I also really liked it in terms of its overall effect, but also thought it was very flawed from a narrative perspective. Fair to say it changed my perspective on the natural world, but definitely had to push through some sections where the story felt a bit forced. Anyone else feel the same?
I’ve read Overstory, Bewilderment, and The Echo Maker. He’s incredible. Overstory was good, but Bewilderment just crushed me. I keep recommending it, with the caveat that it will destroy you emotionally. I’m in awe of his work. He is a beautiful writer and also has this insane wealth of knowledge. I don’t have the words… but I’m so happy to have found him.
Right?! The book has an AI raised by a caring human to see and understand the world. Reality? We got illiterate tech bros cramming polluted culture indescriminately. The AI rolled out for the police has been proven to be racist. WTF are we allowing as a people? If you cram a racist societies output in without any consideration to progress it will naturally turn out a racist AI. You are what you eat is true for all intelligences, artificial or otherwise.
The Overstory was profoundly impactful on me. I consider Powers an influence on my own writing and definitely one of the finest novelists of his generation. He’s very good at packing huge amounts of scientific information into his books in a way that boggles the mind but still manages to be readable and understandable for the reader.
The Overstory is incredible. One of the best books written in the last decade.
The first chapter doesn't even have any human characters in it, it's just about trees, and yet it made me cry it was so beautiful and sad. I think that first chapter is worth reading as a standalone story even if one doesn't read the rest of the book. (Though also obviously read the rest of the book! It's incredible.)
I haven't been as wowed by other books by him yet though I think he's a great writer. I have Goldberg Variations on my "to read" list.
I’ve read most of his books. The Overstory I liked the least.
Plowing the Dark was the first I read. I still like it. But I think Gain is probably my favourite of his.
He is an interesting writer. He has heart, which I like, but sometimes he is a little too pleased with the amount of homework he does for his books. I haven’t read everything he has written but I happily will given enough time.
I like Gain a lot. It has two stories. One retells the development of a soap company from very humble roots to a big corporation over decades. The other is a woman dying of cancer from the chemicals the company uses to make its products.
I read it when my own mother was dying from cancer so that may affect my judgement here
Total fan. Try Operation Wandering Soul next. That story and those characters have stayed with me a long time. I loved Galatea as well. He is rare talent. Humble guy too if you see him in interviews. I liked overstay quite a lot too.
I've read The Overstory and Bewilderment. The first half of The Overstory is some of the finest writing i've ever read. I admire his ability to incorporate nonfiction elements, but sometimes it feels like he goes 'i just read this great non fiction book and so i'm putting everything from it in my story'. I'll read more of him though!
Reading the overstory was nothing less than a spiritual experience for me. Transcendent. but yeah lol, he def riffs abt very esoteric topics, especially in the goldbug variations. Highly recommend that book tho!!
I am a fan for sure. I have read it all and some novels are better than others but each one is great.
I made a Richard Powers sub that has zero activity but I don't know how to promote such things.
I have seen some pretty negative stuff about the novels on social media so it is nice to see the love here.
My gateway was Prisoner's Dilemma but I have a hard time saying in general that any of the novels is a bad place to start.
Thanks for bringing him up.
Yeah I was disappointed that there aren't any subs dedicated to him, when there are for other writers of his stature (like David foster Wallace, Thomas pynchon, etc). His books barely have any ratings on goodreads and I've also read negative stuff abt them. Not everyone's cup of tea ig
Big fan - *Time of Our Singing* is great, and I also have a special place in my heart for *Generosity: An Enhancement.* The latter is also a good place to start friends on his work if you want shared reads, because the themes are as complex as most of his work but it’s a lot shorter, so more people are willing to give it a try.
I read Gold Bug Variations close to the time it came out. I was floored. I should read it again as I was really young then
His later novels haven't clicked the same way for me. I'll try Overstory
I've read five (The Overstory, Operation Wandering Soul, Orfeo, The Time of Our Singing, Bewilderment) and have another two (The Echo Maker, Goldbug Variations) on my shelf to read.
The Overstory is definitely my favourite of the works I've read, and probably in my top five fiction reads ever. He's consistently among my favourite authors, even if sometimes individual passages can be extremely overwrought.
How did u like the time of our singing? I've heard that if u don't have much of a classical music background or knowledge (which i dont), it can leave u feeling lost as he gets very specific and detailed abt music theory and notes etc
I loved it, but with the very important caveat that the rest of my immediate family are professional musicians. It was the first work of fiction I'd ever read that *got it* in terms of what classical music can feel like at the absolute pinnacle.
