Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this so much, and I think I would have if I had just picked up the physical copy. It is way too difficult to follow in audiobook format for me. I felt like I was hearing new voices and characters with little to no introduction, and it was incredibly confusing as a listener. I am going to give it another chance and it almost feels like going into it blind because I genuinely could not follow any part of the story.

Richard Powers is a genius and one of the best writers of our time. Some days, I had to stop listening to Playground because I wasn’t getting on with my life. I loved his playground analogies for everything in life and our world. I got hooked when he described the games his female protagonist, Evie Bourlieu had to play to gain recognition as an oceanographer. His description of Evie’s strategies to become a respected scientist and diver at Scripps Institution of Oceanography occurred in the 1950s. However, similar mindsets still exist, and Powers portrays sexism and racism in well crafted plot points of this multilayered story.

Evie wrote a book called Clearly It Is Ocean, which another of the four main protagonists, Todd Keane, discovers and leads to his interest in developing a floating autonomous city. However, that was not until he achieved fame and notoriety for using AI to create Playground, a combination of many recognizable 21st century apps. Todd Keane happens to be a wealthy white man who is telling much of this story as a fifty-ish person who has dementia. He reminisces about his formative years and his strong friendship and connection with Rafi Young, a Black man he met in high school. Much of their relationship grew because both enjoyed playing strategy games, being competitive, and becoming the “best” in “everything.” Their relationship suffers in adulthood, and their accomplishments and longstanding bonds are integral parts of the story since the games they play as adults have monumental consequences.

Todd works in coding and AI, while Rafi is a poet. Their stories converge with Ina Aroita, a sculptor and Rafi’s wife. Todd and Ina live on an island called Makatea, formerly known for phosphate mining but chosen for seasteading. The island’s residents must vote to determine whether they will support proposed technological progress and allow their land to become an autonomous city at the risk of destroying ecosystems, particularly coral reefs and marine life.

The environmental themes are most prevalent in this speculative novel about the decisions we make that affect life. The pros and cons of technology and the people who manage our data are also front and center in the plotlines. However, there are enough relationship stories to convey messages about friendship, trust, betrayal, parental expectations, etc. Richard Powers explores voting rights and cultural values regarding art and literature.

What I appreciated most was all of the metaphors about games and strategy. When I taught, I used to tell middle school students that learning to navigate life was a game, and they had to choose which ones to play. Richard Powers has masterfully shown that this philosophy applies to low and high-stakes decisions, fields of inquiry, and civilization. Games rule humanity, and if winning is one’s only goal without regard for morality, there are complex situations and a plethora of results with which we must contend.

I already wrote a review of the print version of Playground, which I tandem read with the audio. In that I said all the things you already know: Richard Powers is truly unique, has unparalleled writing abilities.

Here I'll focus on the audio. Similar to The Overstory, Playground moves around quite a bit in time and POV. The switch in narrators really helped with that because it really clearly demarcated the line between perspectives. That being said, since I did read both versions, I found the scattershot layout of this story a bit hard to follow in the audio. It's not the kind of story you can listen to while you take a walk or other passive activities because it's really easy to lose your focus on all that's going on. The narration itself was excellent, especially the incomparable Edoardo Ballerini. Not a detraction, it was a great audiobook, very quality production, it just might not be for everyone.

Much like The Overstory, Richard Powers has written a paean to one of the most fascinating and mysterious parts of nature, turning from trees to the ocean. The whole big blue of it. Jumping from multiple perspectives, we are primarily in the head of a tech genius in the throes of Lewy body dementia explaining his upbringing to an unnamed character whose identity is realized later. Much of his exposition is centered on what he views as the most important friendship of his life and its tragic splintering. We flit back and forth between his story and that of an oceanographer and diving expert as her deep love of the ocean can't help but convince you of its beauty and importance. The third narrative thread takes us to a small Pacific Island where it's colonized history is leading it to an important vote that will decide the future for a unique and isolated way of life.

As these narratives come together, friendship and kindness shoot to the forefront in a way few outside of Powers can achieve.

This is my first Powers book, and although perhaps backwards, Overstory is next on my list. There is no arguing his incredible gift of prose, but the characters and storyline are also captivating. Listening to this one was a treat with a multiple cast of narrators for the main characters, but it was a bit of a challenge keeping up with the timelines and points of view without pausing and seeing the transitions on the page.
This modern look at current climate change and the possible affects and consequences of AI was fascinating. We meet Evie and Todd and Rafi while young and see how their lives eventually all intersect as Ina comes in as well. Their complex emotions over the decades help us to grasp and know them more intimately. The ocean and its qualities and inhabitants are vividly described, as well as this new world of gaming in the Playground. The potential for a new civilization at sea is explored from all controversial angles.
I'll be reflecting on this one for awhile. It is rightly up for a few book awards already.
Thanks to NetGalley and WW Norton & Company for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

OK….so I just finished this one, and to be honest, I thought it was going to be a DNF. However, I managed to power through it. Still not sure about my feelings on this one though…

There’s a huge amount of ground covered in this one ( or should I say ocean??) And it had its good points. But, it also had its bad points.

