Fiction

The Echo Chamber

The Echo Chamber

  • Downloads：6421
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-04 08:52:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John Boyne
  • ISBN：0857526227
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

To err is human， but to foul things up you only need a phone…

What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is。 Six ounces of metal， glass and plastic， fashioned into a sleek， shiny， precious object。 At once， a gateway to other worlds - and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary， the unwitting， the inept。

The Cleverley family live a gilded life， little realising how precarious their privilege is， just one tweet away from disaster。 George， the patriarch， is a stalwart of television interviewing， a 'national treasure' （his words）， his wife Beverley， a celebrated novelist （although not as celebrated as she would like）， and their children， Nelson， Elizabeth， Achilles， various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen。

Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant。 Along the way they will learn how volatile， how outraged， how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the prescribed path。

Download

Reviews

Charmaine A ，

I couldn’t wait to enjoy another Boyn， who had become a favourite author。 Oh dear。 It seems he has descended into drivel in this silly book。 I suspect that this is the consequence of popularity and success - an author who can simply pump out thousands of words， without any need to think through where these words are headed， tightening up the story line or develop credible characters。 Simply horrible

Evandruker ，

A highly entertaining and bitingly funny satire of social media。 What’s so impressive is how John Boyne finds such distinctly different voices for each of his books but still centres much of each story around family - given or chosen - and living authentically。

Jennifer Siegrist ，

This book is about a largely dysfunctional high-profile family living in the age of social media。 Each member of the family is involved in their own scandals。 The writing is witty， and there were many humorous incidents。 I laughed out loud on a few occasions。

Vansa ，

Twitter is where nuance goes to die。 John Boyne is in an excellent place to satirise it， given his experiences with "cancelling"， over one of his books， about a boy whose sibling is transitioning。 In the hilarious and perceptive 'Echo Chamber'， he uses the narrative device of a family， each member of which he uses to explore a particular facet of the online world。 George Cleverley is a popular journalist with his own show， who with his misguided attempt at burnishing his liberal credentials， bri Twitter is where nuance goes to die。 John Boyne is in an excellent place to satirise it， given his experiences with "cancelling"， over one of his books， about a boy whose sibling is transitioning。 In the hilarious and perceptive 'Echo Chamber'， he uses the narrative device of a family， each member of which he uses to explore a particular facet of the online world。 George Cleverley is a popular journalist with his own show， who with his misguided attempt at burnishing his liberal credentials， brings down the wrath of thousands of outraged keyboard warriors。 Boyne hilariously satirizes the peculiarity of a particular form of performative online liberalism-here a poorly worded tweet generates the same amount of outrage as the gunning down of protesting students during a coup。 When everything is greeted with the same amount of anger， does anything have meaning at all？ The other characters have equally interesting plotlines， though Boyne seems just a little too harsh on writers like Jilly Cooper！ （ not necessarily undeservedly， though！）。 George's wife， Beverly is a writer of books in the genre called "women's fiction"， who relies on an army of ghostwriters to churn out her bestsellers， and is blissfully unselfconscious that she's using her fame and money， to profit of the creativity of others。 Their 3 children stay at home-the completely amoral ELizabeth， who gets off （ literally， in one hilarious scene） on being an Internet troll， teenager Achilles， who works a successful honeytrapping/blackmailing scheme and hapless Nelson， who can't seem to figure out the world， and takes refuge in a series of disguises that get him into trouble later。 Through Elizabeth， Boyne tries to show you a particular sort of internet troll- the self-righteous sort who end up being nearly fascist in their exclusions and vindictiveness' These Twitter handles abound， and Elizabeth's chapters would be hilarious， if it weren't sad how much attention gets diverted away from actual human tragedies-exactly how the status quo wants it。 If a liberal politician messes up a tweet， or posts a video that the Internet hivemind has decided is silly， it's easy to generate a hundred laughs about it by a meme than to talk about the imprisonment of a journalist by a near-fascist government。 Boyne's razor-sharp writing makes you flinch at how sad it is that even his outlandish plot contrivances have real world examples- a famous young author ， for instance， who encouraged their fans to attack another author whose views she didn't agree with， with machetes。 Surely death threats are what the fascists are supposed to issue， not the side of the liberal people！ Boyne never gets too bogged down by his material， as serious as it is， and exhibits firm control over his characters and plot-I absolutely loved the farcical climax， that also managed to be thought-provoking and oddly moving。 He doesn't take himself or his topic too seriously， and in so doing， has written a perfect send-up of Twitter。 Unlike most other works about the perils of technology that place the blame squarely on the platform， Boyne is far too self-aware to take that easy way out。 The book completely indicts humans， and the ways we choose to use media， and not the media itself。 Of course there are algorithms that try to generate content for your specific browsing habits， but those algorithms are ultimately guided by our choices！ We make our choices， about what to trust and whom to follow， which people and which causes are deserving of our attention。 We shape our echo chambers， more's the pity！ 。。。more

