I was lucky enough to subsequently interview Richard Powers about Bewilderment and you can watch our discussion here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VdFU1nNCqwE.html
Haven’t read this one yet. But was blown away by The Overstory. Powers has such an extraordinary mind and imaginative vision. Thank you for the recommendation.
Ahh, this will be my first Richard Powers novel, and this has me so excited for it! I loved hearing the emotion and passion in your voice as you spoke about this book- it sounds beautiful, and thank you for sharing! I love that feeling of having to sit with your thoughts for a moment after the final page of a book. There’s something so magical about that moment, especially how time seems to no longer matter.
I cannot wait to read Bewilderment. Both The Road and The Overstory brought me profound, even life altering affects . I live in British Columbia, Canada and we recently experienced 50.C temps during the heat dome, now extreme drought and wildfires have brought us startlingly and dramatically close to the issues those amazing books explored. Our sense of apathy is maddening at times. But as you say, we need to find a way to channel a safe yet effective response. It feels as if we are walking a tightrope and I have been looking for and turning to writers who can provide a way to navigate what is occurring. Thank you for this review. Again, can’t wait to read it.
I hope you're doing better in BC now. It was very scary to see the heat on the news. I'm hopeful that the US is softening up on doing a price on carbon--I am from the US and thus try to mainly keep my judgments home based. I think there is a great appetite for change right now and I'm hoping we can harness it. Also, it seems like we should really discuss a limit on beef production in each country. Controlling methane would actually make a big difference, as each molecule of methane decomposes in around 6 years. Our current atmospheric methane is theorized to account for a half a degree (Celsius) of warming. I'm also learning to meditate... Because I gotta live in my mind and that means finding a path to being at peace some days.
@@michellekaiser5907 thank you, yes we have had cool temps and a bit of rain but no where near enough to quell the horrific fires in the central part of the province. It’s going to be dry and warm again into this week but no where near like it was. There is so much to consider and yes methane is huge. I’ve been vegan for 7 years now. Every small step is something! Whatever it is. Reading and writing are meditative for me. Definitely need those things that bring us to centre. Stay safe!
Yes, these are ever more pressing issues that seem to grow even more alarming on a daily basis. I'm hoping to look at some nonfiction books for some guidance and insight as well.
What a wonderful, heartfelt review. It was totally fantastic! Can’t wait to read it, although I’ve owned THE OVERSTORY for some time without having read it. Not enough hours in the day!
I'm so excited about this one!! I love Richard Powers and I'm also an Astrochemist, this book is right up my alley! Can't wait for September. Thanks for the sneak peek Eric 🥰
I was fortunate enough to read this in June. I completely agree with you on the way he has taken the strengths of The Overstory and distilled them into something which works much better as a novel. Having read 12 of the longlist and part way through the 13th I cannot really see past this as a winner.
Thanks for your video. I can’t wait to read it. I am currently reading The Rain Heron and The High House which also brings into sharp relief the growing crisis with such nuance and beauty.
Thank you for your recommendation, I've just finished Bewilderment and I'm sobbing as I type this. What a wonderful book! I'm loving your RU-vid channel 🥰
I'm so glad you found it as moving as I did! In case you didn't see, I also had a conversation with Richard Powers who was wonderfully engaging which you can watch here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VdFU1nNCqwE.html
Thanks to you my TBR gets longer and longer ;-) I read one Richard Powers' novel in German translation (Der Klang der Zeit) many years ago and liked it alot. Then I somehow lost him from my radar. Now he's back again...
very excited to get my advanced readers copy in a few days. The Overstory knocked me out. as you started describing Bewilderment I thought wow sounds like The Road! and then you mention it!
Thanks Eric for discussing Bewilderment, so excitedly. I am very enthusiastic to get my hot little hands on Richard Powers’ new novel, as I thoroughly was consumed and overwhelmed by his beautiful last novel “The Overstory”, which was quite structurally complex. I feel this new story will be more structured and refined. This new book has an interesting dystopian theme with strong emphasis on climate change and political instability and planetary exploration. I wish I could get my hands on this book tomorrow, and hopefully it will win The Booker.
I have a copy pre-ordered. The first experienced the emotional post-novel paralysis when I read 'Lady' by Thomas Tryon. The novel concludes with a now grown up protagonist revisiting his hometown and family home. He's jolted by the changes he sees all around him and is saddened to see the stump of an old apple tree he had planted himself in his childhood. The scene proved to be prophetic when I recently revisited the small town where I grew up. I was greeted with a housing development where the woods I explored in winter and summer seasons used to be, a bloom of solar panels, and new stores where family homes once stood. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this forthcoming novel. I'm looking forward to it even more now.
Thank you for this review Eric. I’ve read about half the longlist now. I recently finished The Promise, which was a mesmerising read for me - extraordinarily good. My view has been that a book would have to do something really special to bump the Galgut from the top spot for me this year. Perhaps the Powers is the book to do it. 😊 Looking forward to the chance to read it - and to your upcoming reviews of other contenders. Best wishes 🦊📚🤓
Yeah, when I read The Promise I felt fairly certain nothing could beat it to winning the Booker this year, but I think Powers has a very good chance. I still have 6 more titles to read so maybe my feelings will change again. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out! 😄
Very exciting! Thanks for uploading your review! Sounds fab! Prompted me to check if my local library had placed an order for it. They have and I'm now first up in the queue. :D
I just finished this book today. I loved it as much as Overstory, if in a different way. I also loved and appreciate your heart-felt recap. I think we’re in that pre-dystopian future right now! Very urgent and meaningful.