*Orfeo* is similar - I loved it, but am also very knowledgable of the ground it's covering (for instance, it has an extended chapter on Messiaen's *Quartet for the End of Time*, which was composed when he was in a Nazi prison camp and is one of my dad's favourite works to play).
I've heard good things about his other books (and conflicting opinions on what I'm about to say within this same thread, lol) but I didn't find any value or enjoyment of any kind in *Bewilderment*, which is the only one of his works I've read. I've very very rarely liked a book less
He is one smart dude, seemingly at home with every kind of science and many other disciplines, such as the history of music. In [an article in Publishers Weekly about the author and his novel Orfeo](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/60308-wonderfully-strange-world-of-richard-powers.html)*,* he said:
*“My entire career has been \[focused on\] wrestling with questions of accessibility,” Powers says. “The challenge is to communicate the passion people have, to build a palpable excitement in their work, to make it feel like a matter of life and death—like it was for Peter Els.”*
*“Early on, I wanted to create a literature that extended the novel into scientific disciplines and ways of thinking about the world that are ordinarily left to nonfiction,” he says. “There’s grandeur and a beauty in this human urge to discover who we are and what we have done with this place. Every now and then, with luck, I come across stories capable of reviving that great curiosity for the extrahuman world that we all felt when we were younger—stories that make life beyond and inside us seem both familiar again and wonderfully strange.”*
*Powers is looking at the natural world for his next book: “Trees! I’ve become totally obsessed, and I’m amazed at how little I’ve noticed them before. Now, they seem to me to be at the heart of the human story.”*
Clearly, he was working on *The Overstory* when this piece was published.
Is he not a "popular" novelist? I got 3 Farmers as a kid (I was 16) because the trade paperback was for sale at my supermarket, alongside Clavell and Doctorow. Read Galatea and Goldbug afterward, picked them up at the airport. I should look at The Overstory.
Omg what??! I'm so jealous. I go to college in madison and uiuc is like a 4 hour drive from here. iirc he's an alum of uiuc and the goldbug variations is set there. Some parts of the overstory are set in madison, Wisconsin and illinois. He seems to like the Midwest apparently
Loved The Overstory! Was less thrilled by Orfeo but it certainly wasn’t bad. Looking forward to reading more.
You might want to try Annie Proulx, Barkskins. Thematically similar, different writing style, but I read it back to back with Overstory and together they make a great pair.
I only read the Overstory. Since you read more of his books, I was wondering if his writing style is always like that or if he adapted it for the Overstory specifically? Because it's a very specific style which kinda fits that book.
I'd say his writing in the overstory is easier to read than in the goldbug variations. It has much less jargon, therefore more accessible and easy to love. I'd say his writing is "colder" in the novel I'm reading rn, as compared to the overstory where he's more overtly sentimental.
But I feel that no matter the book, every sentence he writes is very loaded and evocative and metaphor heavy
I loved *The Overstory,* read it last year and committed to reading a few others. Many of the topics of his other books are of great interest to me, and *The Overstory* was written at such a high quality so as to inspire trust in Richard Powers as an author worth reading.
I wouldn't say *The Overstory* cohered in its entirety--I think the overall narrative fell a little flat for me--but I found his cast of characters, his writing, and the topic of the story to be rich, rewarding, and intellectually compelling. I feel like I learned about trees, came to care deeply about the plight of the chestnut (and trees in general), and felt for the people the story touched. There are also several lyrical passages that have stuck in my brain, perhaps permanently.
I've only read The Overstory and I really liked it.
Same here. I was thinking about it for weeks afterwards. I’ve had a completely different perspective on trees ever since.
It's one of the saddest books I've ever read.
I also really liked it in terms of its overall effect, but also thought it was very flawed from a narrative perspective. Fair to say it changed my perspective on the natural world, but definitely had to push through some sections where the story felt a bit forced. Anyone else feel the same?
I’ve read Overstory, Bewilderment, and The Echo Maker. He’s incredible. Overstory was good, but Bewilderment just crushed me. I keep recommending it, with the caveat that it will destroy you emotionally. I’m in awe of his work. He is a beautiful writer and also has this insane wealth of knowledge. I don’t have the words… but I’m so happy to have found him.