The Bookworm ，

I have never read John Boyne before and started off loving this book。 But for some reason around page 200 I’d grown tired of the characters and I wanted the book to begin to move - quickly - to its resolution of the various strands。 I cared enough to skim read the second half and I thought it was clever how it finished but my general opinion is it was way too long。 Looking at reviews of other books he has written I’m keen to try another though as I feel I’ve missed out on his essence as a writer I have never read John Boyne before and started off loving this book。 But for some reason around page 200 I’d grown tired of the characters and I wanted the book to begin to move - quickly - to its resolution of the various strands。 I cared enough to skim read the second half and I thought it was clever how it finished but my general opinion is it was way too long。 Looking at reviews of other books he has written I’m keen to try another though as I feel I’ve missed out on his essence as a writer by choosing this particular novel to start with。 。。。more

Holcombea ，

Satisfying satire and rollicking fairy tale about social media and wokeness。 Great dialogue。 Easy read。

Jenn ，

Meh。 It was readable， and had a few good moments/observations， but overall it was cliched， heavy-handed， and full of horrible people。 I think maybe it wasn't a good idea to write a novel while obviously still feeling so bitter about how people have reacted to your work， because it comes through fairly obviously in the tone， and the result is that this doesn't hold a candle to Boyne's other novels。 Meh。 It was readable， and had a few good moments/observations， but overall it was cliched， heavy-handed， and full of horrible people。 I think maybe it wasn't a good idea to write a novel while obviously still feeling so bitter about how people have reacted to your work， because it comes through fairly obviously in the tone， and the result is that this doesn't hold a candle to Boyne's other novels。 。。。more

Rosie Hughes ，

This book made me laugh out loud。 Highly recommended。

Lisa Hynes ，

Probably never hated a book more which is an achievement in itself。 This is just one long rant。 John Boyne being spiteful and bitter。 Very sad。

Andy ，

Very amusing and fun！

Jill ，

“Don’t you think that most of these people who feign umbrage spend most of their time just looking for something to be offended by？ They wake up， scavenge for a few half-eaten slices of last night’s take away pizza， and then they’re on their smartphones， scrolling through the news headlines to decide who’s upset them today。”If the above paragraph offends you， you are precisely the target that John Boyne takes on in his wickedly funny new book。 And you probably won’t get through it without being “Don’t you think that most of these people who feign umbrage spend most of their time just looking for something to be offended by？ They wake up， scavenge for a few half-eaten slices of last night’s take away pizza， and then they’re on their smartphones， scrolling through the news headlines to decide who’s upset them today。”If the above paragraph offends you， you are precisely the target that John Boyne takes on in his wickedly funny new book。 And you probably won’t get through it without being offended by—something。 The author takes no prisoners as he skewers the Woke society that is “McCarthyism hidden beneath the umbrella of Wokeness。”The patriarch of the Cleverley family， George， is so Woke that he named his first son Nelson Fidel – yep， after Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro。 He hosts a famous talk show and has been touted for his liberal views。 But his family life is falling apart。 His wife， Beverly Cleverley， a well-known romance writer， uses a ghost （i。e。， ghostwriter） to pen her all-too-predictable novels。 His daughter， Elizabeth， is a would-be poet whose one goal is to get the “blue tick” next to her name on Twitter， officially designating her as an influencer。 Nelson is not self-aware in the least， and everyone knows he is gay except for him。 And the youngest， Achilles， is a handsome lad who is dubbed “the idiot” by his father。 His plans on getting rich include larceny。Together， this modern family is tethered to smartphones and Twitter accounts and living its life appealing to the favorable verdict of strangers。 When George gets into a mess by having the audacity to compliment and cheer on a receptionist who is transitioning， his inadvertent use of the pronoun “he” instead of “she” launches a maelstrom with ripple effects。There is a lot about pronouns in this hilarious book。 When Elizabeth’s woker-than-woke boyfriend， Wilkes， decides he does not want to be labelled with the “heteronormative constraints of male and female identities”， George answers， “I labeled you as a complete moron from the moment I met you。” The irony， of course， is that Wilkes is anointing himself with a label – non-binary – in opposition to other labels。John Boyne， as anyone who has ever read his other marvelous books knows， is a gay man， and he cannot be labeled easily with the “patriarchy” designation （another term that he has a lot of fun with in The Echo Chamber）。 If there is any overriding message in this book， it’s， “Get off your social media， lighten up， and stop all the silly tar-and-feathering of anyone who doesn’t adhere to the new Woke manifesto。” And maybe， practice a little tolerance and forgiveness when someone inevitably and inadvertently strays， as long as the intent is good。 。。。more

