Visit from the Goon Squad, A
Egan, JenniferBennie Salazar, an aging music producer and Sasha, his troubled employee are at the centre of a coterie of characters revolving around the New York music industry. Told from multiple points of view and shifting time frames, it captures and examines modern America in all its glory and dysfunction.
Both sad and funny, it is a perceptive and rewarding read highlighting the influence of music and technology in our lives. [Larger font]
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2011.
Comments from Groups
Enjoyed the unusual structure to the book and interwoven lives. ..felt it was a book we could recommend to a lot of different people. Christchurch 299 General opinion was that this is an odd style of writing, a bit difficult to keep track of who is doing what with who. It could be a good book to read in a single sitting. Tauranga 037 Totally divided. The narrative structure proved challenging for some, while others found the form interesting and enlightening. Reefton 001 An interesting insight into different paths that life takes. Highlight for those who read [the book] - powerpoint presentation by 12-year-old daughter and lessons on how to communicate with your teenage children. Katikati 002
Pages
351
351
Year
2010
2010
Reviews
05-11-2021
Very mixed!! Majority disliked - mainly the 'form of narration' and 'jumpyness' of time and complex storylines... Those who liked it, liked it because of those reasons!
05-11-2021
A good example of the "post-modern".
05-11-2021
Mixed responses - some of us loved it, others didn't finish it. I thought it was great!
05-11-2021
Flashes of brilliance in her writing. Not an easy read though - we didn't think the structure of the vignettes really came together. A challenging read.
05-11-2021
An interesting book, with comments from our nine members that ranged from "didn't like it at all", "found it frustrating working out the characters" to "found it interesting and quirky" and "really loved it". At times it's funny then sad; it's a challenging novel if the reader prefers a more traditional style of writing. As a group we had mixed views on whether we would recommend it. This is a book that will only appeal to readers that are prepared to accept that not all novels have a straightforward and chronological plot, as it asks the reader to constantly shift and change.
03-11-2021
An unusual book. Most of the group read it twice, having not enjoyed it or understood it the first time, then loving it the second time. The style was different, but very clever and funny. A few members wrote it off without reading it.
03-11-2021
4 out of 10 members disliked this book. Didn't "get it". The others raved about it! Very polarising!