I'll Sleep When I've Read... Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I started this on Thursday night/early Friday morning just enough to get the blurbs for the Book Beginnings/Friday 56 post.

 Once I truly got into it, I had a hard time putting it down for long. 

Yes, I read past my bedtime ... and woke up early to continue.

I grabbed this from my library shortly after seeing the trailer for the upcoming series on HBOMax. I am now worried that, much like Lovecraft Country, the series will be a huge disappointment and they won't come close to capturing the magic of the book. 

Would it have felt the same and read the same if I had read it when first released in 2014 -- pre-coronavirus? 

I honestly have no idea. I'm assuming probably not. I think it's probably more relatable now than it would have been, but it still would have been magical.

Those who read it pre-coronavirus, did they think back to the book wondering if it was where were heading? 

I'm full of questions, but there is absolutely no question that this is an amazing book and well-worth a few more hours of lost sleep.

If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: Station Eleven

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

Publication: 9 September 2014 - Vintage Books

Format: Kindle eBook

Amazon Description

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Station Eleven was not my plan for today. Or for ever, really. I had no idea it was even a thing until I saw an ad for the upcoming series on HBOMax and I knew immediately two things : I need to see that show .... and I need to read the "based on" book before I do. Luckily, my library had a digital copy available so I nabbed it even though I still had a good percentage of the book I had been reading left to go. I really only know what Amazon says, what I saw in the trailer, and what I grabbed for my Book Beginnings & Friday 56 blurbs. I have a very good feeling about all of this.

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As always, Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.