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Avg. Rating: 3.58
Darn Fine Writer; Pretty Decent Book
This is no question in this reader's mind that Dave Eggers is a talented and engaging writer. There are sections of this book, as there were in AHWOSG, that are amazingly conceived and executed, as perfectly written as anything I've read. When I get to one of those sections -- be it a paragraph or 20 pages -- I feel like I'm in the story, it's so personal and sincere. However, and with Eggers there always seems to be a however, there aren't enough of those sections to overcome an only better than average plot and really "bad" editing to lift this book into 4 or 5 star territory. Still, I happy to admit I did enjoy this book. The characters are consistent and truly imagined. The self-doubt and confusion of Will is easy to understand, though his inner conversations tended to get on my nerves a little bit and parts of this internal dialogue tended toward preachy. The fact that it literally took mne around the world is worth something too. Go ahead and read this book. It's worth it. Just be prepared to find a lot of typos, bad pagination, etc. I suppose those are the perils of self-publishing, but they do detract from an otherwise well-done novel.
Wonderful tour de force about grief!
You Shall Know Our Velocity is an excellent novel dealing with the grieving Will, the novel's narrator, and his best friend Hand experience after the tragic death of Jack, the third in their former threesome. The three had been friends since childhood and had always expected to be together, until Jack is suddenly killed in an accident. To deal with their grief, or maybe to escape from it, Hand and Will plan a trip around the world in one week to give away the $80,000 that Will has acquired almost by accident. The novel concerns both this trip and Will's story of his friendship with Jack. Their travels never go as intended, but self-discovery is forthcoming. Will's reflections on Jack's death are devastatingly touching. Dave Eggers is an excellent writer and the novel is, for the most part, a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. It will make you laugh and break your heart in the same paragraph many times. I couldn't put this novel down. Highly recommended...
See how it sputters!
Occassionally, I will fall for a catchy title. And fall, I did.There is not much depth here; attempts to amuse and entertain fall as flat as the prose. Not worth the trouble. Oh, well. Better luck next time.
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