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My Review:Title: The Midnight Library
Author: Matt Haig
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: September 29, 2020
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Carey Mulligan
Length: 8 hours and 49 minutes
Genres: Science Fiction
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »
Source: Libby
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2022 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2022 COYER Summer, Lenoreo's 2022 Diversity Reading Challenge
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My rating:
Blurb:Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?
A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
3.5 stars — This was fairly different from most books I read, most especially for the lack of romance…but that seems to be the picks I gravitate to for my hubby buddy reads. And this was a book club book…for June, but whatever, so I’m a wee bit late. 😛
I definitely enjoyed it, though I felt like the story was longer than it needed to be. There’s this impatience in me when I figure out what’s supposed to happen, and the character isn’t quite there yet. I don’t mind it, I know it’s partially my own shortcoming. But there was a moment at the end where I felt like Nora should have got it on her own, and she didn’t really. It left me a bit frustrated with her to say the least.
I will also say I’m a bit conflicted on bits surrounding her depression/suicide. Conflicted because at times it was unbelievably emotional and I could just connect with it so easily. I felt. A LOT. But at other times I wasn’t sure about the messaging…it wasn’t that I could pick out anything in specific, just that…I don’t know. My brain was just iffy on it for reasons it’s not telling me. Maybe it’s that in the format of a book it’s hard to truly grasp everything that Nora goes through, and the true passage of time.
Awww, I was going to share an epiphany, but then I realized it might be a bit spoilery. If you want to see it, go to my blog (I’ll put it in spoiler tags). View Spoiler »
I can say that Carey Mulligan was a pretty good narrator. She absolutely EXCELLED at emotions, and there were moments where she read a passage in a certain way that I *know* I wouldn’t have in the same way, and it just perfected the words in that moment. She acted, basically. Her pacing was not bad, though maybe a bit slow at times (but not in such a way I felt like I could speed her up much more). Her voices were not as distinct as I tend to like, but not everyone excels at that. Basically I’m still really happy we listened to it, I think she added to the story.
As a final aside, I made the worst joke near the end of the story. There was a moment, a very poignant serious moment, when I turned to my hubby and started singing “0 118 999…”, and if you’ve seen the IT Crowd, well…we started killing ourselves. No one said I was couth.
I’m definitely glad I read the story, but I think I was expecting to enjoy it more than I did. There were moments of true literary art…but all in all it felt a bit long.
HUBBY BUDDY READ: Brett actually picked the exact same rating. If he writes a review, I’ll link it here.
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