#emma cline’s the guest

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Summer is coming to a close on the East End of Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome. A misstep at a dinner party, and the older man she's been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city. With few resources and a waterlogged phone, but gifted with an ability to navigate the desires of others, Alex stays on Long Island and drifts like a ghost through the hedged lanes, gated driveways, and sun-blasted dunes of a rarified world that is, at first, closed to her. Propelled by desperation and a mutable sense of morality, she spends the week leading up to Labor Day moving from one place to the next, a cipher leaving destruction in her wake.

#polls #book: the guest #author: emma cline #genre: literary #genre: contemporary #year: 2020s

[thehumanarkle]

A largely spoiler free review of "The Guest" by Emma Cline

I say largely since while I do share a few details about the final chapter (it just wouldn't be accurate to call it an ending), it doesn't really mean much without more details or context.

The spinny wheel book video from a few months ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DDjOEay9vc

If you can, please support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arklestudios

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Want to contact me? You can find me on Tumblr (thehumanarkle.tumblr.com), Instagram (@brian.d.webber), BlueSky (@arkle.bsky.social), Twitter (@G33kOfAllTrades), SpaceHey (https://spacehey.com/profile?id=1528657), TikTok (@thehumanarkle), or Mastodon (@arkle)

#arkle studios #book review #the guest by emma cline #Youtube

[friscotravels]

#emma cline #the guest #books and reading #summer wine

[arlylelauren]

There were many ways to keep knowledge from yourself, to not think too hard about things you didn't want to confirm.

from The Guest by Emma Cline

#the guest #emma cline

[elenichr]

Year of Lists

March Books

+ the last of Tournament of Books pre-tournament

The Guest by Emma Cline *3/5 - an anxiety trip that leaves you wanting more

American Mermaid by Julia Langbein *4/5 - a tad strange, funny, an enjoyable ride overall

Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1; Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 2: Muad'Dib by Brian Herbert (Adapted by), Kevin J. Anderson (Adapted by), Frank Herbert, Raul Allen (Illustrations), Patricia Martín (Illustrations), Bill Sienkiewicz (Contributor) *4/5 - great for a drop back into the Dune world or a light introduction for those who want it but not the full book experience

Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt *4/5 - hell yeah. A bit of a narrative struggle in the beginning but it pays off. Affecting body horror, and an accurate look at contemporary society and politics, especially in the UK

What You Are Looking for Is not in the Library by Michiko Aoyama and Alison Watts *2/5 - nah. As saccharine and boring as many people have said

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert *4/5 - it's interesting and the plot checks out but it's just not as good as Dune

a bit of a meh month. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend any of these

#emma cline #the guest #american mermaid #julia langbein #fiction #bookblr #literature #tournament of books #tob #dune #dune part two #muad'dib #frank herbert #brainwyrms #alison rumfitt #dune messiah #what you are looking for is not in the library #what you are looking for #fiction in translation #michiko aoyama

[kamreadsandrecs]

#books #the guest #emma cline #quinta brunson

[kammartinez]

#books #the guest #emma cline #quinta brunson

[lilianeruyters]

Emma Cline || The Guest

Emma Cline once more proves herself to be an excellent writer. She had me with The Girls, this novel about a woman you really cannot like had me intrigued from page one on. I wanted to keep on reading and discover what would happen to the guest, Alex. Alex one must admit is not a nice person. There are moments in the novel in which you get an incling as to why she has come to be who she is.…

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#reading is fun #American literature #American writer #Chatto & Windus #Emma Cline #Great Novel #Great reading #literature #Penguin Random House #The Guest

[justforbooks]

Summer is coming to a close on Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome...

One misstep at a dinner party and the older man she's been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city. With few resources, but a gift for navigating the desires of others, Alex stays on the island. She drifts like a ghost through the gated driveways and sun-blasted dunes of a rarefied world, trailing destruction in her wake.

