This was the first book by Gabrielle Zevin I’ve read, despite having a few of her other books on my to-read list. I went in completely blind, didn’t even read the synopsis, didn’t even know it was about video games until I started. Games are my husband’s area of expertise, so I’m sure he would’ve picked up more on those references sprinkled throughout the book.
Despite my lack of knowledge on games, I was intrigued by this story. Sam and Sadie and Marx intrigued, annoyed, and frustrated me, somehow all at the same time. The constant miscommunication throughout their friendship - and the entire novel - was so irritating. And yet, especially after the halfway point, I could not put it down. And even though I was frustrated with the characters, it truly was a masterfully written study of people and the imperfections and flaws that make them up.

I was pretty skeptical of this one . . . and then I loved it fiercely. Smart, clever, surprising - it broke my heart and yet ultimately felt so hopeful.

Title: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Knopf
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

My Assessment:

The story was wonderfully delivered to the reader about how this starting gaming process as it started for the three friends... Sadie, Sam, and Marx. The read is long but will keep your interest as you turn the pages to the end. The author did an excellent job at keeping the story and timelines as the reader understood the compelling narration of what was going on between the characters. The story will not be all happy, and there will be 'complexities, love, relationships, death, stress, growing up, friendship, and grief' along with some exciting video games presented in this story. It was interesting to look behind the scenes that go into coming up with how these gamers work hard to develop these games. The story will keep one captivated. This was my first time reading about gaming, and I was indeed impressed by this reading.

Thanks to Knopf Publishing Group and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

In Gabrielle Zevin’s ending “Notes and Acknowledgments,” she writes “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a novel about work…Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is equally about love.” Those may be the bookends, but between them is a sweeping masterpiece of the lives of young friends over three decades. It spans not just time of those tomorrows and tomorrows and tomorrows, but also the vibrant world of gaming and gamers, to diverse geographic anchors from coast to coast. Sadie Green and Sam Mazer meet in their teens at a time of tragedy and suffering for Sam, opening a door to a life-altering friendship through their affinity and life-saving outlet of gaming. Marx Watanabe enters in their college years as Sam’s roommate, and the three meld into a solid friendship. They start their own gaming business “Unfair Games” after their creation of blockbuster game Ichigo. What follows are the years of the company’s successes and failures with the interplay of lives and love of the three friends.

The writer brilliantly takes us into the world of worldbuilding and gaming even for the totally ignorant, enticing us to long to play Ichigo, Mapletown, and famous games. We sit with them as they devise, walk and talk through the creation process -- right onto the business aspects. Woven in are the three’s complex relationships, at times fractured, healed, or maturing. No aspect of the book seems extraneous. Family relationships, hopes and fears, sacrifices and ambition, forgiveness and longing, disabilities and diversity, identity and culture, societal risks and geographic differences, literary and drama references, loyalty and betrayal, the past and the future—and always gaming—layered, blended, or transposed seamlessly. The gaming world, the stages of the characters’ lives, and the immersed reading experience are intertwined so the reader may feel one, not three, worlds. Near the end, without prefatory explanation, we are dropped into a game at a time that is risky for the writer, unforgettable and alluring for the reader, and perfect for this story, these characters, and the magical experience of gaming. About three-quarters of the way through the book, a tragic event happens, to which I had to put the book aside for a day before I could continue.

Writing a review for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow has been difficult because of the sweeping artistry, talent, and imagination of this writer, as well as the immense and inedible effect it left. I had read and treasured Gabrille Zevin’s The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry in 2014 and without question was eager to read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (especially with this title, and how Macbeth or that poor player on the stage is connected). This goes beyond any expectations I had. This is best book I have read in 2022 and I will never forget it.

For the early access to this book, I am grateful to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing, and Gabrielle Zevin for the opportunity to read this splendid book. My opinion is all my own.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow is a tough book to review. At points, it’s compelling and others, well, not so much. I had a hard time connecting with the characters at times and because of that, there were points where this really felt like a bit of a slog. I also almost didn't make it past the first chapter. It felt like the author was trying too hard to use all the big words rather than connect with the reader. That's a big turn off for me.

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book since I had seen a few instagrammers mention they enjoyed this unique book. I was also intrigued by the video game element.

I inhaled this book over 2-3 days. I wanted to know what was going to happen with Sam and Sadie. This book spans year of their lives and skips around in time to tell an overarching story. The parts of this story I loved were how Sam and Sadie met and their connection. I enjoyed how the author provided glimpses back and into the future. Those propelled me through the book.
I’d say this book is mostly character driven and about the relationship between these two characters and how gaming/creating games plays different roles in their lives. The ending fit the books theme, a new beginning just as a video game character dies and starts again, so do they start again but with more knowledge of the world and each other. Though a part of me wanted a bit more resolution there.
While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t find myself rooting for the characters much. I prefer having a main character to root for, but this didn’t end up landing for me there.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
Knopf
Publication: July 5, 2022

Zevin has created a whip-smart novel of love, work, and video games. The story centers on two main characters: Sam Masur and Sadie Green. They meet in a hospital hospitality room where they take turns playing Nintendo. Sam is recovering from a car crash that killed his mother and that mangled his foot. Sadie is visiting her sister who is in the hospital for Leukemia. Sadie continues to visit Sam to play games even after her sister is discharged. (They are children at this point.)

