The Circle

By: Dave Eggers

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

A bestselling dystopian novel that tackles surveillance, privacy and the frightening intrusions of technology in our lives—a “compulsively readable parable for the 21st century” (Vanity Fair).

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency.

As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO.

Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public.

What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

©2013 Dave Eggers (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A vivid, roaring dissent to the companies that have coaxed us to disgorge every thought and action onto the Web . . . Carries the potential to change how the world views its addicted, compliant thrall to all things digital. If you work in Silicon Valley, or just care about what goes on there, you need to pay attention.” (Dennis K. Berman, The Wall Street Journal)

“The particular charm and power of Eggers’s book . . . could be described as ‘topical’ or ‘timely,’ though those pedestrian words do not nearly capture its imaginative vision . . . Simply a great story, with a fascinating protagonist, sharply drawn supporting characters and an exciting, unpredictable plot . . . As scary as the story’s implications will be to some readers, the reading experience is pure pleasure.” (Hugo Lindgren, The New York Times Magazine)

interesting

narration was great. story was very contemporary. very thought provoking. what future for the world would you choose?

Made me think

This is only the second book I’ve read that has made me think on an entirely different level about society and perceived norms. You will think hard, evaluate today’s society, and wonder what would happen should we ever get to this point.

great book

I enjoyed this book a lot, the plot could have been a bit more exciting, or not inviting fur a sequel, but rest of story compensates for it

Wonderful, but one problem

It was wonderfully read! The only thing is that I just heard a few mistakes as I was reading along with the recording in my book; on my page 101, there is the number “10,028” read as “10,328” in the recording and “10,041” read as “10,411” in the recording. That was the only problem that I caught so far. This isn’t the hugest deal so other than that, this is a great recording of the book!

Chilling...

This is that book that people will recognize thirty years from now as the cautionary tale that was so ahead of its time. The Circle may be too near to the real world event horizon it depicted in its narrative to be fully appreciated until it's too late.

If you don't recognize yourself somewhere in here, you are not paying attention. Fast paced and entertaining, but also a chilling "what if" that may cause you to turn off the Find Friends feature on your smart phone. I did. Do yourself a favor and read this fabulous book.

Typical Eggars

I say typical bc it is wonderfully well-written and full of wholly unlikeable characters. It's a terrifying vision of social media and cyber-connectivity taken to extremes. Eggars never makes it easy - situations and choices are never black and white, good or bad. Readers are forced to confront the nuances of positive and negative in each scenario. This cautionary tale is definitely worth a listen - do NOT just watch the movie. You'll miss the whole point.

A very helpful reflection on data and privacy

I very much enjoyed the book's clear-eyed vision of the potential dystopian future which the silicon valley might end up preparing for us. I just found the ending a little abrupt and unimaginative. Dion Graham's vocal performance is extraordinary and really helps bring the book's ominous themes come to life, not to mention the wide range of characters.

Social media dominates a dystopian future

What did you love best about The Circle?

It is relevant and does not require much of a suspension of logic to imagine such events occurring. I know many who have fully engaged the social media world into their lives. I know many who still do not have FB pages. I know of no one that does not have a browser history that changes daily. So this story should engage everyone on some level. I regularly engage social media but am a luddite at heart. I hope I do not have to choose between the two.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I think the narrator did as good of a job as can be expected. But why would they choose a deep male voice to narrate when the two prime characters are young women. It was distracting and really makes me hesitant to recommend this as an audio book.

Any additional comments?

I have little hope that the upcoming movie is going to do this story justice.

So much potential

It's a good story, but not one we haven't heard before. The author does take it to the next level, but almost sets the story up like it could be so much more that I hope he comes out with a second book following the theme that interests me (don't worry I won't spoil it, just look out for the theme towards the end).

The idea of the story was ok

I struggled to finish the book. It was not very entertaining to me. A majority of the dialogue seemed like forced drama and the detail of the "intimate" encounters were unnecessary.