in their own way.

It is also done in a surprising economy of words. This story could easily have been twice as long.

The brevity adds to the pull of the story and keeps it absolutely focused on plot.

I have a feeling I won't be able to stop thinking about this for a while.

Highly recommended for fantasy/drama fans or for someone who wants to try something a bit different.

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8 people found this helpful

Brilliant story

I loved the idea of this book and it lived up to my hopes for it. The time shifts meant it was always fresh. Full of menace throughout but ultimately uplifting.

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7 people found this helpful

Unexpectedly different.

Not exactly what I was expecting, but perhaps all the better for it. A very literate take on the fragility of the high-tech life we all take for granted. Could we survive in a post-Apocalyptic world?
The storyline concentrates on the lives of a few characters linked by a death in the first scene which ripples and resonates through the subsequent decades, linked with events on the fictional Station Eleven. I always like Shakespearean references and enjoyed seeing various unrelated strands coming together pleasingly as the tale progressed.
Well-read in a non-jarring way way by Jack Hawkins, I would recommend this novel.

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1 person found this helpful

What a read!!

Simply great. I couldn't stop listening to it. Made me think about many things, like love, art, civilization, friendship & things we normally don't notice cause they simply are, like electricity or transportation. I highly recommend, it's a must for those who enjoy post-apocalyptic literature.

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haunting and superb

this is a wonderful book. a huge disaster told through the lens of a more human scale disaster. it's beautiful and human and complex.

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High Quality Post Apocalype Tale

Where does Station Eleven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Quite high in the post apocalypse genre. It is more subtle and much more tightly structured than most such stories, and more lyrical. The storytelling is elegant and quite satisfying.

Have you listened to any of Jack Hawkins’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have not hear any other performances by Jack Hawkins, but he narrated Station Eleven very well -- I had no trouble finding the individual voices of the characters. I would definitely choose him as a narrator again.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The emotional content of the novel was delivered in a level narrative voice. Even in the action scenes my pulse did not quicken. I associated with the characters but not with a "sit up straight" intensity.

Any additional comments?

I would definitely read more by Emily St John Mandel.

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Great concept

Really enjoyed this story I'm a massive fan for end of the world type stories and this ticked all my boxes it was well thought out and easy to listen to it didn't jump about too much and the narration was easy to listen too! Would recommend definitely!

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Accents

The accents are so off-putting - if you set the book in Canada, just use a narrator with a Canadian accent. Or don’t do accents. Nicely read otherwise but can’t bear the accents.

I wish someone had warned me, would just read it.

I am still early in for the story but seems good so far!

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