🛑🛑 Loose outline follows! Stop here if you don’t want to know! 🛑🛑

I loved the relationship/friendship between Rafi and Todd ( At least for the most part). But that request…outta left field.

I also feel like the skipping back and forth in time, place, POV…they were ALL very confusing! And I absolutely don’t understand the ending. There was a death? Multiple deaths? Still not sure…

At the same token, I loved how they came up with the idea and then ran with it! Loved how they discussed the old time computer technology and how things have so significantly changed!

So yes, good points and bad points…but for me it was much more confusing than anything else. 🤔😮🫣

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #SpotifyAudiobooks for an ARC of the audiobook. The release date was TODAY, 9/24/24.

#Playground by #RichardPowers and narrated by a full cast including #EdoardoBallerini, #RobinSiegerman, #EuniceWong, #PundBandhu, #KrysJanae and #KevinFree.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
Insta @ #BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, and click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

5 magnificent stars

Playground, my first book by Richard Powers, is a wonderful playground of delights. I am astounded by the fully realized characters, an intriguing, well-paced plot, vivid underwater scenes, deep, heartfelt sorrows and joys. I am blown away by the audiobook and will be buying a print copy. (Something I rarely do.)

It is obvious that Richard Powers crafted this book from the opening to the final words. His extensive research caresses the pages in subtle ways. I learned more about oceans, the invention of SCUBA, game playing and AI than I have from many other books. My favorite parts were the ocean descriptions and sea creatures playing and relating to humans.

The audio was fantastic. A wide cast of voice actors brought the nuances of each character alive. The accents and the pacing were perfect. The hours flew by, as I wanted to cherish the beautifully written prose.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Playground by Richard Powers
Publishing date 9/24/2024

I was interested in listening to this audiobook because I previously read Bewilderment which I really enjoyed.
I also really like the book cover and ocean theme.
I hesitated a little because I heard this book is similar to his previous book, the Overstory, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - except Playground tackles on the Ocean whereas the Overstory takes trees/forests.
In reading all three books, his love for the nature and environmental conservancy is apparent. Indeed, I can see similarity to the Overstory which uses multiple points of views, multiple timelines and locations. I had both audiobook AND physical copy of the book for the Overstory, and I still got confused. For Playground, I only had the audiobook. It has multiple narrators which helps a bit, and it's easier to follow than the Overstory personally. I still felt the structure was overly complicated. I also couldn't feel connected to the characters in this book unfortunately.

I feel if you have enjoyed the Overstory, you are likely to enjoy this book. If you thought it was a bit much, you would likely be feeling similar here. I prefer the simplicity of Bewilderment, and hope his next book would be more straight forward.

An advanced copy of this audiobook was provided for review purposes courtesy of Netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks.
Opinions stated herein are my own.

DNF @ 49%

I can truly tell that this book could be something special for the right audience, but I’m really struggling with it. Between the 3rd person POV and only having access to the audio, I had a very difficult time following the stories and that is rare because I am an audiophile who listens to close to 200 books a year.

I have heard nothing but phenomenal things about this author and will absolutely give this book another try when it is out in print, but unfortunately cannot finish it before the pub date with the audio only. I will not be reviewing this elsewhere because, again, I think this is a me problem and not a reflection on Richard Powers’ writing abilities.

Thank you for the opportunity and for the free audio advanced listening copy of this book. I’m sorry it wasn’t for me!

Another stunning work from Richard Powers, this novel highlights the utter beauty of our oceans. And with the stunning writing prowess of Powers, he definitely does it justice. Told from 4 different perspectives, Evie - who we are introduced to at a young age when her father, the inventor of the aqualung, throws her into a pool in Montreal. Todd Keane, a rich boy from Chicago who is fascinated by gaming. Rafi, a gifted black boy from a very different Chicago than Todd. And Ina, an artist who grew up on Naval bases, but considers herself a Pacific Islander. How these 4 people’s stories will overlap and intertwine over the period of the novel weaves wonders for the reader. And again, I cannot stress enough how beautifully Powers brings the ocean to life with his writing. And how much he emphasizes the changing world - not for the better. Extraordinary.

I approached this book with some hesitation, having previously read Bewilderment, which, while good, left me a bit frustrated with its lackluster medical references. But wow—consider me blown away! This book is absolutely phenomenal! The AI aspect instantly grabbed my attention, but it’s the human elements—connections, friendships, love, and the weight of guilt—that truly make this story shine. I couldn’t put it down. The audiobook narration was spot-on.

Playground is a stunner with more beautiful writing than you’ll find in a dozen other completely respectable novels combined. The story is sprawling and interconnected and seemingly about everything—from artificial intelligence to dying oceans to the tenuous connections between human beings—which is to say it’s complex, but infinitely rewarding.

The audiobook with multiple narrators is tremendously helpful in elucidating a complicated narrative that spans multiple characters and decades of time.

