At the start of this edgy and ambitiously multilayered novel, a fashion model named Charlotte Swenson emerges from a car accident in her Illinois hometown with her face so badly shattered that it takes eighty titanium screws to reassemble it. She returns to New York still beautiful but oddly unrecognizable, a virtual stranger in the world she once effortlessly occupied.
With the surreal authority of a David Lynch, Jennifer Egan threads Charlotte’s narrative with those of other casualties of our infatuation with the image. There’s a deceptively plain teenage girl embarking on a dangerous secret life, an alcoholic private eye, and an enigmatic stranger who changes names and accents as he prepares an apocalyptic blow against American society. As these narratives inexorably converge, Look at Me becomes a coolly mesmerizing intellectual thriller of identity and imposture.
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"I loved her take on the meaning of identity in this and how she laced together all of these different stories dealing somehow with that same core issue. Admittedly, some of the storylines worked better than others, but it was a compelling book overall. Amazing to think that this was written pre-9/11 and before social media really took off. She's a great, varied writer and one smart lady." — Cindy (4 out of 5 stars)
"I loved her take on the meaning of identity in this and how she laced together all of these different stories dealing somehow with that same core issue. Admittedly, some of the storylines worked better than others, but it was a compelling book overall. Amazing to think that this was written pre-9/11 and before social media really took off. She's a great, varied writer and one smart lady."
“Intriguing…An unlikely blend of tabloid luridness and brainy cultural commentary…The novel’s uncanny prescience gives Look at Me a rare urgency.”
“Ambitious, swiftly paced…Egan writes with such shimmering élan that it’s easy to follow her cast on its journey.”
“Dark, hugely ambitious, riveting as a roadside wreck—and noxiously, scathingly funny.”
“Egan limns the mysteries of human identity and the stranglehold our image-obsessed culture has on us all in this complicated and wildly ambitious novel.”
“Comic, richly imagined, and stunningly written…An energetic, unorthodox, quintessentially American vision of America.”
“Brilliantly unnerving…A haunting, sharp, splendidly articulate novel.”
“This is a masterfully plotted, unceasingly dramatic novel whose thrilling and provocative power lies in its hard-edged mirroring of our franchised, online, and wildly decadent world.”
" I really liked the way this book started out. I connected to the characters, and the premise of a model who was now nearly unrecognizable because of an accident intrigued me. However, the last few chapters confused me. They just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book. "
" I almost put the book down, but just when I was going to give up (after 200 pages), it got interesting. "
" I can't believe how long ago I read this book. Time passes quickly. But I enjoyed every minute of it over a winter vacation. "
" I liked this book a lot. Although if someone described it to me I might not necessarily have expected to. Thumbs up. "
" good but not stellar. interesting characters, voice not that engaging. "
" Thought-provoking, if weird, satire on modern American life. "
" What an obnoxious, needy and generally dislikeable main character! I rarely dislike the narrator, but guess there's exceptions to every rule... "
" I got this from the library as an audiobook. When it didn't capture my interest by the 2nd disc I decided to switch to something else. With 16 discs to it I didn't want to take the time to see if it got any better. "
" Kind of too pop-cultural for me. "
" Egan really likes telling complicated stories from multiple points of view. I found this one to be a little bit complicated and hard to follow because of the rapid shifts between one of three narrators. Of course, they all overlap eventually, but it takes most of the book to figure out how. "
" Oh crikey, I hate books that make you feel like you've failed in some way because they're written in some odd, impenetrable way. "
" So far not connecting with the main character but it is still readable...in a good way "
" It been years so I can not do a fair review at the moment but I do remember that it wrecked me and to this day I look at the book and think of it fondly I think I will return to this soon and then follow up with A Visit from the Goon Squad "
" Definitely can see why it was an award winner. I would have given it a five if the ending had been better. Great writing. Beautiful imagery among a story reeking of anger. Would be a great book club book. "
" I remember reading about 1/3 of the book and stopping because I just couldn't read it any longer. If you have read that much of a book and still feel blah about it. Most likely it won't be any good. "
" I really liked this book which explores identity from so many angles and characters. There is also an element of emotional disconnection with several of the characters that I enjoyed. "
" I really enjoyed this. It was compelling, funny, sad, you never knew what was going to happen or who's point of view would be up next. I will definitely be reading more Jennifer Egan. Thanks, Julie! "
" The writer takes up characters, leads us through their lives, contrasts characters beautifully in the same situation and builds a plot which is strong in its essence. A great read! "
" A unique book; an insightful, ahead of its time look at identity in modern culture. "
" Loved it. It's "serious literature" and it's also enthralling. The exploration of beauty, vanity, and what those aspects of life mean to women is what I was drawn to at first, but there are so many other intriguing storylines in this book. Just read it! "
" If you like twists and surprises and are from Illinois -- especially Rockford -- this is an interesting read. "
Jennifer Egan, the author of several books of fiction, is the recipient of the 2019 New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association’s 2019 Legacy Award for lifetime achievement. Her works including the New York Times bestseller Manhattan Beach, as well as A Visit from the Goon Squad, which won the Pulitzer Prize and National Books Critics Circle Award; The Keep, a national bestseller; the story collection Emerald City; Look at Me, a National Book Award finalist; and The Invisible Circus, which was adapted into a major motion picture. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Harper’s, Granta, McSweeney’s, the New York Times Magazine, and many others.
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