Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

A novel

Hardcover, 401 pages

English language

Published July 5, 2022 by Knopf.

ISBN:
978-0-593-32120-1
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4 stars (29 reviews)

In this exhilarating novel, two friends--often in love, but never lovers--come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the …

1 edition

Okay, But How'd They Make the Go Game in that Stardew Valley Clone?

3 stars

I feel like I'm not being totally fair to the book, because I started judging it based on its reputation and hype versus its own merits. On its own, it's a spirited attempt to present a complex interpersonal relationship amidst the backdrop of an industry that is more and more relevant to the average reader with the passing of the years. Ultimately, I was really hoping for more integration of these digital worlds that Zevin envisioned, Mapleworld and Pioneers. The characters themselves....were tough for me to stick with. Sam ranges from really nasty to awkwardly solipsistic in his attempts to reach out to his best friends. Sadie is ready to stop all forward progress in character development at the first sign of Zevin setting her up for trauma. Basically, I thought this book would evolve us past the need for books like Neuromancer, but we're still waiting for that day.

Moving story about love, friendship and death with gamedev as its core

4 stars

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a really well written novel. Telling a story of 2 childhood friends, Sam and Sadie, reuniting to develop games together, which eventually launches them into a world of fame, business and opportunities but also hatred, dilemmas and rivalry. The character development of these two, their family and their friends is really superb, it's definitely one of the strongest aspects. There are a lot of references to games of the era and gaming culture in general. The only thing that didn't quite meet my expectations is how the actual process of developing games is a bit unrealistic and often just glossed over. While the first game that the duo makes is explained in detail, the next games just mostly happen in the background while the drama takes the stage, which for me feels like a missed opportunity, even though a typical reader might not be …

Very meh.

2 stars

I was very excited for this book after having read a lot of rave reviews about it.

I just could not get into it. This is very much a book where the characters are not particularly likeable. And this book showed me that I'm really not into books that go that route. There was no character growth and just constant tension between the characters as they all acted pretty shitty towards each other while feeling they were completely in the right.

I'm glad for those that enjoyed it. It dragged on and was a very close DNF for me.

I loved a lot of it

4 stars

I loved a lot of this: the deep character building; the reality-details; and the odd topic of early game development. I found at the end, though, that I didn't love it as much as I had while I'd been reading. I grew to dislike Sadie pretty strongly, and felt like her character didn't get as much development as the men, and therefore her choices and behaviors felt abrupt and awful. I'm annoyed that the one woman in the book wasn't treated as carefully and fully as the other two--it really spoiled the whole barrel for me. Having said that, the story and the writing are pretty amazing in how they pull you in and don't let go.

My Review of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

5 stars

I had heard almost zero criticism of this book prior to reading it, so I went into it with high hopes, and expected to enjoy it. Not only did I enjoy it, but it's one of the best books I've ever read, and it's the type of book I could see myself doing annual rereads of. It was that good, and it had its hooks in me from the start.

Despite the three main characters being about a decade older than me, I found myself easily identifying with them, and feeling like they could have been friends of mine. The camaraderie the three of them shared was a delight to behold, as they navigated their 20s and 30s and dealt with the normal issues 20 and 30somethings deal with, in addition to their own demons. Sam and Sadie's relationship is especially turbulent at times, and they sometimes made me want …

A beautiful book about friendship

5 stars

Wow, what an unexpected gem. I saw this book on a bunch of best-read lists for 2022, and I was drawn in by the description. I thought I'd be reading a fictionalized version of the history of building video games, like Console Wars, but I got this beautiful book about friendship instead. The closest comparison I can make is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. Regardless, this book deserves all the accolades it has been receiving.

If-then

No rating

At it's best moments, this book does a really great job of being both about games and evoking the if-then logic of games and game decision points. It also has interesting stuff about game engines (how they shape and constrain creation) and collaboration (the Jobs+Woz dynamic of a salesperson and a designer). It also feels like it was written for late Gen-X or early Millenials - references to Donkey Kong, Oregon Trail, Everquest, etc.

I think I would've liked it more if it were shorter...I liked the first half much better than the second, and some of that is because the latter half ends up pulling in mass shootings and 9-11 in a way that didn't feel like it connected with the core of the novel.

I should add that I listened to this, and I do think reading it would provide even more of that if-then logic. It's hard …

Review of 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

4.5 stars. I had a few doubts at points along the way, but in the end this lived up to the hype. It was just as good as everyone said (NYT, NPR, Kirkus). This great Bob Lefsetz post convinced me that I needed to read it. I was seriously hooked by the third chapter. Engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking and funny. I cared a lot about the characters.

Review of 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

It was nostalgic, with depth. I appreciate the themes of video games and theatre, and the friendship love story. 

I actually related to a lot of things in this book.I married a game developer. I loved doing theatre in high school and college. I’m 9-10 years younger than the main characters, so their childhood and college years were a different timeframe, technologically,  but most were timeframes that I remembered nostalgically. 

I don’t know what the overlap is between those who have read this book and those who have participated in game development, but most of the reviews I’m seeing are from people who say they don’t know too much about games. That’s fine, but I’m just curious. Like, how many other people have read this book that have also, for example, opened Unreal Engine? Is it just me?  

Review of 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is a beautifully told story about love and friendship, and how those two terms can both describe a single relationship. Love, work, and love of work are central themes.

The story focuses on Sam and Sadie, who meet as kids, by accident. They are a couple of brilliant introverts with a common interest in video games. Years later, they run into each other again, by chance, and it is Sam who is determined to stay in touch, with the specific hope of making games with Sadie. Eventually, they do just that, and by this time, there are other people in both of their lives, especially Marx, Sam’s college roommate, foil, and protector. Marx is an extroverted thespian into Shakespeare who coaxes Sam into bonding with him.

Sam has known trauma and adversity, is awkward socially, and is also self-conscious about a physical disability. Sadie must navigate the challenges of …

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Subjects

  • American literature