Taut, sensual and impossible to look away from, The Guest captures the latent heat and potential danger of a summer that could go either way for a young woman teetering on the edge.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #The Guest #Emma Cline #book review

[prometheankat]

The Girls is Not That Good - review

video version here: https://youtu.be/0xCFmudBbos

I recently found out via email newsletter that Emma Cline has a new book out. I’ve been told that reviews for her second book, The Guest, have been overwhelmingly positive, although I must admit that I have not read any of these reviews or the actual book itself. I have, however, read her debut novel, The Girls, and this new release reminded me that I never actually published a review for it and now I’m going to make it everyone’s problem. So, in this essay I’ll be covering the book and my thoughts on it, most of which aren’t that positive. There will be spoilers and I’ll be covering sensitive subjects related to cults and murder, so view at your own discretion. 

To start us off, The Girls was originally published in 2016 by Random House and is Emma Cline’s first published novel. Loosely inspired by the infamous Manson family murders, its plot follows 14-year-old Evie Boyd as she is caught up in a group of spellbinding girls and the man/cult leader they all follow, Russell. The book was the winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel 2016 and was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction 2016. Sounds like a pretty good book, right? Many other readers and reviewers would agree with you, like the Washington Post and NPR. I, however, would not, as you have probably already guessed from the title of this review. I have a few different problems with this novel, the first of which is the fact that the author managed to make something as fascinatingly macabre and intriguing as boring as my high school finance class. 

The real life story behind Charles Manson and the so-called Tate Murders is almost horrifically interesting. I read Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, a true crime novel about the case written by the actual prosecutor for the trial, right before I read The Girls, which is part of the reason The Girls felt so flat to me. Helter Skelter is a gripping, horrifying beast of a book. It sucks you in and refuses to let you go until you’ve learned every gritty, gory detail. Bugliosi’s intimate knowledge of the case makes him the perfect storyteller, as he leads you through every small clue and motive that build the case against Charles Manson and his oh-so-devoted followers. There’s so much to the story that has already been said both by Bugliosi and other creators in the past fifty years that a retelling like The Girls has to find something new and exciting to shed line on, a whole new avenue to explore. This book just doesn’t do that. Cline doesn’t really have anything new to say. 

Our main character, Evie, is a perpetual outsider. In this way, she acts like an audience-insert, allowing us a peek into the dark world that she’s stumbled upon. And there’s nothing wrong with this premise besides the fact that Evie doesn’t really do anything. Whether it’s because the author didn’t want to offend any of the real life people involved in the Manson family by basing a character on them or because she didn’t want to implicate her character in their crimes, therefore absolving her of guilt, this decision forces Evie to lurk outside of her own narrative. She isn’t allowed to do anything new, so the book never delves into uncharted territory. The story would have happened the exact same even if Evie had never existed at all, which is not a good thing for people to say about your main character. And because of this, the book really lacks a solid purpose. It fails to explore anything at all. 

The same is true for the plot, which is largely a gross simplification of real life events with a few spatterings of original writing that serve as our look into the future. Obviously, no retelling that is “inspired by” true events will line up perfectly with reality, but rather than taking an interesting concept and adding something new or turning it on its head, this book makes it boring and pedestrian. In the real world, Manson’s motives are a complex and confusing amalgamation of race wars, prejudice, post apocalyptic futures, dune buggies, Beatles lyrics, and miscellaneous Biblical influences. They’re a mess and they barely make sense, but that’s what makes it interesting. The search for a motive in the mountains of evidence is one of the most important parts of the prosecution case explained in Helter Skelter. In contrast, our Manson stand-in featured in The Girls wants to kill people because Mitch, our resident Beach Boy stand-in, couldn’t get him a record deal. Which is mind numbingly boring, especially when the other option is a madman’s belief that he is Jesus and killing any random influential person will start a war where him and his family will be the only survivors, all because they hunkered down in the desert on dune buggies. Like, it’s pure insanity, but it’s interesting to read about. The motives are the most glaring example I can provide, but The Girls simplifies pretty much every true event it draws inspiration from. And in that aspect, the plot really falls flat. 