Years later, they meet in the subway in Boston where Sam is attending Harvard and Sadie is attending MIT. They re-connect and collaborate on a complicated game, Ichigo, about a young child who gets swept away in a storm and returns home years later as a ten-year-old. Sam’s roommate, Marx, helps them as they work hard to finish the game. They have great success with the game and soon, with Marx as producer, the three have their own gaming company, Unfair Games.

Sam and Sadie have love for each other but they have arguments and don’t speak at times. This causes friction at the company and things become complicated. I don’t want to spoil the story so I’ll leave it at that.

Other characters I loved are Sam’s grandparents Dong Hyun (Grandfather) Bong Cha (Grandmother). They provide much needed wisdom and love to Sam and play vital roles in his life. A side note: They have a Donkey Kong game in their pizza shop.

I love how Zevin honestly portrays how women functioned in the gaming business. It reminds me of Brenda Romero (yes, wife to John) who is one of the few women pioneer female game designers. Was there a nod to her game Train when Sadie’s first MIT game dealt with Nazi’s? She wasn’t mentioned in the notes, but in my world, it is a nod to Brenda.

This novel is about love and work and video games. It is a fantastic book and I’ll be reading Zevin’s other works to see if they hold up to this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Knopf for this electronic arc in exchange for my honest review.

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" captured my attention and heart. Sadie and Sam have known each other for almost their entire lives, meeting in a hospital game room playing "Super Mario Bros." on a TV. This book tracks the following 25 years of both of their lives, as well as the love, betrayal, heartache, destruction, and grief packed within that time. The language in this novel is stunning, at times perfectly reflecting the narration of a video game, both in the digital and real worlds. The stunning allusions to art, music, and theatrical pieces throughout help the reader encapsulate a full vision for the work Sam and Sadie create. This book captures the strength of loyalty and relationships while also presenting how we face trials and tribulations at our highs and lows. I will think about these characters for a long time...

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow is the story of Sadie and Sam - two childhood friends who bond over video games. Their lives continue to intersect until they create their own video game. Overnight they are hugely successful but their trauma continues to follow them.

This book! I laughed. I cried. I was so mad I had to put the book down and walk away. I haven’t felt this many emotions in a book for a long time. The character development and growth is fantastic. This is heavy on the video games and I can see how it could be a bit tedious for some readers. In the end though it’s a story of love - how to love and be loved. How to accept love when you aren’t sure you love yourself. Truly one of the best things I’ve read all year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is set in the world of Video Gaming, yet it is so much more. Kowing the Protagonists were Creative Partners in gaming design, I almost passed on this one. While I had no interest in video games, I do like Gabrielle Zevin's writing, so decided to pick it up. Sam Masur and Sadie Green share much more than a talent and business. Close friends since childhood, except for an estrangement during their teen/early college years, theirs is a relationship like few found in literature. A third business partner/roommate, Marx, adds another dimension as he offers financial support as well as friendship. Disability, independence, friendship and codependence all play into the story. I found the business development and gaming background fascinating, but it was the relationships that hooked me. The author describes love as both a constant and a variable at the same time and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow exemplifies this beautifully.
#TomorrowandTomorrowandTomorrow #NetGalley

3 stars, maybe 3.5. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a novel that, on paper, seems like something I'd love. A story of two lifelong creative partners that spans thirty years and explores a unique period in video game history, touching on all the race, gender, and class issues that inextricably affected (and still do affect) the video game industry at the time, and the fraught personal relationship between the two. And the book certainly is what it says on the tin -- it is all of those things. But in my opinion, it just didn't really say much about them. I definitely saw the culture of video games in the 90's and 2000's (at least, what I know of it) reflected in this novel, but found little else beyond that reflection -- nothing deeper. And while the novel also certainly does a good job of showing the complexities of the relationship between Sam and Sadie over the years, it offers very little in the way of any sort of deeper meaning or understanding of those complexities other than the fact that they were, well, complex.