Tricia ，

This was not a book I couldn't put down but I enjoyed it nevertheless。 I found it amusing and， for me， there were several laugh out loud moments。 Good fun。 This was not a book I couldn't put down but I enjoyed it nevertheless。 I found it amusing and， for me， there were several laugh out loud moments。 Good fun。 。。。more

Judi Mckay ，

I can’t believe I’m giving a John Boyne book only 4 stars but while I got what he was trying to say and the prose was， as ever， excellent， it didn’t quite hit the mark for me。 It read like a farce， IMHO。 I hope he goes back to more serious writing after this。 Not up to his usual standard， again， IMHO。

Debbie O'Neil ，

Hilarious， laugh out loud tale about our cancel culture society。This was not a typical John Boyne book。 However， you fall in love with loathing the characters and the sad but likely true reflection of social media along with cancel culture。

David ，

A bit clunky in places。 Sometimes had a hard time telling the difference between the Cleverly sons。Besides that， many laugh out loud moments。 I particularly liked the links between the creation of social media platforms and the events in the characters lives。

Stacey Mulcahy ，

I finished this book ， so I have added an extra star ！ Sadly this is not so much humorous， but a depressing reflection on today’s world 。 JB “over eggs his pudding “ with caricatures not characters 。

Liz ，

I've not read or listened to anything by John Boyne before。 Would rank this more as a 3。5☆The book looks at social media in particular twitter。 How one tweet can open a huge can of worms。 Both from supporters but also objectors。John Boyne has written this in a more relaxed way with some humour， but i think also having such a dysfunctuonal， detached from 'normal' living （10mil in the bank） family as the main protagonists， although at times annoyed me did make it easier to digest the consequences。 I've not read or listened to anything by John Boyne before。 Would rank this more as a 3。5☆The book looks at social media in particular twitter。 How one tweet can open a huge can of worms。 Both from supporters but also objectors。John Boyne has written this in a more relaxed way with some humour， but i think also having such a dysfunctuonal， detached from 'normal' living （10mil in the bank） family as the main protagonists， although at times annoyed me did make it easier to digest the consequences。 The book also made reference to current events like social distantcing， lockdowns etc which made the book more relevant。 I listened to this as an audiobook and i think it would have taken me longer to read， because Richard E Grants narration did keep me engaged even at bits that was slow or annoying me。 Then again I love his voice， though his south african accent did sound more welsh （but that might just be me）。Its an interesting read especially with social media today， especially in the uk。Thank you to netgalley and to the publishers for proving me with the audiobook for an honest review。 。。。more

Dallas Robertson ，

Brilliant， satirical novel about the pitfalls of social media。 Wonderfully dry humour throughout， and I know I’m supposed to hate the protagonists but the problem is， I don’t！ I loved them all， even their unmitigated selfishness。 There was a self-awareness that allowed them to overcome their more unpalatable traits and grow into genuinely real human beings。

