Station eleven is a metaphor for the way in which the world has collapsed after the apocalypse and the dream that theyll somehow be able to get home to an undamaged earth. Onstage with arthur is kirsten raymonde, a young girl playing one of lears daughters. About this book an ambitious take on a postapocalyptic world where some strive to preserve art, culture, and kindness. This ambitious story tackles a postapocalyptic world in which a super flu has wiped out the. Mandel, a 35yearold former dancer whose first three novels, released by the small press unbridled books, were all literary noir. Musings on station eleven as i pulled into the last paragraph of emily st. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of station eleven by emily st. I agree with so many peoples sentiments about this book that it wasnt worth the hype. I promised myself i would read it in 2017, and im really glad i finally did. The novel was well received by critics, with praise emphasizing the understated nature of mandels writing. Station eleven contains many explicit references to other works of art, and relies on them heavily for source material. 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.
John mandels novel, station eleven, a shakespearean troupe clings to scraps of civilization after a. This interview contains spoilers for the finale of hulus 11. Sep 06, 2014 station eleven, which comes out on tuesday, is part of a cluster of postapocalyptic novels landing this fall that seem steeped in the anxieties of our era. Station eleven is a book that sat hovering in my peripheral vision for a couple of years. Station eleven summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. John mandel talks station eleven, shakespeare, and sentimentality. I put it down after getting to the last page, went hmmm to myself, and wondered what the point was of the whole thing.
This ambitious story tackles a postapocalyptic world in which a super flu has wiped out the majority of the population. Sep 09, 2014 in this longanticipated followup to station eleven 2014, mandel uses vincents disappearance to pick through the wreckage of alkaitis fraudulent investment scheme, which ripples through hundreds of lives. A flu pandemic wipes out 99% of humanity in this muchtipped novel about memory, art and survival, writes justine jordan. The irony, and indeed the central conceit of the book is that theres no way to get back to what they had before. It is the story of the end of civilization after a virulent flu pandemic wipes out much of life as we know it. You know a book is a slog when youd rather do anything else other than reading it. The loose ends are tied, each character is put to rest and the final few connections come together. The primary example of this is shakespeare, specifically king lear.
Botum probably has slightly better structure over all again, subjective opinion here. 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. Chapters skip back and forth pre and postpandemic and focus on different ch. John mandel on station eleven at the 2016 awp book fair duration. Sep 25, 2014 emily st john mandels station eleven a book that builds cumulative power i n her muchtipped fourth novel, longlisted last week for a us national book award, canadian author emily st john. Sep 12, 2014 for such an epic book, station eleven ends quietly. Station eleven summary from litcharts the creators of. Summary an audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilizations collapse, station eleven. John mandel this is a spoiler page for the book station eleven. John mandel the questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading groups discussion of station eleven, the dazzling new novel by acclaimed author emily st.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in station eleven, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The end is the end, not only of the story, but of your privileged position to be part of it. One night, in a toronto theater, onstage performing the role of king lear, 51yearold arthur leander. Emily st john mandels station eleven a book that builds cumulative power i n her muchtipped fourth novel, longlisted last week for a us national book. Station eleven is mandels fourth book, but it shares plenty with her third outing, the lola quartet. The importance of art to society in station eleven in emily st john mandels 2014 science fiction, dystopian novel station eleven, a majority of the world is deceased due to the georgiaflu pandemic spread unknowingly by a passenger on a flight from russia to the united states causing an apocalyptic world. John mandel and this years red deer reads community book club winning title. 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.
John mandels fourth novel station eleven recently made the national book awards shortlist for fiction. Station eleven joins falls crop of dystopian novels the. Station eleven preserves art after the apocalypse in emily st. Station eleven is the fourth book by american novelist emily st. If you loved station eleven, try reading these 9 books, too. No more social media, no more scrolling through litanies of dreams and nervous hopes and photographs of lunches, cries for help and expressions of contentment and relationshipstatus updates with heart icons whole or broken, plans to meet up later, pleas, complaints, desires, pictures of babies dressed as bears or peppers for halloween. Thematically, mandel borrows from the tragedy, and she also stages two production of the play within her novel, one before and one after the collapse. Oct 09, 2014 in station eleven, end of the world feels fine. Find books like station eleven from the worlds largest community of readers. Olivia, an octogenarian painter who invested her retirement. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Yes, this is book about the end of the world as we know it, yes, this is a book. Eleven asks what its like at the end and captain lonagan says its like waking up from a dream.
Station eleven starts like any postapocalyptic book, with the obligatory deadly flu that empties the earth. So even though station eleven is a novel in a overly popular genre it makes for a very different, captivating read. John mandels fourth novel, station eleven, begins with a spectacular end. This is a spoiler page for the book station eleven. The novel is generally categorized as science fiction, due to its postapocalyptic setting and themes. 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. Set in the days of civilizations collapse, station eleven tells. The end of actor, arthur leander, and the end of the world in the form of a fastacting flulike virus. In station eleven the author obviously manipulates time all over the place. It is the story of the end of civilization after a. John mandels postapocalyptic novel station eleven, i flipped to the last page to confirm i was nearing the end, trying to concentrate on every word and how it felt to read it because everything was about to change. Sep 25, 2014 once in a very long while a book becomes a brand new old friend, a story you never knew you always wanted. The pursuit and the versions miranda went through before settling on this one. The twistthe thing that makes station eleven national book award.
Sep 09, 2014 station eleven npr coverage of station eleven by emily st. The lead role is played by arthur leander, an aging hollywood actor minutes from his death. Feb 09, 2015 if you loved station eleven, try reading these 9 books, too. The novel station eleven is dominated by six main characters who all connected to each other as well as the secondary characters. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. I just finished station eleven for a book club im a part of outside of the reddit verse. The questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading groups discussion of station eleven, the dazzling new novel by acclaimed author emily st.
Station eleven is actually a book about endings, so its not surprising it left me pondering these things. 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. Scott steindorff lands film and tv rights to the postapocalyptic drama. At the end when tanya gave arthur a chocolate and then he had said that maybe he ate something bad and felt a bit sick i figured, well maybe he was poisoned.
Station eleven is an adult post apocalypticdystopian novel written by emily st. John mandels novel, station eleven, a shakespearean troupe clings to scraps of civilization after a deadly pandemic. C1 is the beginning of the collapse c2 is the ending of the collapse the making of the museum so the author basically jumbles around events. Station eleven is a novel that resonated with a number of readers, and there are many different reasons to love it.
This means that nothing is held back about the book here. Station eleven joins falls crop of dystopian novels. Although there are many tense and intriguing moments, the plot is not presented in a linear way. Goodreads members who liked station eleven also liked. It appeared on several endofyear lists as one of the best novels of 2014. Station eleven study guide contains a biography of emily st. Theres paul, vincents half brother, a composer and addict in recovery. One night, in a toronto theater, onstage performing the role of king.
John mandel, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Bestseller station eleven acquired by jane got a gun. Station eleven is set in a familiar genre universe, in which a pandemic has destroyed civilization. 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. Station eleven opens during a production of shakespeares king lear in toronto. They all carry, imo, a similar amount of depth and character exploration. I read station eleven in may and june, and these are my thoughts. Unlike most books you have read station eleven has no true climax. Entertainment weekly an audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilizations collapse, station eleven tells the spellbinding. I thought the ending of the book was one of stephen kings best, but changing stephen. Producer scott steindorff has acquired film and tv rights to emily st. The question and answer section for station eleven is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
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