Station Eleven - Part 1 - The first 50 pages

The Cause:
My professor has recommended that we read the books for fun, then highlight, make notations, and expand on our thoughts and feelings as we read.  I thought a blog would be perfect.

Story Blurb:
"An Audacious, Darkly Glittering Novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Page 1 - Such rich text.  I am overwhelmed with the reality of the lights, sounds, and scene of the play King Lear.  As a theatre person, it is amazing to see the reality placed in words before my eyes.

Page 2 - Death and Conflict!  Mandel gets right to the point.  The death of a significant character right out of the gate followed soon after [by page 25] by a plague/epidemic of epic proportions is amazing, the ebb and flow of the story as the characters and scene unfolds before us is impressive.  Written in 2014 it reflects the SARS epidemic, the scare of the West Nile Virus, Avian Flu, and others.

Page 55 - The detail concerning the spread of the disease, the end of electronics, cars, gas, etc., the diaspora of the remaining populations....  This book was published before the Ebola scare of 2014, and yet it tells the truth of what might actually happen if an epidemic, or any kind, goes unchecked.  Here, the 'Georgian Flu' comes to the Americas by way of Russia and Canada, and 20 some-odd years later, the traveling menagerie of Shakespearean Actors and Classical Musicians are travelling like troubadours entertaining and educating others along the way.  In only 50 pages, Mandel was able to crumble the very foundations of the world, I can't wait to see where the rest of this journey will take us.

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

More Later...

Welcome to Pen and Scroll

The wind raked across the withered leaves gathered in the yard. It whispered along the eaves and dipped through cracks along the windowsill fluttering the pages laid out before me; gently reminding me to pause and consider introducing myself.

My name is Joseph, and for the next while, I'll be your tour guide through the pages of interesting modern fiction books created by some of the world's top writers.  I am 35 years old, a teacher, and am finishing a Master's in Secondary Education in Missouri.  This Spring I am taking some fiction study and fiction writing classes (for fun :-P) and wanted to write about what I was reading and writing.  I hope you enjoy the materials and feel free to contact me or give me feedback as we progress.

Have a Happy New Year!

Joe