Galatea 2.2 | Litsy

so-so

This feels very man-written, specifically it feels written by a man of a certain generation grappling with a mid-life crisis. Powers is a fair bit younger than the writers I usually associate with this style (Updike, Mailer), but he pulls it off well, by which I mean his narrator is so absorbed with his own worldview and unexamined emotions, he can't parse the reality others are living. He goes about cluelessly but with feigned confidence.

ImperfectCJ I loved The Overstory, but after this one, I don't anticipate seeking out more of Powers's backlist. 2y

Larkken Ugh. I‘ve heard so much love for Bewilderment, but I‘m tired of reading what you describe from man authors so maybe I‘ll keep putting it further down the stack.

Bewilderment

ImperfectCJ @Larkken I will say, I didn't get this feeling from The Overstory, which was the one just before Bewilderment, so maybe it's something he grew out of. I think I'll probably try Bewilderment, but I don't think I will go out of my way to read his earlier novels. 2y

49 likes3 comments

ImperfectCJ

Galatea 2.2: A Novel | Richard Powers

Spring this year is totally crazy around here with college decisions, end-of-year concerts and contests, planning grad party and grad trip, doubling my teaching load, and getting ready to start my first full-time job in 20 years. Camille has to get right in my face to get any pets these days, and I can only listen to the tagged audiobook in dribs and drabs. I hope things calm down to the point that the cats can have some lap time soon!

Tamra I keep thinking it‘s all going to slow down soon and it just doesn‘t!! 🤪 2y

Suet624 Oh boy. So fun though! 2y

Ruthiella Hope you and Camille have some quality time together soon. 😻😻😻 (edited) 2y

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ImperfectCJ @Ruthiella She needs to learn to be pushier like her brother. He's constantly on the lookout and claims a lap within seconds of it forming. 2y

ImperfectCJ @Tamra I know, right? It's nice to be busy, especially with good stuff, but I think my ability to relish small chunks of downtime diminished during the lockdown, and I haven't remembered how to manage them again yet! 2y

ImperfectCJ @Suet624 Definitely fun! 2y

Tamra @ImperfectCJ busyness makes me feel so scattered, that yes small amounts of downtime are difficult to get settled into. (edited) 2y

IndoorDame 😻😻😻 2y

dabbe Hello, Cute Camille! What a face! 💚🐾💚 2y

KadaGul @ImperfectCJ Camille might have a distant relative Ahtish( his shelter name was a Spitfire. In Persian Ahtish means 🔥) 2y

ImperfectCJ @KadaGul What a great cat name! We'd planned to change Camille and her brother Silo's names when we adopted them, but when we got them home, the names they came with fit better than any of the others we tried. 2y

KadaGul @ImperfectCJ We named our pets in alphabetical order. A:Ahtish 🐈B: Bilge🐈 C:Ceto 🐈D:Deo 🐈E:Eryx 🐕‍🦺 (edited) 2y

53 likes12 comments

Leftcoastzen

Galatea 2.2: A Novel | Richard Powers

pick

A fiction with autobiographical elements,Richard finds himself a humanist in residence at his old university.He also has a big case of writers block.He is drawn into a project run by cognitive neurologist to teach a computer the great books.Powers reflects on his failed relationship w/ a former student,while the “AI” experiment grows more complex as “Helen” wants to know its race ,sex, & reason for existing .A peek into the writing/academic life.

Suet624 Wow! Nice work writing up that review. 😀 7y

Liz_M I loved the concept of this book, but some of the philosophizing was over my head. 😁 7y

Leftcoastzen @Liz_M Yes, I feel the same way too, but some of the sentences he writes speak profoundly to me. 7y

Billypar Glad you liked it! I didn't read much background about how much of his own life he worked in, besides the surface similarities. It's interesting to think about the purpose of the relationship with C.- whether he's using the full complexity of a couple breaking up as a contrast to Helen's apparent emotions, or is up to something else. 7y

Leftcoastzen @Billypar I agree , complex with many ways to think about it .Some of the sentences he writes are like a fresh breeze followed by a cookie and a hug. 7y

31 likes5 comments

Leftcoastzen

Galatea 2.2: A Novel | Richard Powers

Story of my life . Some of the same books , some different. That sort of paragraph from Richard Powers makes me think he‘s on to something. 😀

28 likes

Leftcoastzen

Galatea 2.2: A Novel | Richard Powers

#HopIntoSpring #numbers A @Billypar review made me want to read Galatea 2.2 . 920 O‘Farrell Street speaks of Levy‘s childhood growing up in San Francisco,she eventually went to Cal Berkeley , became a drama critic, went to Paris with neighbor Alice B. Toklas ,ran around with the French artists crowd .By no stretch of the imagination am I a biker ,but this ency. of outlaw motorcycle clubs is fascinating.Full color (no pun intended)throughout.

vkois88, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

arubabookwoman Love #Richard Powers, and #Galatea 2.2 is good. I have his latest, #The Overstory out from the library to read soonish. 7y

Leftcoastzen @arubabookwoman Wow, your library got that fast. One on my favorite books ever .

Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance

arubabookwoman #leftcoastzen That‘s the only one by him that I haven‘t read, but I have it on my TBR shelf. 7y

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Billypar @Leftcoastzen When you read it I'd like to get your take on the ending- it's one of those where I can't decide if I loved it or hated it. But the rest of it I definitely loved. 7y

vkois88 👍👍👍 7y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ☺️☺️☺️ 7y

28 likes6 comments

Billypar

Galatea 2.2: A Novel | Richard Powers

Powers chose an excellent Emily Dickinson poem as the epigraph for the tagged book about professors who attempt to build an AI (using computer science from the 1990s 😉). The technology might be dated but the themes are as relevant as ever. This novel (and the show Black Mirror) might turn #freeyourmind into a protest chant on behalf of AI rights 🤖
Congrats to @batsy @Cinfhen on a superb month of hosting #FierceFeb - it was great fun! 😺👌🎶

batsy That poem 💙 And of course, now I have to read this book. Thanks so much for joining in this month, loved seeing your books! 7y

batsy I've seen this in a used bookstore and was wondering if I should get it. Have you read it?

Orfeo: A Novel

Billypar @batsy I haven't read Orfeo yet, but I've heard good things. My next Powers will either be that one or Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance based on @Leftcoastzen 's recommendation. The Echo Maker is probably my personal favorite. 7y

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batsy Wonderful, thanks! 😊 *scribbles it all down on a list* 7y

Leftcoastzen I‘m always rooting for 3 farmers ,sounds like I need to add this one to the stack. 7y

Liz_M The Echo Makers is wonderful! This book went a little over my head but I loved the ideas. Orfeo is next on my list -- I want to read a while bunch of stories based on the myth. 7y

Billypar @Liz_M That's a cool idea- I'm not great at coordinating what I read around themes, but it would be interesting to look at a mythological story like Orpheus from a lot of different angles. 7y

27 likes2 stack adds7 comments

Heideschrampf

Galatea 2.2: A Novel | Richard Powers

Found the loveliest little bookshop in Bella Roma and can proudly say of myself I left with only one addition to the shelf

PurpleyPumpkin Which bookstore? I'll be visiting Rome soon & would love to know!😉 8y

TheLondonBookworm Amazing! That looks like a gorgeous shop 😍 8y

Heideschrampf @PurpleyPumpkin Via della Lungaretta, which has lots of cafés and trattorias and feeling, too, with slightly (slightly) less tourists! 8y

PurpleyPumpkin Excellent, thanks for letting me know! I will check it out. 👌🏽 8y

32 likes4 comments

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