YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur's chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.

Twenty years later, Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, and tattooed on Kirsten's arm is a line from Star Trek: "Because survival is insufficient." But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave.

Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty. As Arthur falls in and out of love, as Jeevan watches the newscasters say their final good-byes, and as Kirsten finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the prophet, we see the strange twists of fate that connect them all. A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.

1/4 This book jumps around a lot as there are several stories going on in the past and present.

2/4 (view spoiler)[ I find that referring to the members of the Traveling Symphony buy their instrument name is very annoying (hide spoiler)]

3/4 (view spoiler)[ I don't understand why the world is in such a bad state after 20 years its not like everyone turned into zombies and trashed everything. Why cant they still use the factories and machinery on a smaller basis. There must be some people with skills still alive and all the text books are still about. What about solar power come on guys there would be panels everywhere. (hide spoiler)]

4/4 (view spoiler)[ I found the book to be very frustrating the author has not thought this out at all. Its not until the end that someone is spotted using electricity, its about time. 20 years and what do they have to show for themselves they are living in tents at the air port. Whats wrong with all the houses, why cant you all live in them? As for that plane that landed surely someone could have gone up to it and looked in the windows to see if anyone was alive why just let it land and do nothing. (hide spoiler)]

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Date Changed. Restarting April 21st 2018. Happy Reading ☺

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OMG! Toronto. I feel like a celebrity. I totally know the places that they are mentioning!

OK, I really like the viewpoints happening from the different time periods of before and after the collapse.

30% (view spoiler)[ I relate to Miranda, there are lots of times when I feel out of place in a conversation. I like how they are showing Arthur's life. I wonder if his death and the epidemic has any connection? (hide spoiler)]

Lakhsesis wrote: "30% [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, I loved that Lakhsesis! Plus the writing of the book is pretty great.

100%
(view spoiler)[ OK, the ending was really good. Honestly, I think this was one of the few dystopian books that I didn't hate. I really want to reread it, knowing what I do about the ending. (hide spoiler)]

60% (view spoiler)[ The overlapping of the stories of different people is just so beautiful. There so many little messages hinted by the writer about life, it's amazing. I think the prophet is Jeevan? He seemed to lose his sanity. (hide spoiler)]

78% (view spoiler)[ So it was Tyler all along!! This book feels so real, I am kind of haunted by it. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Loved this book. It was thought provoking and it taught me a lot. I almost choked on my tears when Arthur tried. I am genuinely scared of pandemics thanks to this book now. (hide spoiler)]

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Date changed. Restarting February 1st 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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joining in!

Pretty sure I’ve already read the opening chapter. It seems to be a portent for something bigger.

Ooh I'd love to join in with this one please!

I'm gonna be a day or two late with starting but I should catch up pretty fast once I get going.

Up to ch11. The background to Arthur’s life is quite interesting, though he doesn’t seem a particularly likeable man. At least we know now where the Station Eleven reference comes from.

chapter 13 - 3/4

(view spoiler)[this book jumps around a lot, some chapters are going backward and others are in the present (after the virus). the characters's name are a little confused because they use instruments name so... I don't know. and to be honest, I don't get why they are talking about Arthur's life, is pretty boring for me. (hide spoiler)]

Up to ch17. Honestly, not sure how to take all the coincidences of this. So many tangled lives and threads connecting otherwise disparate characters-even years apart. I’m sure the comic book series will turn out to have some relevance.

Up to ch35. Fragmented style. Wonder what made her choose Jeevan as such a central character.

Up to ch45. The connections between seemingly random characters are rather odd, but it gives an intriguing sense to the novel.

Finished. Review on home page. Puzzling, but in a good way. A disconcerting read. Much liked!

Okay I've finally started! My time management is terrible.

I accidentally bought the large print edition and it is huge.

Chapter 13:
Wow this jumps around even more than I expected, I keep having to flip back and forth to check stuff. I'm definitely loving the writing style already!

Chapter 17:
(view spoiler)[Woah. I'm a huge fan of stories that are told in bits and pieces and out of order so this is awesome!

Can someone please make the Station Eleven comic a real thing?