Boryana Genova ，

Absolutely brilliant， witty， poignant depiction of modern society， political correctness， and the influence of social media。 Now， let's post this on Twitter too。 Oh， wait。。。 Absolutely brilliant， witty， poignant depiction of modern society， political correctness， and the influence of social media。 Now， let's post this on Twitter too。 Oh， wait。。。 。。。more

Iain Snelling ，

Really disappointed in this。 John Boyne is such a good writer I wonder what attracted him to this sort of comedy。 The basic idea - the tensions caused by ‘woke’ in the world of social media - is interesting and contemporary， but this treatment of it seems to me too clumsy。 The caricatures of the awful Cleverley family the farcical situations they get themselves in to， the dialogue with all its ranting， and all the one liners in the narrative are just over the top。

Dewey ，

Delightful novel of moment。 Laughed out loud many times。 If you liked where’d you go Bernadette， but wanted a bit more of a social critique， this is a good rec

Lindsay ，

One of the best reads this year。 Total family dysfunction at its most hilarious。

Melissa ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The inexorable slide to cancellation

Mandy White （mandylovestoread） ，

The Echo Chamber is the first book by author John Boyne that I have read and it was hilarious。 A book that I might not have read if not sent a copy by Penguin Australia so thank you for opening my eyes。As Blur once sang "Modern Life is Rubbish" and the Cleverley Family are going to find this out the hard way。 Today we live our lives online - photos， thoughts and opinions are all out there for all to see and judge。 Meet The Cleverley Family - they are wealthy， have everything that could possibly The Echo Chamber is the first book by author John Boyne that I have read and it was hilarious。 A book that I might not have read if not sent a copy by Penguin Australia so thank you for opening my eyes。As Blur once sang "Modern Life is Rubbish" and the Cleverley Family are going to find this out the hard way。 Today we live our lives online - photos， thoughts and opinions are all out there for all to see and judge。 Meet The Cleverley Family - they are wealthy， have everything that could possibly want in life and are in the limelight。 Father George is a BBC chat show host， the mother is Beverley， a novelist。 And then there are their 3 children - Achilles， Nelson and Elizabeth， all of whom have their own issues。 This family will be their own worst enemies。 They try to navigate the online world of political correctness， trying to boost their followers and fame。 There is not alot of room to really get your point across in a Tweet but that does not stop them from trying。Their downfall is inevitable and it is hilarious。 Really enjoyed this fun look at the world。 。。。more

Craig / Phil ，

Thank you Penguin for sending us a copy to read and review。A satirical reflection of social media and the impact it has on its users and the dysfunctional elements of an entitled family makes for an entertaining and comical read。 The addictive and consuming power of all social media platforms are nailed perfectly with all the dangers， pitfalls and narcissistic qualities highlighted。George and Beverly Cleverly are well known and enjoy celebrity perks of the scene。 Raising a normal family in this Thank you Penguin for sending us a copy to read and review。A satirical reflection of social media and the impact it has on its users and the dysfunctional elements of an entitled family makes for an entertaining and comical read。 The addictive and consuming power of all social media platforms are nailed perfectly with all the dangers， pitfalls and narcissistic qualities highlighted。George and Beverly Cleverly are well known and enjoy celebrity perks of the scene。 Raising a normal family in this arena is at the best of times hard and the egotistical trappings of fame ensure life is not straightforward。 The three children had little hope。Nelson is possibly on the spectrum and yet to find his true self。 Living a delusional life where he dresses in the uniform of the Police and Doctors and backs it up with a realistic charade。Elizabeth uses social media platforms to boost her profile， seek attention and cause trouble with no regard for the consequences。 A keyboard warrior who needs her phone as much as she needs her arms。Achilles the youngest is blessed with the looks， body and self entitlement。 Capitalising on these attributes to cause mayhem and mischief。I really enjoyed watching all the dramas and audacious behaviours play out。 Comedic threads and clever writing matched this notorious family。 Factual information and realities added to the success of this read。 A climatic ending reeling it all in。 。。。more