I’m so glad you linked it with The Road. I recently started and finished both of these books in tandem without knowing the plot of either. It was quite a beautifully coincidental experience.
I'm so jealous! I can't wait to read this. I absolutely think this will win the Booker without even getting my hands on a copy yet. Love your reviews as always.
I am so looking forward to this book, pre ordered it for its September 21 publication. I loved The Overstory, seems he may have topped it with this book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Yes, this one sounds really great and I look forward to reading it when it comes out in softcover here. Glad to hear that it is so profound. I will be reading _The Overstory_ sometime soon.
I loved both books and think there are a number of similarities but most importantly the focus on absence/disappearance as a metaphor for species extinction
I love how open and raw and emotional you are towards books that move you. I love hearing your reviews and discussions and they make my book loving soul richer every time you post a video.
Just your discussion here about this novel has triggered a thought line in myself in connection to issues and behaviour with the young members of my own family circle and a bit of an a-ha moment of "why didn't I see that link before?" I would have been interested in this novel anyway as I loved The Overstory but already you've managed to set my mind thinking which has lead to some insight into the ripples a string of events had on some young people very dear to me, so thank you.
I had planed to read this eventually but you've convinced me to pre-order. I'm one of those that loved Overstory and Time of Our Singing. Loved your review, isn't it fascinating how the written word can affect us, almost as clearly as a memory or recollection.
Every once in a while, a book will be more than entertaining or educational, it will speak to your core being and isn’t it wonderful when it happens? For me, it’s The Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, Canada by Richard Ford and most recently The Promise by Damon Galgut, to name a few. I didn’t enjoy Orfeo or The Overstory, but I have a feeling the third time could be the charm with Bewilderment. I am definitely going to pre-order it.
I have a copy of this waiting to be read; I'm now, on your recommendation, going to start it today regardless of the fact that I usually review books in order of publication, lol. It sounds like it reflects some of the issues we currently have in society. I really enjoy allegorical and philosophical stories. Thank you, Eric! I love your reviews. Btw, your voice and cadence would be superb for ASMR! 💜✌️
Ah, give me a short, sharp, pared back to the bones novel over a bloated one any day! You’ve sold me on this. I’ll definitely be reading it when it comes out. Thanks for the immediate reaction.
I really enjoyed "The Overstory" and can't wait for the release of Power's new book! September 21 can't arrive fast enough. Another one I'm really intrigued by is "The Echo Maker" also by Richard Powers. It sounds very interesting, but has received quite different ratings. Have you (or anyone else reading this comment) read it?
Yes, such an impactful story. In case you didn't see I interviewed Richard Powers about it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VdFU1nNCqwE.html
Sold! Looking forward to this even if I have a reservation about a scientist agreeing to his young son taking psychotropic drugs when his mother has just died
I must not have explained it well but he finds an alternative therapy to avoid drugs being used. I’m really looking forward to hearing what you think of it.
I really enjoyed most of it outside of the Autism rep, I thought it was misssing some complexity and insight from Robin himself (making him savant or bullied, activist or troubled), but then the end and (I would say fridging) really pushed me from liking it to not
i enjoyed the first 3/4 of the overstory and then i didn't..and that was going to be it for me and richard powers...now i'll have to reconsider. thanks eric.
I am looking forward to this one. Not out in the US yet. Doesn’t the premise sound like it’s based on Trump and Greta Thuneberg? She was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum diagnosis and channeled her energy into the climate crisis, as a child. Meanwhile the election situation has been Trump’s MO, so seems very similar.
Just finished this (it only became available in Australia 4 days ago and I ran out immediately to buy it). I have mixed thoughts, I loved The Overstory but this is a very different experience. The writing is beautiful but I struggled with the planet parts. I found myself questioning Theo's views more than Robin's and from a technical perspective this fit the use of the unreliable narrator. Also I questioned the scientific representation of the therapeutic program when it felt more like it was the natural bonds between family members, albeit when the mother was absent in physical form, that was the real focus. Much to think about. Oh, and there expletives from me in the final few pages!!
Really interesting to hear your reaction, thank you. Maybe I'm too trusting but I just believed and didn't question Theo that much but I can see how when the narrative is that focused in a character's point of view readers probably ought to question it more. Another friend of mine questioned the therapeutic program as well. I think I was so invested in the bond of father-son relationship it made me overlook aspects I'd normally question in other novels.
@@EricKarlAnderson really enjoying you reviews. I’m in New Zealand and we are in lockdown for at least another week. I’ve discovered and can source many of your recommendations
Greetings from across the Sea 🌊 As a gleeful returning Subscriber; I dare not leave you “alone” in reading and living with the power of the words in this book 📕 Purchased via your Book Depository Link. I’ll return to engage in conversation. Blissful Abundance and Harmony, JulMar