I am loving Miranda so much though, she is so freaking relatable (in her earlier years)

I really look forward to seeing more about Arthur's life, with today's celebrity culture and all that stuff, it's definitely an interesting looking story. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 17:
(view spoiler)[Omg I just realised the prophet's dog was also called Luli! Is the prophet Arthur's son??? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 22:
(view spoiler)[Hah, so I realised the Luli thing barely half a chapter before it got pointed out.

I don't like storylines about religious cults so I really hope that there won't be too much focus on them, but I'm not holding my breath on that. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1 - 12
(view spoiler)[ So far I am really enjoying this book, I do like a good post apocalyptic book. Arthur seems to be an important character in the book, being the first person to die as far as the reader knows. I like we already know the Station eleven reference comes from him, from a very limited comic book. (No but really, know I wanna know more about this comic book. Give me one of those 10 copies. haha)

Also, I like the idea of the symphony. Traveling around, performing plays, bringing some light and happiness into town. But that doomsday town was creepy, him suggesting they would leave Alexandra there because he wants to take another wife. Very wise they left, also very wise Charlie left. I hope they find Charlie and her family soon and that they are alright.

(hide spoiler)]

chapter 41 - (view spoiler)[one thing I like about this book is all the odds are connected, it seems one way or other all the characters are related to Arthur. where are The Travelling Symphony? is Jeevan still alive? maybe Clark is alive too? I mean, it's been years since the virus so maybe they are not alive.

I can't wait to read more about this Severn City, it seems everything will end in that city. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 26:
(view spoiler)["Adulthood is full of ghosts."

It's sad because it's true.

This chapter should be mandatory reading, seriously. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 39:
(view spoiler)[Yeah, stuff like this should really be mandatory reading for school instead of dull historical fiction that 99% of students either don't care about and/or learn nothing from.

I think that the storytelling here is very well done, constant jumping between different times and POVs could go so wrong and end up very difficult to read, but the writing is here very clear and direct without feeling clinical or dull.

I'm surprised that we're hearing so much about Arthur and his life before the world ended, I was expecting the story to be centered around the Symphony. I'm guessing that they'll get more focus later in the book.

I'm super nervous about how the Symphony storyline is going to turn out, the obvious conclusion here is that the doomsday cult is responsible for the disappearances but that seems too obvious and too easy.

I'm finally really really invested in the book, hopefully I should be able to finish before the end of tonight! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 41:
(view spoiler)[Noooooooo I really wanted Miranda to survive so badly because she was awesome and also so she could meet Kirsten one day! 😭 (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 47:
(view spoiler)[Aw yes, totally called Tyler being the prophet waaaaaaay back!

He and his evil cult better get what they deserve or I’m going to be super disappointed. (hide spoiler)]

finished - (view spoiler)[this book was good, I really enjoyed it. it jumps around a lot but I really liked it and more at the end, I'm glad Jeevan is still alive and Clark, first I thought the Prophet was Jeevan but seeing he was so much younger I knew it was Arthur's son.

It would have been interesting seeing Tyler's POV and how he became the Prophet, also, about the end it seems a little off Tyler died so suddenly, like okay one character (the one who has talking to Sayid) killed him but it was too fast.

also, it was too cute Jeevan named his son Frank, like his brother and more that they all still and need to remember everything that happened. Kristen was an interesting character, at the end everything somehow related to her and Arthur.

was I the only one who wants Clark to have a "happy final"? I mean, everyone was established and within family except for Clark, and all those memories were gorgeous. (hide spoiler)]

Finished!
(view spoiler)[Apart from the story wrapping up a little too quickly and neatly, I loved it!

I agree that Tyler was killed off a little too suddenly, but I'm actually little glad that we didn't have to hear any more about his sick cult.

I do think that Clark deserved better, but he has his museum and gets to live in a community with people he cares about, and that ain't bad when you're in the apocalypse. It's wishful thinking, but I want to believe that Robert survived and maybe they'll get to see each other again now that there's electricity back on!

I bet that the iphones are all dead but those old 2000s nokias would still work :D (hide spoiler)]

Claire wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

I agree with you about (view spoiler)[Clark and the nokias (lmfao). Clark was happy like you said but I still wanted too to see Robert or maybe he could find some else.

by the way, I really wanted to read about Tyler's cult, it was creepy but overwhelm at the same time. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 13 - 19
(view spoiler)[ I totally agree with Claire, Miranda is such a relatable character in her earlier years. I immediately felt a connection with her due to me also having to provide for someone that always promised things got better. I was so happy when she found someone better, until Elizabeth got in the picture. That just made me a bit mad.