This impressive, decades- and globe-spanning saga is a captivating exploration of childhood imagination and the complexities of growing up, touching on elements of adventure, friendship, and nostalgia, while addressing deeper themes of growth and change. Readers will find themselves immersed in the lives of each character, from the mayor of a small island village, out of his depth in the face of modern challenges, to the grad student overcoming barriers to spend her life deep-sea diving, to a pair of childhood friends who find themselves growing together and apart over the years. Compelling and timely!

This was my first Powers’ book. It might be my last. I realize he has a huge fanbase, and I’m sure many will find value in this narrative. I’ve found it to be spread too thin. I’ve yet to develop any true interest in the story, and I do not feel invested in these characters, so I’m going to call it quits here at 40%.

In short, I’m bored the tears and cannot force myself to continue. I think his writing is excellent, but the storytelling is not captivating, at least not for me.

I will not rate on other platforms since I didn’t finish and I’m only doing so here since there is no way around it when submitting feedback.

I’ve had an amazing month of reading so far. Perhaps I got a little too ambitious when I decided to take on the latest by Richard Powers. The man is a genius and writes amazing books. Bewilderment was a five star read for me. All of his books have sci fi elements in them but this one was just too much for me. I spent much of the book confused about where we were and what was happening.

There were moments of beauty. I especially loved the friendship and histories of Rafi and Todd but the gaming, world building, AI were all more than I care to read about. Colonization meets technology - such an interesting premise but the tech talk was over my head.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the advanced listener copy of this book. Opinions are entirely my own.

I tried really hard to get into this book. It is a bit outside my usual wheelhouse, but I had heard good things about Overstory, and the cover appealed to me.

However, I could not keep myself engaged with it. It may be that this is a book I would be better off physically reading as opposed to listening to, because a majority of the narrators had voices that seemed better suited to sleep stories than something to keep you listening.

I often found myself drifting off into my own thoughts as opposed to being riveted by the story.

I might try it again as a physical book over an audio one, but I will say it's not something I plan to do anytime soon.

DNF'd at 60%

Richard Powers is a magnificent writer. A champion of the environment and an amplifier for the underdog. He is the seer of the unseen - in nature and in life, and this novel is no exception. There is a great reason it was longlisted for the Booker Prize (and I'm very surprised it didn't make the shortlist recently) and I can assure readers (especially those who value the work of this author) that it is a stunning and important novel. I won't go into details (nor quote, reveal spoilers) and it will be out shortly (9/24) so preorder if you haven't.

I had the joy of receiving it on audiobook (my favorite modality) and it is extremely well-narrated by a cast of professionals who bring the truly special and unique characters to life. I was extra smitten by the characters Rafi and Evelyn, but enjoyed every single player within the grand story of the novel which, again, illustrates the peril of our planet (this time within oceans and oceanlife primarily). The book does a wonderful job moving through space and time to define what is at stake -- everything!

It's a story of progress vs. greed vs. ignorance vs. power and it is certainly as timely in our modern day culture (around the entire world) as it was in the setting of the novel. Nothing but praise for this book. I've never wanted to drop out of the day-to-day world and immerse myself in the study of oceanography and the mysteries of the ocean than I do now after listening to this book. Richard Powers' research and the depth of his investment in relating the areas he writes about is profound and I just loved "Playground." Thank you to #NetGalley and #WWNorton and #SpotifyAudiobooks for trusting me with this gem.

Playground is a novel with a grand perspective that takes the reader on an adventure of exploration and progress on both personal and global levels, dropping us off right at a precipice of time and choice in the present day.
Written from the perspective of four wildly divergent and remarkable characters the reader travelswith these characters through years of growth and development til we reach the dawn and progression of AI, and the destruction of our environment- with a conclusion that will leave readers pondering on serious issues of our time.
My only drawback was that the novel stops short- with a somewhat vague and dreamlike ending that... for me was less satisfying.
Many Thanks to Net Galley, Spotify Audiobooks, for the advanced copy. Cheers to Eunice Wong who always makes a book better with her smooth and energetic narration.

I listened to the ARC of this novel on audio and I believe that was the main reason I found it so hard to follow vs pay attention to. By the end of the story I still didn't understand the connection between all of the characters or the overall point of the book other than what I can assume was the broad purpose. There were a lot of pieces I loved, most specifically the imagery of the ocean. Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks for the ARC of this story

Playground has all the hallmarks of a Richard Powers book. Multiple timelines, deep concepts, philosophy and fastidious research. In fact I enjoyed this more than Overstory because it was more concise.

The book follows several stories: Billionaire Todd Keen telling us his and his best friend Raffi's stories. Ina Aroita and her family living on a small island in Micronesia and Evie Beaulieu, a famous oceanologist and diver. For most of the book it is unknown how these stories intersect.

I really enjoyed all perspectives. This book deals with soul mates, friendship and the question of humanity. AI has been in the news a lot over the last few years and I find some of the implications terrifying. One thing the book delves into is humanities extinction at the "hands" of AI.

I listened to this book on a road trip with my parents. And our discussions about the book were very interesting. This is definitely a buzzy book that deserves a read.

I also felt that the narration enhanced the story.