Vaguely hallucinatory, as most of Block's writing is. This book seems neither novel nor story collection but some hybrid. I couldn't find any anchor here, either narrative or philosophical, and drifted confused through the words. Block's a good writer but this book is more unfocused jotting than finished product. There were also several distracting errors like 'bare' for 'bear' numerous times throughout. And still, somehow, I enjoyed the hazy and meandering trip. ( )

This book is very different from Francesca Lia Block's usual work. It's not a Fantasy, thus the stories are less whimsical/magical. From other people's review I find that they get very confused as the writing goes on, and the ending leaves everyone sad. No doubt there isn't much of an ending to the book, it is more like an account of a woman who is still finding her way through life. For those of us who are empathetic and have experienced love, loss, joy and sorrow, a lot of emotions will surface with reading this book. There will be pangs of fear and pain, feelings of yearning and longing, glimpses of our own darkness and black waves. And of course, there is love.

Added: I just finished reading Open Letter to a Quiet Light, and it has lead me to believe that Quakeland is really a semi-autobiography. Maybe the author wrote this book as an outlet after a difficult relationship.

I found this book confusing, depressing, and disturbing. I really wanted to like it because I loved Block's YA books, but I couldn't bring myself to finish Quakeland. I will probably stick with Block's work for younger readers from now on, although I plan to read her adult follow up to the Weetzie Bat series and I'm hoping that's not as much of a downer as Quakeland. ( )

I read this book awhile ago. I like Block's work, but this one was not one of my favorites. Towards the end the various storylines confused me and made me want to be done with the book. ( )

I've been a fan of Francesca Lia Block for years. Quakeland shares some elements typical of Block's work, but it's also a significant departure from her other novels (at least, those which I've read). Block writes a distinctive form of Magical Realism, usually set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles area. Her characters are hippie types (or punks with hippie hearts), searching for love and beauty in the midst of ugliness and tragedy.
What makes Quakeland different from her previous offerings is that the characters here seem to be seeking without actually doing much finding. On the surface, they are typical of her characters: they go to yoga and modern dance classes; they eat vegetarian; they do past-life regressions; they're hippies, punks, and surfers. But they don't seem to be getting the answers they're looking for. This book is much sadder, less whimsical, than any other Block novel I've read. The characters are also older -- this is not a YA novel. Although not specified, the characters seem to be in their 30s or perhaps 40s, and are dealing with the attendant issues of that age: marriage, children, the mortality of their parents and peers. Perhaps that explains the undercurrent of desperation and sorrow that runs through Quakeland -- here are people who are struggling, in a world of seemingly unending international disasters, to recapture the magic that seemed so abundant when they were young.
There is something to be said for that story, which is why I cannot completely dismiss this book. However, I think fans of Block's may be disappointed by this departure, and newcomers may be perplexed by the characters' airy-fairy quirks.
The other major thing to note about Quakeland is its unusual format. It's not so much a novel as it is 5 stories, connected more closely at some places than others. Block plays a great deal with narrative style and chronology; she uses dreams, journal entries, vignettes, and switches back and forth between first- and third-person. At one point, she seems to be telling the story from the point of view of Los Angeles itself, although I wasn't exactly clear on that. I find, with writing experiments such as this, that there is a fine line between challenging the reader and confusing her, and I feel that Block might have erred too much on the side of the latter. I also could not tell whether the repeating of similar words and phrases was done with intent or was the result of poor editing.
I wanted very much to like Quakeland, and I didn't exactly dislike it. Still, the book seems to fall into some limbo of being different enough from the author's previous work to be a letdown, without breaking away from her usual style enough to seem fresh.
p.s. If nothing else, the cover art is beautiful. ( )