Reminder: Read "Upgrade" by Blake Crouch

[ufcasey]

Quick reminder that we will be discussing Upgrade by Blake Crouch on Wednesday, October 26th. So if you haven't read it yet, now would be a good time to do so!

For those who are interested, here's an interview with the author that you might find interesting:
time.com/6189737/blake-crouch-interview-upgrade/

[susiebw]

I finished reading this last night and would love to discuss if anyone else has finished!

I didn't even realize this was the Board's pick this month, I just happened to read it at the same time.

**SPOILERS**


I LOVED the ending, but I found the whole setting stressful in that it felt a little too possible for the planet to end up in a place where the skyscrapers are abandoned to the permanent flood as sea level continues to rise. And while I wouldn't anticipate a global famine happening the way it does in the book, I think the impacts of climate change could very realistically lead to massive global crop failures. But overall, I didn't think the book was as bummer as I'm making it sound now, and the ending especially felt sort of hopeful.

[charlatti]

I really liked the ending too — I don’t expect that kind of hopefulness in a book like this. I liked all the different family dynamics in the book also. If I’m remembering correctly, relationships were believably messy.

[travella]

I loved the idea of this story so much more than the story itself. I started this book expecting to like it, but I found it very boring. Even the "action scenes" were boring. I couldn't get myself to feel anything for any of the characters. I didn't feel like the characters were developed enough to really care about anyone in the book. 

I just finished The Winners by Backman before starting this book so my expectations bar was set extremely high so that could have been part of my disappointment with this book. Overall, it was 2* for me. 

[susiebw]

Oct 31, 2022 14:04:57 GMT -5 travella said:

I loved the idea of this story so much more than the story itself. I started this book expecting to like it, but I found it very boring. Even the "action scenes" were boring. I couldn't get myself to feel anything for any of the characters. I didn't feel like the characters were developed enough to really care about anyone in the book. 

I just finished The Winners by Backman before starting this book so my expectations bar was set extremely high so that could have been part of my disappointment with this book. Overall, it was 2* for me. 

I just found out this book existed last week!  I'm so excited for it, and glad to hear that it was as good as I'm hoping it will be.  I read Beartown and the sequel a few years back now - would you recommend a re-read before I pick up The Winners?

[travella]

Nov 1, 2022 8:49:20 GMT -5 susiebw said:

Oct 31, 2022 14:04:57 GMT -5 travella said:

I loved the idea of this story so much more than the story itself. I started this book expecting to like it, but I found it very boring. Even the "action scenes" were boring. I couldn't get myself to feel anything for any of the characters. I didn't feel like the characters were developed enough to really care about anyone in the book. 

I just finished The Winners by Backman before starting this book so my expectations bar was set extremely high so that could have been part of my disappointment with this book. Overall, it was 2* for me. 

I just found out this book existed last week!  I'm so excited for it, and glad to hear that it was as good as I'm hoping it will be.  I read Beartown and the sequel a few years back now - would you recommend a re-read before I pick up The Winners?

I'm not one to reread books. It took a little while to pick back up on the story, but I was able to piece the story all back together. The story does make references to things that happened in the prior books so if you feel like you want to reread to refresh your memory it wouldn't hurt.

[waverly]

I'm late to this. I read this book a little bit ago, and didn't realize it was the pick. I really like his books because they have more original plots and are fast moving. I need something to grab my interest, and am not interested in super slow books that I need to read 100 pages before we even go anywhere.

[minzy]

I just finished and found it an interesting book to read the week of an election, where there is also of course this constant tension between going one way or another. I thought the idea of an upgrade was a pretty interesting concept. It made me wonder what part of myself I would enhance if I could pick only one. I liked all the references to the enhanced awareness of his physiology and maybe that’s what I would pick if I somehow ever had such a choice. I also think it would be amazing to be so wicked smart, but also probably almost painful if no one else could match your wits.

The climate stuff scared the crap out of me and I’m haunted by the visual of abandoned lower Manhattan submerged in black water. I also picked up on pieces seemingly reminiscent of Homeland/Terminator/DieHard and am guessing the author has watched all three.

I did appreciate the reverence for humanity, that as messy and flawed and maddeningly frustrating as it is and will be, that it is also beautiful and wondrous and so, so worth the ride. His reference to the song from Broadway at the end felt like the string players on the Titanic - acknowledging the fall but still seeing a reason to find and provide peace.

I probably never would have picked this up if not for it being a pick here, so thank you all for that!

[aurora]

Also way late to this one, but I thought Upgrade started out well but lost itself in the middle. I did like the treatment of the interpersonal relationships as complicated, and the idea that things might not end how we want (or how we originally wanted) and yet we can still be OK.