Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Big U by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0-380-81603-2 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 05 February, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.54 (71 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Stephenson doesn't pull it off
Comment: I would've read The Big U even if it had been universally panned. Ever since I read Snow Crash -- one of the most influential science fiction novels of the last 20 years -- Stephenson has been my favorite author. I love audacious satire, and the fact that Stephenson and I are of similar age and share many interests doesn't hurt.
Although there are some funny moments, and although I know a fair amount about circa-1980 campus life at B.U. (because my wife went there), I didn't care for this book. Most of the characters were one-dimensional, the satire wasn't particularly deft, and the plot wasn't nearly as compelling as Stephenson's later novels.
The best moments in The Big U have to do with recognizing B.U.-inspired material. If you don't know about John Silber or the Citgo sign or the flaming couch, or if you aren't a true Stephenson devotee, I doubt you'll enjoy this book.
Rating: 4
Summary: Thank You Neal Stephenson!
Comment: Thank you Neal Stephenson for reissueing "The Big U". I'm a sophomore student at a "big u" and this book made me feel warm and fuzzy all over. Well, it made me laugh and feel a bit better about being here, which is a miracle in and of itself. My life is full of computer nerds who are more aware of the plot lines of fantasy novels than what we charmingly refer to as "reality". Inane classes with professors that don't give a damn, a scary big u president more concerned with funding than education (what is that?), and overarching bureaucracy is pretty realistic. Unrequited love. Yup, lots of that here. Religious cults were underplayed in my opinion. We have about 2 or 3 on my campus. The chilling near rape scene was so realistic it was frightening. The cultish dorm floors remind me of my beloved dorms where I was dubbed "the girl who never smiles" and "the weird one who likes REM's "it's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)". The only weaknesses of the book is when it completely degenerates in satire towards the end. Stephenson could of continued telling a terrific tale without having to resort to fantasy. I still give it 4 stars because it made me feel better and it's so surreal it is real. Recommended reading for anyone attending or considering attending a "big u".
Rating: 2
Summary: The Big Ewwwwww
Comment: I've now read all of Stephenson except his Stephen Bury books and Quicksilver. He is undeniably a brilliant author and great storyteller. However, this early work displays all of Stephenson's faults in full bloom while merely hinting at his strengths.
As always, Stephenson writes a bang-up beginning. Those are always his strengths, he then is typically weak with endings and holding the plot together. Unfortunately in his first novel here the threads of the plot escape his reins quickly and run out of control. There are some funny bits in this alleged satire, such as the M.A. and philosophy Ph.D. cement-truck drivers. However the satire quickly escalates into sheer lunacy, and becomes so ludicrous that it loses effect.
One other problem is the jarring change from 3rd person to 1st person that occurs from time to time in the book. The narrator of the book is a participant, albeit a very passive and seldom seen participant. The change of perspective from straight 3rd person to a sentence beginning with "I" really takes the reader out of the story.
Add to these problems the apparent Boston University in-jokes and the good things in this novel are vastly overshadowed. There may be a good Stephenson story in here, but it needed much tighter editing.
Luckily for us all, Stephenson got much much better. If you must see his genesis as a writer, read this, if you aren't interested in his development as a writer give it a big pass.
 |
Title: Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0380977427 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
 |
Title: In the Beginning...was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0380815931 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 09 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
 |
Title: Zodiac by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0553573861 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
 |
Title: Snow Crash by NEAL STEPHENSON ISBN: 0553380958 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 2) by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0060523867 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 13 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
