Landscape with Invisible Hand

Landscape with Invisible Hand

Hardback
2.01

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Description

National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson returns to future Earth in a sharply wrought satire of art and truth in the midst of colonization.

When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth — but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the vuvv generously offered free advanced technology and cures for every illness imaginable? As it turns out, yes. With his parents’ jobs replaced by alien tech and no money for food, clean water, or the vuvv’s miraculous medicine, Adam and his girlfriend, Chloe, have to get creative to survive. And since the vuvv crave anything they deem "classic" Earth culture (doo-wop music, still-life paintings of fruit, true love), recording 1950s-style dates for the vuvv to watch in a pay-per-minute format seems like a brilliant idea. But it’s hard for Adam and Chloe to sell true love when they hate each other more with every passing episode. Soon enough, Adam must decide how far he’s willing to go — and what he’s willing to sacrifice — to give the vuvv what they want.
Main Genre
N/A
Sub Genre
N/A
Format
Hardback
Pages
160
Price
14.85 €

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This is my live review while I read the book. Page 1 This book uses creative phrases for chapter titles, so I'll just put the page numbers where the chapter breaks are. So far it feels more like a screenplay than a novel. People are watching a drive in movie. Page 3 There is some kind of pay-per-view situation featuring people who don't like each other. Page 5 There are aliens, but they are friendly. Page 7 A boy is the main character:My mother closes her eyes. "You're not doing much to keep hope alive, Adam." He is a painter, but not the kind that would paint a house. Page 10 The mom is searching for work and is very positive about it. Apparently, the job search is very competitive and violent. Page 14 Something terrible has happened. Humans can't compete with the aliens and are losing their jobs to the alien's technology. Most people are super poor. Page 19 The boy is disappointed by his father. It's a sad time for men providing for their families. Page 22 Our dining room, like many dining rooms, is set up to represent a world where people dine together.The boy says the world isn't like that anymore. A family comes to live with the boy's family. Page 29 The word love is used. The boy likes the girl that has moved in. Page 33 This book is not setting up where the plot is going. Page 35 A return to the topic of pay-per-view, but with more explanation. Page 37 The boy and the girl are making the pay-per-view videos. They sell them to the aliens, and add subtitles subtitles such as "The water is too cold for organism Adam...." The boy and the girl are the ones who were previously mentioned as not liking each other. So, it seems like their current positive relationship will fall apart. Page 44 I am at the point in the book where I am not sure about continuing. I am looking at people's reviews to see what they got out of it, and clicking like on many of the negative ones. The author is really good with his sense of humor and phrasing. The only problem is the book is giving no clue about what is important. I feel like skipping ahead to better understand. And on the other hand, I feel like just stopping here. The End. P.s. As the boy and girl stopped loving each other, they still made the videos.We wanted to just quit, but pretending we we in love was our families' only income.

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