Station Eleven (Television Tie-in)

A Novel

By: Emily St. John Mandel

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. Now an original series on HBO Max. Over one million copies sold!

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

Look for Emily St. John Mandel’s bestselling new novel, Sea of Tranquility!

©2014 Emily St. John Mandel (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

National Book Award Finalist

Winner of the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award

One of the Best Books of the Year: The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Buzzfeed, and Entertainment Weekly, Time, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Minnesota Public Radio, The Huffington Post, BookPage, Time Out, Book Riot

“Deeply melancholy, but beautifully written, and wonderfully elegiac . . . A book that I will long remember, and return to.” — George R. R. Martin

“Station Eleven is so compelling, so fearlessly imagined, that I wouldn’t have put it down for anything.” — Ann Patchett

Symphonies, Caravans, Comics, and a Plague

Station Eleven is not the typical post-apocalyptic tale. Based on the quality of writing , it is considered "literary." While I didn't find the narrative overly compelling, Emily St. John Mandel does have a knack for descriptive scenes and character development. The author's tale of post-apocalyptic society revolves around a traveling symphony, a migratory convoy performing Shakespeare plays in the remaining small villages of America. The narrator of this audiobook, Kirsten Potter, does a excellent job and keeps the reader/listener engaged through what I consider to be a slow-moving first couple of hours. While most novels of the post-apocalyptic genre focus on the evils the deterioration of modern society must surely bring, Station Eleven focuses more on the hope that not all is lost. While the horrors of civilization's demise certainly occur within in the novel, these horrors are more of a backdrop rather than the focal point of the narrative. Station Eleven is an artistic version of an apocalyptic setting, an above average read for those looking for a change of pace. Overall rating: 4.11 stars

An Alternative Dystopian Viewpoint

A masterfully executed dystopian novel from a feminine perspective. Although I am a fan of this genre of literature, I have yet to read (or listen via Audible) to one so rich in the description of human relationships in a post apocalyptic world. Maybe Margaret Atwood comes close. No zombies or AI units wanting to dominate the planet here, just folks trying to figure out what it means to be human in a brand new world. The primary adage of Mandel's work "survival is insufficient" says it all.

Why do end-of-the-world survivors stay in tents?

There are millions and millions of empty houses, with roofs and walls, perhaps wood-burning fireplaces if you're lucky, beds to sleep in and probably sheets and blankets and towels and, and, and. Just remove all the dead bodies and Bob's your Uncle. But it never fails, books and the movies always show the few survivors squatting in miserable tents or thrown up shelters. Or in this case, gas stations and Walmarts.
And why do they always move about? Why don't they stay in one spot, plant a garden, take over a dairy cow or domesticated chickens whose owner has died? Why the wanderlust?
That's what I'd do. But I guess I would be a poor protagonist so no books would ever be written about me.
This book did keep me listening to the end, but there were a lot of false leads and half-developed characters. I wish there had been fewer foci, and that the characters had more depth. I'm just getting interested in Jeavon when we move on to Kiki, and then Arthur gets a turn, then Miranda. Pick a protagonist and stick to it!

I enjoyed listening to this book.

I loved this book. It was well planned and sometimes very emotional. A must read.

Very original take on the post apocalypse story.

What did you like best about this story?

I love books/movies about life during and after an apocalypse, but they often tell a very similar story. Not this one. Station Eleven was not at all what I expected, but in a very good way. This is a unique take on things. I also love the way it tells the story of numerous interestingly connected people by jumping around between pre and post apocalypse.

remarkable remake of the post-apocalyptic narrativ

Any additional comments?

The book took me an unusually long time to get sucked into - it starts with several very disparate narratives only tenuously connected through what appears to be a gimmick (a comic book that the narratives have in common). However, as it developed, i began to see that it was a really imaginative and provocative way to remake the usual desolate post-apocalyptic narrative. I'd now say its one of the best books I've read this year.

I wanted more of a full arv

it was very enjoyable and I love the world built...I just kinda felt that it was all buildup and no great resolve. the enemy character climax I thought was going to be the start of the final phase, but it was just over.

I did very much enjoy it though

Convergence

If you like synchronicity, coincidence, connections that seem random but aren’t, then you’ll love this book. I found it to be a bit boring and just wanted it to come together in a way that gave me something more than it did. It’s interesting from a post-apocalyptic world view. But jumps around a lot in hopes of keeping your interest. I think it might have worked better as a chronological story of what happens to people under extreme adversity and change.

a more kind and gentle apocalypse

this was a book club suggestion and had the makings of being a profound reflection on the role of Art in the face of human tragedy but didn't quite capture the tragedy

Fell flat

I really hoped I would like this book but found it to lack any kind of climax. It just had a steady “blah” all the way through with no true high. I feel like the story and plot had so much potential. I also found the story to jump around so much with parts of the story I found irrelevant. I did like the narrator!