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Sto caricando le informazioni... The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047 (2016)di Lionel Shriver
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Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. Lionel Shriver paints an all-too-credible scenario of a USA going through hyperinflation and societal breakdown in the wake of a renunciation of the national debt and a global flight from the US dollar. From the richest to the poorest, life is turned on its head and existence is eked out in under the new realities of drastic shortages and money being made more worthless as the clock ticks. The Mandibles were Old Money; a wealthy family already in decline when The Renunciation hit and wiped out pretty much all of their remaining assets. As tenured academic posts disappear and gated retirement communities close the various branches of the family descend on the woefully inadequate house of social worker Florence and her teenage son Willing. Amidst all of the family's discombobulation, Willing proves to be the most adept at adjusting to the new realities, and gradually asserts a leadership role, although resented by some of his relatives. Willing is "willing" to abandon morals and ethics to do the brutally practical things that will help the family survive. Shriver makes the point that when things go to hell the poor do not feel it because they just assumed that they would get the shaft; only the rich get outraged by having things taken away from them. Shriver tells a great story here, with some quite biting wit at times. Her dystopian future makes a lot of sense and can be clearly seen as a possible outcome of trends in train today. She drops a few sly references to things like the "Chelsea Clinton Presidency", which help make her vision of the USA's future resonate. There are some strong characters, but I could have done without stupid names like Bing and Goog. I didn't really like the end of this book. It felt rushed and reminded me of the closing credits of some films, where they give you a one-sentence snippet on what happened to each character. It thought this was a very clumsy and inelegant way to finish what had been a very good read. nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Premi e riconoscimentiMenzioniElenchi di rilievo
With dry wit and psychological acuity, this near-future novel explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating U.S. sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American family. Down-to-earth and perfectly realistic in scale, this is not an over-the-top Blade Runner tale. It is not science fiction. In 2029, the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. Overnight, on the international currency exchange, the "almighty dollar" plummets in value, to be replaced by a new global currency, the "bancor." In retaliation, the president declares that America will default on its loans. "Deadbeat Nation" being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains to savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation. The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their ninety-seven-year-old patriarch dies. Once the inheritance turns to ash, each family member must contend with disappointment, but also-as the U.S. economy spirals into dysfunction-the challenge of sheer survival. Recently affluent, Avery is petulant that she can't buy olive oil, while her sister, Florence, absorbs strays into her cramped household. An expat author, their aunt, Nollie, returns from abroad at seventy-three to a country that's unrecognizable. Her brother, Carter, fumes at caring for their demented stepmother, now that an assisted living facility isn't affordable. Only Florence's oddball teenage son, Willing, an economics autodidact, will save this formerly august American family from the streets. The Mandibles is about money. Thus it is necessarily about bitterness, rivalry, and selfishness-but also about surreal generosity, sacrifice, and transformative adaptation to changing circumstances. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Classificazione LCVotoMedia:
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The three stars are for trying to tackle an interesting speculative conceit. But all the little “jokes” aren’t particularly funny or interesting, and over half the characters speak in Wikipedia articles, even at age 13.
I’m not going to tell people not to read any book, but I’m definitely not going to reread this one. ( )