From the Bookshelf of Albany Public Library…

The City We Became (Great Cities, #1)

N.K. Jemisin

Discussion: 2020 Summer Reading Challenge

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2020 Summer Reading Challenge

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2020 SRC: Week 10 Popularity Contest (Final Week!)
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What Members Thought

Nov 12, 2020 Ian rated it it was amazing

Loved it so much. Def top 10 for the year, maybe top 5. It's so weird and so original. A friend picked it up and hated it after the first few pages, so I was skeptical. I'll admit the prologue isn't my favorite and I didn't love that style but after the first 20ish pages, the writing style takes a hard turn towards something I enjoyed much more. If you're put off when you first pick it up, you owe it to yourself to stick it out for at least 40 pages and see what you think then. I think you'll be ...more

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Jan 28, 2021 Judith rated it liked it

Shelves: rcs-noon-books

I must be getting curmudgeonly as this was the 3rd 2020 book that good rave reviews that I was unenthusiastic about (other two were Uncanny Valley and Leave the World Behind). I felt that this traded too heavily in stereotypes, failed to grab my attention for the first 75% and generally felt flat. I read it for book club and everyone else liked it, and I will concede that there were some fantastic details and moments in the story. Just not enough to justify the pages turned.

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Nov 29, 2020 Chloe rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi

DNF at page 104. Objectively this is not a bad book, but it is not for me. I have only heard good things about Jemisin, but her writing style leans both heavy-handed and too crass for me. I think I appreciate what she is trying to do, but I also enjoy a book that isn't up in your face. I agree with her politics, but I can't breathe the way she forces them on me. I want a book to provoke a conversation, not to have the conversation for me with caricatures of homophobic, racist, angry white people ...more

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Aug 27, 2022 Casey rated it really liked it

Okay, how do authors come up with this stuff?! The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin is so creative.

In this world, every great city has soul that can come to life through a human avatar. New York City has five - one for each borough. These five New Yorkers must unite to battle against a shape-shifting enemy and protect their city.

Naturally this is full of NYC references. You don’t need to be well-versed in the details of NYC to understand the story, but familiarly might make you enjoy it more.

This ...more

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