The other parts of this book are comprised of Cline’s original ideas, particularly inventions about Evie’s family, friends, and future. Some of these portions take place in the future, following Evie as an aimless middle-aged woman currently house-sitting for a friend. When said friend’s teenage son and his girlfriend show up, we get some good interactions between Evie and the girlfriend, Sasha. I actually really enjoyed these sections, especially seeing how Evie saw herself in Sasha and tried to help her despite Sasha’s own wishes. All of the original writing wasn’t bad. The only time it fell flat was when it ventured back to the main plot, which was most of the book. 

And that’s what’s really the most disappointing thing about this book. There’s just so much wasted potential. This could have been interesting. This could have been amazing. I could have really enjoyed this. I actually really enjoy the idea behind it, which is why I picked up this book in the first place. Showing a girl’s perspective of these events, showing how someone vulnerable could get drawn into a cult would be an interesting area to explore. Especially when combined with how women were treated during the time period contrasted with how they were the actual ones doing the murdering, there’s a lot of interesting concepts in the idea alone. This could have been a much deeper, twisted exploration of some really cool ideas, if only the author wasn’t scared to commit to the actual cult material. Most of the story is built around it, but we never really explore it. It’s just another thing that happens because the plot demands so. Why write a book about a cult if you aren’t going to really go for it? Why do it at all? This book could have been so much better if Cline did commit to it. Or, alternatively, I think she could have written a really great novel if she just used her own original ideas. Her writing in the future sections was really good and I’m sure that a story where she isn’t bound to a historical inspiration could be really good. Either of those options would have been better than the book she actually wrote. 

Maybe I will read The Guest. Maybe it will be better than The Girls. But when it comes to The Girls, if you’re looking for a story about cults and murder in the sixties, just read Helter Skelter. Or if you don’t want to do that, you can just skim the Wikipedia page for Charles Manson. Either option would be more interesting. Because oftentimes, reality is much, much stranger than fiction. 

#the girls #emma cline #the guest #book review #prometheankat #book critique #book criticism #bookblr #reviews #charles manson #i guess? #fiction

[shortskirtsandsarcasm]

The Guest Review

Reminiscent of a Sophia Coppola movie

I would describe The Guest by Emma Cline as atmospheric and quietly upsetting (in a good way).

I read The Girls, Emma Cline’s first novel, when it came out in 2016. I loved it, so I pounced on The Guest as soon as it appeared on Netgalley. The plot, time period, and subject matter are very different, but The Guest keeps the same vibe of dark shadows lurking just out of view on an otherwise [seemingly] sunny day that The Girls had.

For the full review of this title, see my Medium page and my website.

#books #booklr #book #book review #books and libraries #book rec #reading #bookworm #netgalley #book recommendations #emma cline #the girls #the guest #atmospheric

[oracleofmadness]

I loved Emma Cline's book The Girls for many of the same reasons I wound up loving in this one. This author tells the most interesting stories featuring women whose lifestyles are not something ordinarily thought of... or even known about. I love the honesty behind this character. The third person narration also gave me a lot of room to wonder at what was really going on in the main character's head.

Alex is kind of a moocher. I would say a professional moocher, but I didn't get much of a professional vibe from Alex. She spends her days going to the beach in Long Island after stealing a pill or two from the older man she's staying with right now. It's a great set-up for someone like Alex. Simon buys her beautiful clothes, jewelry, handbags.... but of course, there is always a price.

When Alex gets booted for a mishap with Simon's car and a small adventure at a party, I felt like I was watching her careen downhill. She does everything in her power, manipulating, stealing, to get back to a safe spot. But her ventures wind up being as ambiguous as she is.

Out May 16, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

#book #bookish #books #bookworm #book review #currently reading #read #bookblogger #reading #literary fiction #contemporary fiction #fiction books #fiction #emma cline #the guest #netgalley

[hungryfictions]

books i read in the first third of the year

most liked:

all fours, miranda july

margo’s got money troubles, rufi thorpe

the southern book club’s guide to slaying vampires, grady hendrix

the grown-up, gillian flynn

the guest, emma cline

madwoman, chelsea bieker

disappointed:

death in her hands, ottessa moshfegh

sugar, baby, celine saintclare

penance, eliza clark

worry, alexandra tanner

the odyssey, lara williams

#most of the books in the disappointed category #are there because i liked previous a book or books by the author #and didn’t like this one much at all #mine

