This seems like a book I was supposed to like - the back-cover blurb is unrestrained: 'wildly talented writer', 'entertaining and profoundly original tale', 'pitch-perfect dialogue'. Sadly, as I struggled to get to the halfway point of pointlessness, I could no longer ignore the sense of my own life's timeline dwindling rapidly. I have only one life to live. Sharing any more of it with Mr Eggers just isn't possible. Forgive me. ( )

extremely innovative writing. ( )

Out collection ( )

The best part is when the boat leaps into the air, and is represented by a couple blank pages. Everywhere else there was so much damn writing I had to slog through, it was a welcome relief. If only the whole book were blank... ( )

I didn't love Eggers's AHWOSG, and I've always found a lot of what I understand to be associated with him to be a little twee, but I also admire what he's done for children's literacy, and I was skeptical but also open-minded about this book.

I liked it quite a lot. It made me think a lot about how we construct narratives and even the narratives about narratives. Some of the digression that starts about halfway through was really great. If the characters are a little juvenile for their ages, there's also a fair amount of waggish charm to some of their escapades. I don't love the book, but I'm glad I read it; I doubt I'll read the whole thing again, but I might flip through to reread some of the more stand-out parts sometime. The book inclines me more toward Eggers than away, so a net positive. ( )