A Hologram for the King: A Novel

Dave Eggars is a very talented author, but this particular work is hardly his best work. While the basic premise was interesting, I got the feeling early on that he might just be dialing his work in. This simply is not comparable to his first (?) book about raising his little brother after his parents both died far too young. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact title of that excellent book.

This is a really difficult book to rate because I enjoyed reading it... however, it left me extremely disappointed.
Eggers paints a vivid scene and makes a foreign and mysterious place a bit easier to imagine, but the tedious overall theme is waiting. Alan is waiting for the King.... Alan is waiting for a ride... Alan is waiting to make a move... Alan is waiting in his hotel room... and I'm waiting for something to happen, but it never does. This is supposedly being made into a movie with Tom Hanks but I cannot imagine it unless they rewrite the ending or tell most of the story in flashbacks.

It is a pleasant read that explores that loneliness of a has-been business man. The writing is not nearly as literary as Eggers other books and simply helps one pass time rather than fully engage the mind.

The story is simple, very well crafted, and as is normal for Dave Eggers the writing is wonderful. Alan Clay is like so many in this country - formerly "successful," with little hope, large debts, lonely, looking for some sort of salvation. Well worth a read.

Insight as to the conflicts of the culture of the wealthy ( what is seen in the exterior and the behavior & attitudes behind the scene) Negative foreign business experiences in the Middle East.

This was our book club selection and overall we did not like the book. The Saudi Arabian setting and the main characters personality lacked so much. The book was bland and full of fragmented twists and turns.

While many reviewers praise Dave Eggers fiction for it's use of language, I find many of his characters to be shallow and fairly lifeless, and his plots meandering and unsatisfying. This is especially true for "A Hologram for the King". Although there were some tragi-comic moments, his characters were as dry as the desert into which they were placed. We are supposed to believe that an American high-tech company would send three "young people" and one worn out, unsuccessful salesman to Saudi Arabia to sell King Abdullah technology for his futuristic, decades-in-the-making, city. This team is then parked in a tent for days on end without ever interacting with anyone regarding their proposal. We never find out anything about the "young people", and the most interesting interactions are between Alan Clay and a variety of local and expats.
I've read 3 of Eggers works of fiction and disliked them all. Where he truly shines is in his non-fiction work, Zeitoun. Apparently, he is better able to write real people than create his own characters.

I finished reading this powerful book a couple of nights ago and I've been thinking about the story since then. A haunting portrayal of the damage caused by technology and globalization on our relationships with other people. A must read.

Well done Mr Eggers, much less hype, much more insight! There's a lot to like about this novel. The main character is very convincingly drawn, a sort of Updikean lovable enough semi-failure of a human being easy to relate to. His relations with the younger generation of slackly efficient and totally unempathetic American technocrats is perfect. His attempts to break through to something a little more meaningful while killing time is just right. And the emptiness and despair which besets the young and capable-enough Saudis with very little to do and Western cultural aspirations is accurately portrayed. Here is a novel which opens your eyes to an aspect of contemporary reality about which very little is known much better than any amount of factual reporting could do. A novel novel...

About all I liked about it was the description of the beach and the water. The characters were uninteresting (maybe it was the heat). The plot seemed to go nowhere, much like the presentation in the tent.

I've always enjoyed Dave Eggers' writing but I found this book incredibly disappointing. It is well written but the story ultimately lacks substance and the ending was hollow. I appreciated the themes that overlay the story - a man who is now suffering professionally and personally as a result from a world he helped create earlier in his career (being on the forefront of making the "world flat" in manufacturing.) However I found myself lacking any sympathy and real feeling for the protagonist and ultimately lost any interest in what happens to him.

THE BOOK BEGAN WITH AN INTERESTING PREMISE= AN AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN IN SAUDI ARABIA= BUT THAT IDEA DID NOT DEVELOP. THE AUTHOR BEGAN TO WANDER INTO MANY SITUATIONS THAT WERE NEVER RELATED OR INCORPORATED INTO HIS INITIAL THEME. THE WRITING STYLE DETERIORATED, AND IT SEEMED PATCHED TOGETHER TO MEET A DEADLINE.ZEITOUN IS A BETTER BOOK BY EGGERS AS IT STAYS ON TOPIC.

The book's foundation is a reflection of present day business practices of outsourcing gone to the extreme. in a last ditch effort, the main character tries to to find meaning in his life through a business presentation to a King that might come, in a place that might exist. Through reflections, he tells the tale of how American businesses have outsourced themselves out of existence and since jobs don't exist any more then people don't exist either. Deeper than that, it is a reflection of one man's struggle to find meaning in his work and in his familial relationships. The future become uncertain by the end of the book leaving the reader wondering.

Easy, interesting read with good development of the main character. Enjoyed the geographical context. Might appeal to those interested in history of Schwinn bicycles (American-based company). Was slightly disappointed with the anti-climactic, seemingly rushed ending.

Great story set in an exotic but somehow mundane locale. Not a dull scene in the book and it's absolutely hilarious in places. Interesting insights into Saudi royals and professionals, pretty topical right now.

Great story set in an exotic but somehow mundane locale. Not a dull scene in the book and it's absolutely hilarious in places. Interesting insights into Saudi royals and professionals, pretty topical right now.

Many of the elements of a good story...well crafted prose, a compelling theme, an interesting setting...but I found myself despising the main character, who was so lackluster that he was barely even a participant in his own downfall. Also had a (not surprisingly) bummer ending, which I could have lived with, had there only been some sort of point. I want back the hours of life spent reading this book.

But that's hardly a criticism. All of Eggers' work is challenging and heartfelt; it's the variety of what he produces - and his devotion to literacy and young people - that is the real marvel, and the joy.

Worst read, bad grammar, so rough it reads like a first draft highschool paper. You wait the whole book for unfinished story lines and a ridiculous ending. Its horrible. I only got it, 12$ of nothing because the movie wasn't showing in my area. I won't be seeing that either....save your money. Terrible book. Bad writer.

Boring, washed-up executive, goes to Saudi Arabia, does nothing, except have two
(two!) embarrassing sexual failures, gets thoroughly dissed by the Saudis, fails to get
account, and decides to stay (to avoid big debts at home?)
Don't go on this trip.

not overly enthusiastic about this read. Slow and methodical, for no reason. I have loved some of eggers previous works, but this just fell flat for me from the get go. Somehow I did read it through, emptily hoping for some reprieve from his stylistic shortcomings, but it never happened. Sorry, Dave, but this missed for me

The characters are well drawn and the story is very entertaining. A vivid description of the topography of Saudi Arabia, the heat and the drought make it very clear that after oil, water will be the most sought after commodity and will undoubtedly be fought over. The other cautionary tale relates to the ascendency of China!