Lara VapnyarRecensioni

Life of a Russian Jew who emigrates to the US with her mother and her new husband. Very offbeat and funny, though it gets more serious as it goes on

A lot of people didn't like this book, for a variety of reasons, many of them valid. I enjoyed it because it presented a subject I have never read about before - summer sleep away camp in the Soviet Union (!), and I loved the way the author unfolded her story. It was a quick, enticing read that I had a hard time putting down, flaws and all.

In her seventh novel, author Lara Vapynyar deals with the immigrant experience and identity, specifically a person’s online identity after his or her demise.

The novel centers around four Russian immigrants, friends since their school days. Now in their mid-40s, the four have come to the crossroads that often plague the lives of the middle-aged. The friends---Vica, Vadik, Sergey and Regina---all live in New York City.

Sergey and Vica are married and have a son, Eric. Sergey is constantly being laid off from his job as a financial analyst. Vica works as a medical technician at a local cancer treatment center. Just after the story opens, the couple split. Sergey goes to stay with Vadik and decides to devote all his time to developing an app that he calls “Virtual Grave.” The idea is that the app will peruse a person’s emails, text, voice mails, etc. to continue to recreate his or her online presence after death.

Vadik is a programmer and is single. He lives the bachelor life, dating woman after woman. I thought he was the lesser drawn of the characters. He had been in love with Rachel, but there were two Rachel’s in Vadik’s life, referred to as Rachel 1 and Rachel 2. I found that utterly confusing.

Then there is Regina. A famous literary translator back in Russia, she spends her days grieving over her lost career and her mother. She’s marred to Bob, a wealthy American. Readers never get to see Bob except in passing and when he shows up, it is sometimes confusing because I always had trouble remembering who he was.

The book seems less to do with app and how it would than it does the four trying to navigate the daily struggle of life. I also had trouble in remembering who Vica and Vadik were…I kept getting them confused.

The story didn’t grab me. I plodded along with, much like the characters do in their lives. The book was okay, but I’ve read better books that deal with the same subject (virtual life after death) that were much better. I did like all the literary references. I give Still Here 3 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

I won this book from Librarything Early Reviewers contest.

Halfway in to the novel and I am still wondering what is the plot. I just didn't care for any of the characters in this book. Consequently I put the book away and added another notch to my 'books I couldn't finish for various reasons'

Ultimately, the description on the back cover failed to capture the full essence of this book, a book that envelops so many deep, emotional topics while creating characters that such a broad range of readers can connect to. A job well, well done by author Lara Vapnyar.

The author brings up so many relevant issues and does a unique job in making a book that connects to both a young and old population. In fact, I can’t help but agree with her when she states in her later interviews that the baby boomer population is the first generation to live two lives: a real life and a virtual life. What will be our online legacy and what will be our real life legacy?

https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/17/still-here-novel-by-lar...

A book about preconceived notions of your future and the feelings that come with trying to make that real while accepting the reality that you're meant for something different.

A really great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.I am looking forward to reading more books by Lara Vapnyar. A tale about Russian emigrants and all around good storytelling. I felt at one with the characters.

Still Here is a semi interesting read about russian immigrants. The story was ok, the writing good but it just could not hold my attention. The characters althought at times were interesting, just were not very well developed and I could not relate or feel anything really for them. The author writes very well but the story was missing qualitys in the characters that make us love or hate them or even somewhat like them. It was sorta boring.

Still Here by Lara Vapnyar is a book I should have enjoyed, the interplay of four Russian immigrants, these are the type of books I enjoy, as they tend to be deep and rich and yet I simply could not get into the book. One does not have to like the characters for a book to be wonderful, however in this case I felt the characters were not well developed and unfortunately, in this genre, if the characters do not come off as real people, it simply does not work well. I strongly suggest reading other reviews before choosing Still Here.

This was a semi interesting drama about a group of Russian immigrants . I had a hard time getting through this book . The characters were mostly unlikable . I wouldn't mind that if this was a thriller , but it's not that type of story . You should be able to like /sympathize with most of the characters in dramas . I couldn't relate . It was well written , but not for me .

I'd add a half star if I could. My review for BookPage

https://bookpage.com/reviews/20136-lara-vapnyar-still-here#.V6k3hJgrK1s

I liked these short stories which all center around food and love. Each story was like a little snack - a pastry with a surprisingly savory filling.

I dislike baling on an LT ER selection, but I simply could not read this one. I couldn't even get to page 50, although I tried talking myself into that. The first 40 pages were tedious, uninspired back story about 4 Russian immigrants whose lives I suppose we are meant to take an interest in. This read like a laundry list of what had happened to these shallow people up to their mid-30's, including all past "relationships", some of which intersected--there was no narrative flair to it at all. Let's imagine the TV series "Friends" with older characters who have learned nothing in the last decade, and lack the physical attractiveness, wit, zany humor and occasional loveable-ness of Ross, Rachel and the gang. In the past, I read and enjoyed Vapnyar's short fiction collection, [There Are Jews in My House], which led me to request a copy of this novel. Unfortunately, [Still Here] just wasn't working or promising me anything. Life is too short for this.

October 2016

Modern-day Russian emigres, some of them working to create a new app. Each chapter advances their individual stories and reflects more about their friendships. Enjoyed it.