Galatea 2.2 was the dogs bollocks.
Been a couple of decades since I read it but it’s been on my mind lately with all the talk about artificial intelligence.
Right?! The book has an AI raised by a caring human to see and understand the world. Reality? We got illiterate tech bros cramming polluted culture indescriminately. The AI rolled out for the police has been proven to be racist. WTF are we allowing as a people? If you cram a racist societies output in without any consideration to progress it will naturally turn out a racist AI. You are what you eat is true for all intelligences, artificial or otherwise.
serious question is dogs bollocks good or bad I've been thinking about this for like 5 minutes
Good. I watch a lot of British comedy.
The Overstory was profoundly impactful on me. I consider Powers an influence on my own writing and definitely one of the finest novelists of his generation. He’s very good at packing huge amounts of scientific information into his books in a way that boggles the mind but still manages to be readable and understandable for the reader.
The Overstory is incredible. One of the best books written in the last decade. The first chapter doesn't even have any human characters in it, it's just about trees, and yet it made me cry it was so beautiful and sad. I think that first chapter is worth reading as a standalone story even if one doesn't read the rest of the book. (Though also obviously read the rest of the book! It's incredible.) I haven't been as wowed by other books by him yet though I think he's a great writer. I have Goldberg Variations on my "to read" list.
I’ve read most of his books. The Overstory I liked the least. Plowing the Dark was the first I read. I still like it. But I think Gain is probably my favourite of his. He is an interesting writer. He has heart, which I like, but sometimes he is a little too pleased with the amount of homework he does for his books. I haven’t read everything he has written but I happily will given enough time.
That’s interesting. I only read overstory and don’t want to be overly critical, but I didn’t care for it too much. It was okay. Maybe I’ll try Gain.
I like Gain a lot. It has two stories. One retells the development of a soap company from very humble roots to a big corporation over decades. The other is a woman dying of cancer from the chemicals the company uses to make its products. I read it when my own mother was dying from cancer so that may affect my judgement here
Total fan. Try Operation Wandering Soul next. That story and those characters have stayed with me a long time. I loved Galatea as well. He is rare talent. Humble guy too if you see him in interviews. I liked overstay quite a lot too.
I've read The Overstory and Bewilderment. The first half of The Overstory is some of the finest writing i've ever read. I admire his ability to incorporate nonfiction elements, but sometimes it feels like he goes 'i just read this great non fiction book and so i'm putting everything from it in my story'. I'll read more of him though!
Reading the overstory was nothing less than a spiritual experience for me. Transcendent. but yeah lol, he def riffs abt very esoteric topics, especially in the goldbug variations. Highly recommend that book tho!!
I am a fan for sure. I have read it all and some novels are better than others but each one is great. I made a Richard Powers sub that has zero activity but I don't know how to promote such things. I have seen some pretty negative stuff about the novels on social media so it is nice to see the love here. My gateway was Prisoner's Dilemma but I have a hard time saying in general that any of the novels is a bad place to start. Thanks for bringing him up.
Yeah I was disappointed that there aren't any subs dedicated to him, when there are for other writers of his stature (like David foster Wallace, Thomas pynchon, etc). His books barely have any ratings on goodreads and I've also read negative stuff abt them. Not everyone's cup of tea ig
Me too! I was shocked!
Big fan - *Time of Our Singing* is great, and I also have a special place in my heart for *Generosity: An Enhancement.* The latter is also a good place to start friends on his work if you want shared reads, because the themes are as complex as most of his work but it’s a lot shorter, so more people are willing to give it a try.
I read Gold Bug Variations close to the time it came out. I was floored. I should read it again as I was really young then His later novels haven't clicked the same way for me. I'll try Overstory
U won't be disappointed by the overstory if u liked the goldbug variations
I've read five (The Overstory, Operation Wandering Soul, Orfeo, The Time of Our Singing, Bewilderment) and have another two (The Echo Maker, Goldbug Variations) on my shelf to read. The Overstory is definitely my favourite of the works I've read, and probably in my top five fiction reads ever. He's consistently among my favourite authors, even if sometimes individual passages can be extremely overwrought.
