Station Eleven: A novel
Written by Emily St. John Mandel
Narrated by Kirsten Potter
4/5
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About this audiobook
A New York Times Bestseller
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.
Fifteen 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.
Editor's Note
Endurance of art…
At its heart, “Station Eleven” isn’t a story about survival or the evils that arise in dystopias. It’s a touching contemplation on the highs and lows of the literary and the lowbrow, and what would survive even if most of us didn’t.
Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel was born in Canada and studied dance at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Her novels are Last Night in Montreal, The Singer’s Gun, The Lola Quartet, Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel. She lives in New York City.
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Reviews for Station Eleven
4,159 ratings370 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I don't read many post-apocalyptic novels. This book had high ratings from readers I admire, and it is on overdrive (library ebooks), so I started. I couldn't put it down. It made me think about the world and the many "things" we have and take for granted, and the things we don't really need. The main characters captivated me. It a book I'll recommend in 2015.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I did not love this book but I did not dislike it either. It did spark several robust discussions in our home about whether and how people who read a lot or mostly sci-fi and/or speculative fiction assess a book like this in comparison to people who mostly read popular and/or literary fiction.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The hype is deserved. This book is wonderful. I think about post-apocalyptic stories all the time, they're overlayed on every fear I have about what's happening in our world, and Mandel's version is so rich and compelling that it's supplanted a lot of my previous templates for what an American apocalypse is likely to look like. It's a post-apocalypse about community rather than individual survival -- a fictional version of the recent histories in Rebecca Solnit's A Paradise Built in Hell -- which is so so rare.
Human threats largely take the familiar shape of misogynist domination; one problem with this book is that it elides the other familiar shape of racist domination. Neither is likely to disappear along with 99% of humanity. But the characters largely do the decent thing: exile a rapist from a newly forming small community, allow an abused teenager to join a band of travelers. No one is unrealistically selfless, but they don't become Mad Max-style monsters either. Humans have always cared for each other in communities, and there's no reason to expect that to be any different after a worldwide apocalypse. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Station Eleven absolutely lived up to the hype. I was spellbound by both stories being told in this book, that of the young girl in the post-apocalypse and the now-dead man in the past. It seemed as if there were no throw-away lines or items in this book because everything eventuall became woven together.
This was just really wonderful. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful. Though it feels odd to say it, Station Eleven was beautiful. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that a book dealing with such a catastrophic event could be described that way. A plague that kills 99% of the population doesn't seem like something that could ever be beautiful. But it's the silence afterwards. The quiet. The little pieces of humanity that still exist in harmony. All of that is beautiful. Emily St. John Mandel has created this "after" world, and she's done it expertly.
I remember a weekend, about a year ago, when all the electricity on our block went down. A transformer had blown, and it took a good 48 hours for them to fix. My husband and I lived by candlelight that weekend. We ate whatever we could that didn't need to be refrigerated, because opening that door meant possibly needing to binge on the food within. We read quietly in the fading light, and went to bed when it was too dark to see anymore. I remember thinking how beautiful the sky was over our apartment. It's amazing how many stars you can see when all those ambient lights aren't blotting them out.
Things like this are exactly what Station Eleven is all about. Each character who graces us with their presence, has a story to tell about the before and the after. My eyes misted as they shared the things they always took for granted. The ability to send an email. To hear a loved ones voice over the phone. To fly up into the sky, and arrive somewhere hundreds of miles away in a few hours. This is a soft story. There isn't much violence, and where there is it is absolutely necessary. Instead, this is a story of remembrance. Of hope. Of preserving the good.
There's not much else for me to say. In order to fully appreciate the depth that this story has, you'll need to experience it. What I can say, is that it made me revisit a part of myself I always ignore. The part that actually realizes how lucky we all are, but writes it off because that's just normal life. St. John Mandel reminds us not to take anything for granted. To live life with no regrets, and not as a sleepwalker. I needed that reminder, and I'm so thankful that I picked up this book. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A popular book and I can see why. It isn’t brutal. It isn’t cruel. It doesn’t glory in violence or deprivation. It doesn’t wear the blame hairshirt. Yet it is heavy with post-apocalypse atmosphere and has an air of positivity about it. Things even end on a high note. As the people’s lives and situations slowly wove together I was reminded of Iain Pears and how he does similar things in his books. Some might not appreciate that everyone and everything is connected, saying it’s too fake, but I liked it. As people and circumstances slotted together my mind, my reader’s brain if you like, was quietly satisfied.At first I wasn’t sure we needed to know so much about Arthur since he dies on page 1 pretty much. But then there was the prophet’s dog - Lilu - and I knew it had to link. Basically Arthur is the hub around which the whole story spins. Even though she is young, trust the author to do right by you and just enjoy the ride.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good stuff. Some really interesting touchpoints here from Hollywood celebrity through esoteric comic book projects and post-apocalyptic road novels with a tiny side-glace at Justin Cronin's The Passage.