Vadik, Regina, Sergey, and Vica are all long-time friends, Russian immigrants, and the main characters in this novel, by Lara Vapnyar. Almost 40 - as Bob, Regina's husband, a rich American entrepreneur puts it: “That’s a crazy age. … kind of like puberty for adults." - and after 14 years in the United States, they each continue struggling to be both themselves and American. This well-written book is clever in its description of the dilemmas and responses of each individual; the author sympathetically but honestly shows how innate cultural differences will remain mysterious even with sincere effort. Observing familiar situations from even a tiny change of angle allows a piquancy which Ms Vapnyar wields with a delicately humorous touch.
The reader starts the novel immediately, as a passenger in a car driven by Sergey as he and his wife Vica travel from their home on Staten Island through New York city to Vadik's new apartment. Regina is also on her way, from her home "in the most beautiful part of Tribeca." The main, outward structure of their relationships is deftly explained in the conversation the reader overhears, along with a central theme of the book: Sergey's "sure-thing winner" of an app which analyzes your social media posts and then, after you die, continue to tweet and post in your voice.
This is a book which rewards the consideration of thoughtful readers. While the plot and gentle comedy carry one onward, it would be a rare person who didn't stop to think about the insights implied by the situations, observations, and reactions of the characters in this fine novel.

Still Here provided a straightforward account of the lives of four Russian immigrants trying to make their way in New York City. The characters are realistic in their responses to everyday challenges like motivation, marriage, and job satisfaction -- all against the backdrop of an app that allows you to gain immortality through your online presence. I did not particularly like any of the four main characters, perhaps because I saw too many of my own flaws in them, but I did enjoy how Vapnyar made them each believable. I was rooting for everyone to find their happy endings, and am pleased that the end of the novel still holds so much uncertainty for their futures.

Lara Vapnyar writes simply and straightforwardly while creating layered, nuanced, memorable characters. You think you know them at one moment, but before you can blink, Vapnyar has neatly rearranged your impressions of them. What's most impressive, though, is that this character development never feels gimmicky or out-of-left-field; instead, you realize that the depth and complexity have been there all along, thanks to Vapnyar's deft skill.

She conjures characters who feel utterly and completely like people: simple and superficial at first glance, but in reality impossibly and intricately made. In packaging them in the digital age, she's crafted a thoroughly modern, often uncomfortable reflection of our world — consumed by technology and obsessed with both ourselves and information, but simultaneously hopeful and redeemable.

Four emigres from Russia,, long time friends, interact and ruminate on the problems and challenges of their various lives. The problem is that none of the characters is especially interesting, the situations they find themselves in are mundane and the book is, on balance, pretty tedious.½

A story of four Russian friends who immigrate to the United States at different times and meet up in New York. It is the story of their ambitions and goals and how they cope with the disappointments and failures. It is about their relationships with each other and the bond they have. Although the story centers around an app "Virtual Grave" the main core of the book is the characters.
I received this book as an ARC.

This book follows the intertwined stories of four friends, all Russian immigrants to America. It is kind of a character study, exploring their relationships to the world through their relationships to technology. It seems to be making a statement about the ability to remain unsatisfied and miss connections, while seemingly living in a world of abundance and interconnectedness. The book skips forward quite a bit, in some cases, between each story - each chapter is a vignette in the life of one of the characters, entirely from their point of view. You do come to care about the characters, but I am in varying degrees, sad for all of them at the end of the book. The book also had an ongoing theme of describing various smartphone apps, which either existed in the book's universe, or were planned by the characters. Quite a few of those apps, I'd like to see. If I had to compare it to another book, so that you know what you're getting in to, I'd go for The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barberry, or possibly, Martin Dressler, by Steven Millhauser. It is a book that makes you think about what it was trying to say after you've read it - one you can find more in, the more you think about it.

Definitely an interesting, thought-provoking read. The idea of our social media presence existing after we pass away is one both optimistic and horrifying - an idea pondered by the characters of Still Here. They each have their own views of death and what remains of us after we die, making the characters in Still Here as true-to-life as any four individuals. The immigration aspect, and the tie-in of Russian culture, adds another dimension to the novel that completes the circle of individuality. Both gritty and poetic, Still Here is a great read.

Still Here is a novel not soon forgotten. The main characters leap off the page as if you knew them personally. That is what I most enjoyed about the book, and the way at the ending gives you a sense of everything coming around full circle. Great read!

Disappointing book. The idea of what happens to personal digital information after death is an interesting focus for a novel. This book however spent the majority of the time on the lives of four deeply flawed characters, rather than discussing the issue. I just couldn't appreciate this book.½

This book has such a good plot that I couldn't stop reading, it took me a while to come up with a review because I just couldn't find words to describe it all. I got me confused at some points but as I kept reading I understood more and more and it was just so well written too.

Four Russian friends and immigrants living in New York City are balancing impending middle age, relationship problems, unfulfilled ambitions of youth, and thoughts of legacy and life after death. Many of these issues arise out of Sergey's idea of Virtual Grave, an app that is algorithmically programmed to communicate with loved ones after one's death. This is a modern tool that gets at an age-old question. It's a also clever story with interesting, flawed characters who are navigating a world where online personas seem to often matter more than their real world counterparts.