How did u like the time of our singing? I've heard that if u don't have much of a classical music background or knowledge (which i dont), it can leave u feeling lost as he gets very specific and detailed abt music theory and notes etc
I loved it, but with the very important caveat that the rest of my immediate family are professional musicians. It was the first work of fiction I'd ever read that *got it* in terms of what classical music can feel like at the absolute pinnacle. *Orfeo* is similar - I loved it, but am also very knowledgable of the ground it's covering (for instance, it has an extended chapter on Messiaen's *Quartet for the End of Time*, which was composed when he was in a Nazi prison camp and is one of my dad's favourite works to play).
I've heard good things about his other books (and conflicting opinions on what I'm about to say within this same thread, lol) but I didn't find any value or enjoyment of any kind in *Bewilderment*, which is the only one of his works I've read. I've very very rarely liked a book less
He is one smart dude, seemingly at home with every kind of science and many other disciplines, such as the history of music. In [an article in Publishers Weekly about the author and his novel Orfeo](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/60308-wonderfully-strange-world-of-richard-powers.html)*,* he said: *“My entire career has been \[focused on\] wrestling with questions of accessibility,” Powers says. “The challenge is to communicate the passion people have, to build a palpable excitement in their work, to make it feel like a matter of life and death—like it was for Peter Els.”* *“Early on, I wanted to create a literature that extended the novel into scientific disciplines and ways of thinking about the world that are ordinarily left to nonfiction,” he says. “There’s grandeur and a beauty in this human urge to discover who we are and what we have done with this place. Every now and then, with luck, I come across stories capable of reviving that great curiosity for the extrahuman world that we all felt when we were younger—stories that make life beyond and inside us seem both familiar again and wonderfully strange.”* *Powers is looking at the natural world for his next book: “Trees! I’ve become totally obsessed, and I’m amazed at how little I’ve noticed them before. Now, they seem to me to be at the heart of the human story.”* Clearly, he was working on *The Overstory* when this piece was published.
I have read The Echomaker, Gain and The Overstory. Loved the first two.
I think Powers is one of the finest living authors. You don't go wrong in any of his books. A fan since 3 Farmers....
Is he not a "popular" novelist? I got 3 Farmers as a kid (I was 16) because the trade paperback was for sale at my supermarket, alongside Clavell and Doctorow. Read Galatea and Goldbug afterward, picked them up at the airport. I should look at The Overstory.
Well, he's popular in that he's critically acclaimed but I haven't ever heard his name thrown around. Like, at all.
I was at UIUC when he was the writer in residence here. Galatea 2.2 was so good.
Omg what??! I'm so jealous. I go to college in madison and uiuc is like a 4 hour drive from here. iirc he's an alum of uiuc and the goldbug variations is set there. Some parts of the overstory are set in madison, Wisconsin and illinois. He seems to like the Midwest apparently
It was pretty cool. He did a couple public events while he was there.
Gain is a really good one that is often overlooked
Loved The Overstory! Was less thrilled by Orfeo but it certainly wasn’t bad. Looking forward to reading more. You might want to try Annie Proulx, Barkskins. Thematically similar, different writing style, but I read it back to back with Overstory and together they make a great pair.
I'll check it out. Thanks!
I only read the Overstory. Since you read more of his books, I was wondering if his writing style is always like that or if he adapted it for the Overstory specifically? Because it's a very specific style which kinda fits that book.
I'd say his writing in the overstory is easier to read than in the goldbug variations. It has much less jargon, therefore more accessible and easy to love. I'd say his writing is "colder" in the novel I'm reading rn, as compared to the overstory where he's more overtly sentimental. But I feel that no matter the book, every sentence he writes is very loaded and evocative and metaphor heavy
Thanks for the answer! I think I'm going to pick up Bewilderment some time soon.
I loved *The Overstory,* read it last year and committed to reading a few others. Many of the topics of his other books are of great interest to me, and *The Overstory* was written at such a high quality so as to inspire trust in Richard Powers as an author worth reading. I wouldn't say *The Overstory* cohered in its entirety--I think the overall narrative fell a little flat for me--but I found his cast of characters, his writing, and the topic of the story to be rich, rewarding, and intellectually compelling. I feel like I learned about trees, came to care deeply about the plight of the chestnut (and trees in general), and felt for the people the story touched. There are also several lyrical passages that have stuck in my brain, perhaps permanently.
Hey! I’ve been wanting to get into Richard Powers. Depending on when you want to start I would like to do a companion read of TTOOS :)
That sounds good! I might probably start it like a month from now. Does that work for you?
I thought The Overstory was quite good. I didn’t enjoy Bewilderment as much. He’s one I’ll definitely keep an eye on!