Liz Byrne ，

Really enjoyed 。 This laugh out loud but also some poignant lessons of modern day life

Adam Murphy ，

"Tyranny is the deliberate removal of nuance" - Albert Maysles。The Echo Chamber by John Boyne dives deep into the satirical woke side of London society。 The book focuses on one family and their lives。 It highlights their veneers， their insecurities and wraps it all up in a beautiful story that zips along through the Internet anger/cancel culture（s）。The five main characters are the Cleverley family of London。 The father， George， is a longtime interviewer on the BBC who gets into trouble with almo "Tyranny is the deliberate removal of nuance" - Albert Maysles。The Echo Chamber by John Boyne dives deep into the satirical woke side of London society。 The book focuses on one family and their lives。 It highlights their veneers， their insecurities and wraps it all up in a beautiful story that zips along through the Internet anger/cancel culture（s）。The five main characters are the Cleverley family of London。 The father， George， is a longtime interviewer on the BBC who gets into trouble with almost anyone listening to him for his political and societal views。 He doesn't mean to be nasty about others but doesn't seem to have gotten the memo about "political correctness" and how it now rules the world。 The mother， Beverley， is an author of popular fiction who doesn't write her books; instead， depending on the talent of various "ghosts"， hired by her publisher to do the writing of these books。 In reality， Mr and Mrs Cleverley are self-obsessed， and their three children are either horribly entitled or deeply insecure。 Influencer Elizabeth still lives at home and thinks only of what will enhance her online profile。 Volunteering to help the homeless， she 'longed for her shift to be over so she could go somewhere with Wi-Fi to post pictures of her philanthropy online。' Her older brother， Nelson， a teacher who works at his former school， is in therapy， unable to deal with his sexuality。 He only feels comfortable in uniform: forays across London in medic scrubs or police attire bring challenging situations。 Achilles， the youngest， is a conman。 He has no compunction about blackmailing his 'marks'。Some well-known works gathered controversy over the years， and there are also famously controversial works in which the controversy， justified or not， would overshadow most other aspects。 This isn't to say that works in the latter category have no other redeeming factor， just that most people would know little else aside from the controversial aspects。 We try to cancel toxic and problematic people， but it often has no lasting impact。 Meanwhile， people who don't deserve it are compensated， lose all their prospects and projects， and ultimately see their careers and livelihood crumble。 Cancelling can be good when a person has done something wrong and can be harmful when they haven't。 Paradoxically， this puts the mob in an unqualified position to tell the difference。Most of us love a good grumble。 It's cathartic to complain about a bit and get things off our chests。 The problem is， "polite society" has a low tolerance level for this kind of thing， and someone who verbalises their honest thoughts on a lousy situation is likely to be frowned upon and labelled a whiner or a grouch relatively quickly。 For example， the "correct" answer to the question "How are you？" is either "Fine， thank you，" or "Pretty good。 And you？" （Or， if we're formal， "How are you？"）。 So when people come across a situation where resentment can be voiced， it's not all that surprising when they take full advantage of it。 Whether it's online， in print， or among close friends and family， there's always a sense of relief when you're able to voice that annoying thing that's been bugging you for the past week。There are some wonderful laugh-aloud moments and so much food for thought in our digitally driven world。 There's also no doubt that this novel will ruffle feathers。 Boyne's targets are the 'Permanently Outraged of Twitter' （POOTs） and the 'Woke' Left。 Still， he is happy to poke fun at many aspects of modern life， far too many to mention。 There's no such thing as the "perfect family"。  。。。more

Scott ，

3。5。 A cleverley book。 A cheeky monkey of a modern day sature。

Amber Mahony ，

John Boyne is one of my favourite authors - I so badly want to up my rating but this book fell so flat for me。 It was as though he was channeling Ben Elton （who I really enjoy） but the satire is overworked， the characters seem like caricatures and the plotlines trivialised。 Sorry John Boyne， but I really missed the rawness and vulnerability of your previous novels。

Eileen Merriman ，

The most hilarious book I've read in ages！ The most hilarious book I've read in ages！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Echo Chamber

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Echo Chamber&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Echo Chamber&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0