I worked out the identity of the only kinda-antagonist fairly early on, but I don't think it mattered too much. Despite the high-concept elevator pitch for this book, it was always more about character than plot... that and Shakespeare. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Super good! I raced through it in two days. The post-apocalyptic setting was an excellent back drop for the story and I loved the characters. The world and the story were so well written you can't help but be drawn into them. The focus of the book is not the plot, which was good, but the lives of the characters. It was fascinating how they intertwined. How chance meetings and seeming simple actions changed the course of peoples lives. Even is you are not a fan of Sci-Fi you should read this. If you are a fan of Nora Roberts this is one for you.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is the best book I have read in a long time. And I can't explain why - not because it would spoil the plot, but because I honestly can pinpoint why I loved it so much.
I listen to audiobooks while I'm doing a task - driving somewhere, doing dishes, cooking. I'm never sufficiently captivated to just sit and listen to one; I get bored/fidgety. Not only did I sit and listen to this one, I stayed up until 2am so I could finish it. Of course so of that credit is due to superb narration. But a lot is the amazing story. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was one of the cozier apocalyptic stories I've ever listened to. I liked the skipping around in time, before and after with few gory details of the during.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I can see what the hype is about this book now. The idea of a deadly flu is not so far-fetched, so this is one dystopia that actually seems closer to reality than most of those I've read. I have realized though that I'm not really a fan when books jump back and forth between timelines. I know it's for dramatic effect but I would rather just read a book that goes in chronological time. I like the development in those books much more than this jumping around. I did like how this book ended on such a good note. Even after everything that happened, you can still see the resilience and strength in humanity. It's a good book and recommend if you like to read dystopia.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved this so much.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An aging actor is bad at relationships; meanwhile in the future, a theater troupe travels the post-apocalyptic Midwest.2.5/4 (Okay).I just can't understand why Arthur is the main character of this book and not Kirsten or Miranda. Or why anyone would deliberately create a character so tedious. Or why she would obsess over him for half a book while he's surrounded by so much interesting stuff that barely gets touched on.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I can't tell if I cried because the book was over or because it was beautiful. Let's go with both.Shifting narrator AND non-linear in one and wow does Emily St. John Mandel handle it so well! The plausibility the story, the humanity of her characters, and I wanted to abandon all responsibilities and commitments for reading THIS. I will be hard pressed not to hand sell this the minute it enters my shop (again and again from now on).More please.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the best I've read from the recent crop of dystopian novels. An all-too-plausible scenario (a particularly virulent flu pandemic) puts an end to things as we know them, and the story connects a fascinating cast of characters in an intricate web over the next several decades. Highly recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A melange of genres combining dystopian, apocalyptic sci-fi with a character study on the waning payoffs of fame and the weaknesses that destroy us all. Incredible writing and stunning narrative structure.
There is a strong author's hand guiding the events and our perceptions but the reader never feels manipulated. I keep wanting to find the fatal flaw in the tapestry woven here yet it holds together. There is an encroaching freedom that grows throughout the book. A hope in the natural state of humanity toward goodness that starts with the first scene and emboldens itself as the characters walk forward into the unknown.
The boogiemen found in this novel stand eye-to-eye with those found in each of our souls and ultimately humans are rendered out to be mostly good and mostly just wanting to transcend the limitations of their existence.
I am haunted by the this book and suspect I'll read it again before the year is out. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a work of literary fiction set in a post-apocalyptic world, similar in style and quality to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. A virulent plague sweeps around the globe in a matter of weeks, killing 99.99% of the world population. The book presents a number of story threads, from before, during and after the societal collapse, as seen through the eyes of people whose only connection is a relationship with a world famous actor of the day. Of course, it seems highly unlikely that with 99.99% of the world population dead, that a half dozen people with the same connection would not only survive, but actually interact in the distant future, but it IS fiction.In any event, the story is engaging and the writing is excellent. It is relatively short and quickly read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It took me about 200 pages to care about the characters. The narrative structure is so smart and ambitious, and the concept so creative, and the prose is so lovely that I still give it four stars.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the best books I've ever read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Usually I’m at least a year behind on these things (I read the Hunger Games trilogy maybe two months before the movies came out; I read Gone Girl about six months prior). When I saw this in a book shop while on vacation I mentioned to my husband that I thought it had been reviewed a bunch this year, and was the subject of a book club, but that I knew nothing about it. I feel lucky to have come into it without any realy background information, because I didn't know what to expect.
I loved this book. I'm currently in Paris, and have a really nasty cold, so we've been alternating between exploring the city and then coming back to the hotel to rest. During those hours when I did't feel well enough to wander, I read this book. It was captivating, it was interesting, and it is a book I'd recommend. As someone who works on emergency management planning, the basics of the pandemic (although we didn't get tons of details ) were really interesting to me. I've got another book to read soon - "The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch" - but I wonder how long it really would take for certain things - for example, electricity - to return to this world.