[saintlaurentproblems]

Met Gala 2024 Guest List

Theme: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion

Guests:

Zendaya (co-chair)

Chris Hemsworth (co-chair)

Jennifer Lopez (co-chair)

Bad bunny (co-chair)

Ariana Grande

Kendall Jenner

Kylie Jenner

Rihanna

A$ap Rocky

Sydney Sweeney

Gwendoline Christie

Blake lively

Jessica Chastain

Lana Del Rey

Anitta

Kim Kardashian

Gisele Bündchen

Emma Stone

Jackson Wang

Anne Hathaway

florence Pugh

Cillian Murphy

Lisa (Blackpink)

Jenna Ortega

Jeremy Allen

America Ferrera

Selena Gomez

Jack Harlow

Dua Lipa

Timothée Chalamet

Bella Ramsey

Greta Gerwing

hailey bieber

justin bieber

Elsa Pataky

Troye Sivan

Doja Cat

Olivia Rodrigo

Cardi B

Kristen Stewart

Ryan Gosling

Rosalia

Nicki Minaj

Pedro Pascal

Jared Leto

Gigi Hadid

Madison beer

Miley Cyrus

Katy Perry

Lily Rose Depp

Nicola peltz Beckham

Brooklyn peltz Beckham

Naomie Campbell

Lizzo

Megan Thee Stallion

Ice Spice

Lady Gaga

Madonna

Halle Bailey

Anok Yai

Hunter Schafer

Cara Delevingne

Robert Downey Jr.

Beyoncé

Madelyn cline

Hailee Steinfeld

Vittoria cerretti

Coco Jones

Karol f

Cynthia Erivo

Emma Roberts

Pete Davidson

Meryl Streep

Tom Holland

Ben Affleck

Chloe Bailey

Sza

Kris Jenner

Bradley Cooper

Victoria Monét

Barry Keoghan

Irina Shayk

Lauren Sanchez

Sarah Paulson

Uma Thurman

Jeff Bezos

Serena Williams

Gemma Chan

Karlie Kloss

& more

#met gala #fashion #high fashion #celebs #vogue #couture #taylor swift #ariana grande #Kendall Jenner #barry keoghan #mcu #chris hemsworth #zendaya #Jennifer López #bad bunny #Gigi hadid #lady Gaga #Kylie Jenner #kim kardashian #lana del rey

[lesmiserabelles]

oh fabulous tumblr user lesmiserabelles do u perhaps have any book recs to share? i read penance based on that post u made a while back and it's phenomenal and u have great taste in media. so. any faves recently?

i would love to share some book recs!! for fans of penance...

'oh god what is wrong with you' protagonists

boy parts - eliza clark

eileen - ottessa moshfegh

diary of a void - emi yagi

the guest - emma cline

radical love - neil blackmore

'isn't our obesession with true crime a bit fucked up?' books

i have some questions for you - rebecca makkai

ordinary human failings - megan nolan

the fortune men - nadifa mohamed

something bad happened here and now it's haunting the narrative

luckenbooth - jenni fagan

the seven moons of maali almeida - shehan karunatilaka

plain bad heroines - emily m danforth

the bass rock - evie wyld

young women being toxic to each other

the girls are all so nice here - laurie elizabeth flynn

dare me - meg abbott

sisters - daisy johnson

#carmella enlightens us #semantic-line #books #bookblr

[ibuproffie]

10. 04. 2024 ~ march & april in my journal, ft. a plush i got with my gf in france,,,i took the psych gre and it was so interesting,,,i have no idea how i did but i’m feeling more excited about grad school now weirdly

📚: the guest by emma cline (i just finished it and it kinda reminded me of uncut gems for girls)

🎧: dope by bts (i used to be obsessed with them)

#mine #studyblr #study space #study #bullet journal #bujo #uni #university #college #studyspiration #study motivation #study desk #desksetup #satisfying #plush #handwriting #handlettering #aesthetic #pretty notes #adelinestudies #gloomstudy #tbhstudying