Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
Ratings359
Average rating3.7
Sweet and fun but I was ultimately disappointed that there was not more of an adventure.
This is a super fun book! I like books about books so I was obliged to read it. I loved the story and the combination between literature and technology, although I had felt lost with the technological jargon. I loved the lack or little romantic involvement. The final message of the manuscript Manutius was perfect and the storytelling was impeccable. However, the end of the bookstore was a little ambiguous...
I recommend it for those who want to have some fun and dive into the world of literature.
Delightful! Whimsical and clever, this is a must read for anyone who loves books, big cities, and magic.
Overall, I liked the book. It had a lot of really fun elements that were both realistic and fantastical. There were a couple times where you could tell “a dude wrote this” the way he described one of the female characters at times (for better or for worse), but that's easy to look over.
I enjoyed the book. The main character was great. It would have been 5 stars wholeheartedly if not for the rather deflated climax/ending as well as the silly, shoe-horned romance with Kat.
Pretty disappointing, all in all. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and wasn't particularly interested in the plot either. So without emotional investment or quite frankly any emotional stakes at all, it just read like it was created by a computer program designed to drop the appropriate tech company names and archetypes in the right places.
I really WANTED to like the book, it just didn't deliver what I had hoped for.
A fun, easy read. Sloan has a lot of wacky, entertaining ideas and a enjoyable plot that kept me going with this. But the writing is really nothing special — so much ‘meh' description, and so much of it feels like a repeat (I swear, everyone “raises an eyebrow” or “narrows their eyes” as their primary form of emoting, one character always “totters” around, etc). The characters are fine, but not deep — some are quite fun despite this, but are total caricatures. And then the fun ideas I mentioned — about technology, typography, coding, and museum archives — they are so outlandish and absurd that I question if Sloan knew that they had no resemblance to reality or not. Even knowing a good deal about these subjects (why the book was recommended to me), I can get past them to enjoy them for what they are: pure, fantastical fun.
[Spoilers ahead]
An inexplicably charming bookstore, a designer who learned programming as a side hobby, a secret book cult with a batcave, a roomate who works at ILM, the art of cryptography, characters with an undying love for the smell of books, and the underlying message of how technology isn't always as powerful as we'd want it to be, but it does help a great deal in bringing people closer together. Felt like Sloan wrote this book just for me - needless to say I was captivated from the very beginning.
This book had so much potential to be great. And yet the ending seemed a bit... rushed. Some of the technical explanations also felt a bit effortless. And yes, too much Google. Can't go past 2 or 3 pages without that name popping up. It got annoying after a while :/ I wish I could give it a 5/5 but I just can't. But in all honesty it was still very impressive for a debut novel, so kudos to Robin Sloan.
Charming, very well-written modern-day fable featuring books, mysteries, technology, codes & Google.
This is a cute book wrapped up perfect and topped with a bow. Unfortunately, that's not really my style. Good for those who enjoy a little mystery in life and contemporary works (maybe?), but not for those who need a strong dose of action or suspense.
This is a pleasant little book, and a must-read for typography nerds. It never really grabbed me by the lapels and yelled, “KEEP READING - must find out what happens next!” but it was charming and funny, and the narrator delivers wry, nerdy quips at regular intervals.
The story flirts with transhumanism, but never really goes anywhere with that subject, except maybe to subvert it. This is a tale of reading and relationships, much more than one about eternal life.
There are frequent references to abstruse places, practices, and events that might or might not be real - I found myself thinking very often, “Wait, is that a real thing? Does Google really do that? Is there really a book copier like that? Is that an actual typeface we use?” I can't decide if these instances added to the experience by engaging my curiosity, or if they detracted by being distractions and messing with suspension of disbelief. I feel like this book (to the extent that it reflects reality in these things) could spawn multiple episodes of 99% Invisible and This American Life.
Ultimately, I recommend it. It was a fun, thought-provoking ride.
One huge problem I had with this book was how the author referred to female characters as “girls” when they were clearly over the legal age of adulthood (18 years old in the US). Females who make it to 18 and beyond are called women; calling them “girls” is infantilizing and condescending. This aspect of the book really upset me, and every time I came across its use it would derail me from the story.
Aside from the infuriating use of a patronizing term, I did enjoy this book. The plot was light and fun, and the developments kept me interested. It was very curious to me that the author would choose to fictionalize many aspects of Google, since the reality of the place is already rather (self-consciously) wacky. In any case, it all hung together very well and made for good reading.
Pretty entertaining and engaging. The end was a little bit of a letdown, but otherwise enjoyed it a lot.
I really enjoyed this book. Just a warning though: If your not a tech geek, there's going to be a lot in here that you won't understand.
I'd give it three and a half if I could. There were things I liked about it and I can appreciate an original idea for a book, but it was a little too far fetched for me and by the time I finished, I was disappointed.
Ich mochte die Kombination aus geheimnissvolle Geschichte, Rätsel und Big Data á la Google.
I was too old for this book. Plus that much Google love has to be unhealthy. But it was sweet and my 14 year old loved it.
I began reading this book using the font AndikaInk but, after a few pages, I changed to ClearSans font. Nothing else of interest happened.
This book features a designer as the principal character, technology, a love for books, typography, secret societies, and some good cryptography principles.
Yes, it sounds like my kind of book, alright. I highly recommend it.
The only real reason for me not to give it 5 stars was the ending. The book always seemed to maintain a good pace, but the ending, even if sufficiently explanatory, felt a little rushed compared to the pace of the rest of the book.
Don't let it keep you from reading, though.
From now on, I will be aware of Mr. Robin Sloan's new books.
‘There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care. All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight.'
At a 4.5. This was such a good book. It had some very good Scott Pilgrim vibes and, obviously, had books and history. Which I love.
Pros: so fun, loved the characters, loved the puzzles.
Cons: poorly developed female characters.
A very sweet, enjoyable read.
This was a fun puzzle mystery but set in a modern age that was quite fun. I enjoyed Clay's voice as he narrated and the subtle tech jokes and slights that geeky people would get. It almost started to lose me in the second half but the pace kept me interested. Ultimately this was a fun read and quite enjoyable.