It's not my favorite book ever (or even of this CBR), but it's so very good. What I think is interesting is that, for me, I didn't get absorbed into the world. I was always aware of the fact that I was reading a book, and even though the descriptions Ms. St. John Mandel are vivid, I am left feeling as though I both can and cannot picture any of the main characters. That might not make sense to anyone not inside my head, but usually when I read what I consider well-written literature, it feels like a film is playing in my mind. I didn't ever get that from this book, or I should say, I only got it on occasion. It's unclear whether that is me or the book, but it's what keeps it from a five star rating.
As for the book club discussion, I think who people think is the main character is an interesting one. For me, I didn't think there was really any question that Kirsten was the main character. I thought that was obvious, so it's really interesting to read other folks who think that clearly Clark, or any of the other characters, was the main character. I do love that and think it speaks to the author's ability to create a world that speaks to readers in different ways. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved this novel. I loved every single character that was introduced. I loved seeing how they were all connected and how each character changed and developed over time. The author allowed every single one to grow, and it is a feat that is commendable. The storyline was tight and flowed beautifully with the memories of the past. Every single thing that was mentioned had a purpose and that's what made it such a great read: you had to pay attention to every single detail to really "get" the story. I don't buy many books but this novel is one I can't wait to get a copy of, and I urge you to buy it, too! What a fantastic novel! I can't wait to read more by this author and I'm sure you will feel the same way if you give this novel a chance!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow, it lived up to its recommendations. It's set in a future dystopia - the world's population reduced by 99% by a plague - and there's plenty about trying to survive, crazy religious fanatics, and everything you'd expect. But it's much more about relationships: between the members of a traveling orchestra and acting troupe who go from town to town and entertain in a new era without electricity or other entertainment; between friends; between people who meet by chance without knowing what will result. Also a lot about the necessity of art and creativity. I was trapped in the sauna - I couldn't leave till I finished it!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love end-of-the-world type fiction, and this delivered. It interwove the stories of several characters, which was a little bit of a stretch, but it worked. I enjoyed the details of how survivors would band together into new communities after a pandemic; for example, an old airport became a thriving community with a museum devoted to previous technology. At times morbid and devastating, but still ultimately hopeful as humans survive and continue to strive to better and improve their lives.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Description of BC island sounds like Malcolm Is. P. 73 'the island is all temperate rain forest and rocky beaches, deer breaking into vegetable gardens and leaping in front to windshields, moss on low hanging branches, the sighing of wind in cedar trees. In the middle of the island there's a small lake that Arthur always imagined was formed by an asteroid, almost perfectly round and very deep'.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"Because survival is insufficient..."
I really enjoyed this novel. I loved how the story wove together over decades and you could make different connections between all the characters. I quite enjoyed the multiple POV because it really gave depth to how different people reacted and survived during the end of civilization. I haven't read such a lyrical book in quite a long time. It was refreshing. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of my favorites.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I might have to process this one for a while longer. I loved the premise--20 years post flu pandemic, 99% of the world died. The plot was well-woven and the characters interesting. I think I was just disappointed with the ending. Several story threads seemed they were going to come together, but didn't, and some of the threads were not seen to any conclusion. With the several threads, all of which jump from past to present, it was difficult to keep track of the characters. Best to read this book in large segments at a time or you'll forget what's happening.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This review could be much longer, but I'll try to keep it short. The basis of the story? Think "The Walking Dead" but without all the zombies, unless you count a David Koresh clan alive and well and mobile, after the Apocalypse, as zombies. The author is a very skilled wordsmith. However, she spends tons of time pointing out how much people miss their pre-apocalyptic "things". She also goes to great lengths to make sure every single half-way significant character is linked to all the other ones, despite years and years of separate unrelated post-apocalyptic roaming. It's like a black hole of highly unlikely coincidences, sucking the reader in. And yet, in this ghastly new world, without explanation, the author has made it clear that even without any electricity, there is plenty of wine, an endless supply of pencils and pens, and a tattoo parlor in every town. A new tattoo for everyone you kill. Neato. I can't wait until the author applies her otherwise considerable skills to a story of substance.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very well written novel written about life after a virus kills off more than 99% of humans die. After that one event, the rest of the book skips the usual issues about how we would survive, and more about we would change our attitudes (or not). The plot looks at a group of people who are linked thru coincidence. Fine structure for a novel but not critical. What makes this worth reading is the language and insights. Ignore probability along the way. Recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5very good - loyal to numerous post-disaster predecessors (definite Earth Abides, possibly After London, nods also to Heinlein I think) but cooking something new and very effective from the old ingredients.