I also totally enjoy the focus on her project, station eleven. I'm curious to learn more about it and how the finished version ended up in Arthur's possesion. I mean, when they divorced it was not finished and she did not want to share it with anyone. In the future was mentioned there probably were 10 copies!
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 20 -39
(view spoiler)[ I have to honestly admit that I did not enjoy to 'time-hopping' too much. Too many short chapters that jumped from person to person, jumping from earlier years to now. It was turning a bit confusing.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 39 - 47
(view spoiler)[ I am just really curious how this book is going to end, I only have around 50 pages to go and I feel like I am nowhere near the end of the book.

Oh and Tyler is the prophet? Oh gosh....
(hide spoiler)]

End
(view spoiler)[
First of all: I really liked this book. I am debating giving it 4 or 5 stars, I think 4 because I just don't have the 'Wauw' feeling at the moment. I totally agree with the other people in the thread, I was a bit confused when Tyler got killed that easily. I mean, I hated the cult but I was assuming something big was going to happen.

Also, I love Clark his museum. (And I also agree he deserved a happier ending, I hoped he would meet someone)

I also would have liked to have learned more from Tyler his pov, I would have liked to know how he became 'the prophet'. Did his mother fill his head with all these absurd things? Did he truly believe he was a prophet or was he just really manipulative? What made him think he could marry children? What was his end goal? So many questions!

The end of the book makes me hopeful rebuilding the world is going to be difficult but we've already done it once, they can do it again.
(hide spoiler)]

Starting this today!

(view spoiler)[Very eerie was going on. I think the traveling actors thing is weird. I wonder if the book will explain what happened in the time from when the Georgia Flu started to now. And what happened to Charlie and the family? That prophet guy is really weird.. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 12

(view spoiler)[Not really loving the jumping timeline, but I am enjoying the characters interweaving connections. I felt bad for Miranda when she realized Arthur was having an affair, but was glad to see she got over it and moved on to something more successful. Like others previously stated, I wonder what happened to her comic Station Eleven. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 18

(view spoiler)[So many blips of different stories. Interesting to see Kiersten's perspective. I wonder what happened to Jeevan. We know he survived the flu but eventually died. Did the prophet kill him? I think he intersected with another character and that lead to his death. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 37

(view spoiler)[OMG Jeevan is alive. Yay because I really like him. Interesting how the "museum" started. And Jeremy and his wife are safe there having escaped the prophet. You could tell Tyler was going to be the prophet a few chapters ago. But seems like he's totally nuts. How did Kirsten and the others get separated from the Traveling Symphony? That was never really explained.. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 47

(view spoiler)[I agree with everyone that Tyler's death was really sudden. At the end, when we are getting Arthur's last moments, I felt bad for him. All he wanted was to be with his son. Since the comics was the last thing his father left him/talked to him about, was that why he got overly obsessed with it? Ambiguous ending. I guess the Traveling Symphony will go to Jeevan's town and the characters will come full circle.

I'm giving this book 3 stars. I only started liking it towards the middle. There was too much jumping around in the beginning, I couldn't get a grasp of who's who. We only got a feel for how bad society was crumbling when we were in the airport with clark. The rest of the book was about the characters, which is fine, but not a true sci-fi in my opinion. (hide spoiler)]

End

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Date changed. Restarting July 14th 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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I've just started this! First quarter - (view spoiler)[This certainly started with a bang! In chapter One an actor dies on stage and in Chapter Two we first learn that a viral flu has spread and the world as the characters know it is potentially ending.

Jeevan's brother Frank is in a wheelchair. I don't think I've ever read a post-apocalyptic or dystopian featuring a wheelchair-bound character and it would have been interesting to see how that impacts their survival in the new world, after the flu outbreak. They have not only the usual concerns of others to overcome, but the technicalities of their moving when other transport will be denied them. This is already making me considering how this potential disaster would impact differently abled individuals. The perspective quickly shifted from this though so am not sure we will actually get to learn more about this.

The twenty year shift was abrupt but not too disconcerting. The reader still gets to learn about the world as the travelling troupe of performers traverse the world and the perspectives within them shifts. (hide spoiler)]