The main issue I had with this book was the characters. Sam and Sadie are the two central figures in the novel, and to be quite honest, I didn't really like either of them. I get the feeling that they were meant to be realistically flawed individuals, but somewhere in the midst of giving them their plethora of imperfections, Gabrielle Zevin forgot to make them likable. As Sadie herself says near the end of the novel, people play (read) games (books) for the characters, not for the tech (not sure what the book equivalent of tech is, tbh). Or at least I do. And while I certainly felt like I got to know Sam and Sadie very well -- one-dimensional, they were not -- over the course of the novel, I didn't particularly like either of them. Sadie and Sam are both the type of people who are convinced that they are better than other people because they can code and read poetry, which is honestly not uncommon among college/college-age students, but they are convinced they are the only ones in the universe who are what they are. Sadie and Sam both come from different types of privilege; Sadie, money, and Sam, being a man, and both of them hurt each other through the lens of these privileges very pettily many times, are deeply hypocritical about them, and don't grow particularly much in the thirty years that we follow them. For two characters that should have been larger-than-life, like the video game auteurs of that time were, they were disappointingly small.

And since Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is primarily a story about Sadie and Sam, the fact that I didn't particularly like Sadie nor Sam made it very difficult to really care about that story. Or, rather, it made me wish I was reading this story with two different characters. One might argue that this story with two different characters would be a different story, which, well ... maybe I would prefer that one.

It was still an enjoyable read, especially as I have nothing but praise for Gabrielle Zevin's prose. And perhaps this book might resonate better with those fifteen or twenty years older than me, in Sadie and Sam's generational bracket. Perhaps there is a generational gap here, something I Just Don't Understand about the 90's and early 2000's video game scene that uniquely characterizes the emotions of this novel. Perhaps I lack the specific brand of nostalgia that would have painted this book in more favorable shades for me. Perhaps. But whatever the reason, I found myself feeling like I -- or perhaps Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow -- was missing something.

Being a fan of Zevin’s previous works, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young, I was excited to dive into her latest. There is a huge amount of detail about gaming and while you don’t need to be into gaming, I think it would be helpful and make it more engaging. The multi-layered novel read unnecessarily long and was overwrought with words that often needed to be defined. The characters never truly matured; Sadie forgave Dov for his misdeeds but held a grudge for years against her lifelong friend Sam? There is plenty for book groups to analyze and discuss. This one didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow follows the friendship of Sadie and Sam, from childhood to adulthood as they play games and then design them together. I was really looking forward to this book and the idea is unique and different. However, Sadie and Sam’s relationship is supposed to be an epic, decades long friendship but it is so toxic it makes it hard to like or root for either of them. They bring out the worst in each other and neither one has any idea how to be a good friend.

The book is also filled with too many flashbacks that upset the momentum of the story. The first third was good and the last third moved quickly but the middle was so slow and way too long.

The best part of this book to me was Marx. I would have loved for him to be more fleshed out and even given his own voice in more then one chapter. He was really the heart of the story and the parts with him were my favorites.

If you a fan of gaming or game creation, this one is a must read!

Loved this book. Rich and deep with meaning. Characters were realistic and the video games enriched the stories in compelling ways. Would highly recommend to our customers.

*This* is now my favorite book I’ve read this year, if not longer. It’s epic, in the literary sense, but also in the “spanning years and continents, lives ruined, blood shed, EPIC” sense. I laughed, I cried, I screamed out loud in protest when a character made a decision that broke my heart. My husband and I got into an actual fight because he interrupted me during a pivotal moment. I couldn’t read any other book for a week after I finished it - I just started this one over again.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is ostensibly about video games, but it’s also a meditation on the creative process, or maybe more accurately the creation process. The labor and logistics and compromise and collaboration that go into turning an idea into something tangible. It’s about love and family and friendship and the types of deeply impactful partnerships that defy labels. It’s about the joy and intimacy of play, and about the pain of living in a body or a brain that can’t do what you want it to. It’s about art and genius, and about the people and structures without whom geniuses couldn’t happen.

It has the beautifully fleshed out cast of characters and unique perspectives of an Emily St John Mandel. It weaves in the reflections on the fallibility of human memory and the stories we tell ourselves of Kazuo Ishiguro. This book is infuriatingly good, and I love it so much.

I received a digital ARC from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group via NetGalley.

This story will stay with me. At it’s core it is a story about family, friendship, and life. We watch the characters grow up, and change. Do not be intimidated by this book if you feel you do not like or understand video games. It isn’t. So much about the technical side of making games, it’s about the experience of playing them, and the reader is brought into that.experience.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow didn't immediately suck me in, but once it did, I was hooked. Sam and Sadie meet in the hospital when they are 11 and 12 respectively and bond over a shared love of video games. But the book opens with them in Boston for college several years later, after not speaking for quite some time. They reignite their friendship and end up creating a video game, Ichigo, together. The game is a hit, but along the way their friendship hits some more rough patches.
The book itself is certainly centered around gaming and yet, it isn't. There's so much more to gaming in the book- friendship, sorrow, illness, resentments, just to name a few. I found it to be very well written and the characters to be relatable. This was a really enjoyable read. Being the same age as the characters really brought me back to my younger years.
Thanks to the author, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book tells of the lives and lifelong friendship of Sam and Sadie, people who dearly love and care for each other even though they don't always understand each other. The story spans thirty years, although the shift in time periods is easily made and placed in areas of the book that make sense and add dimension. The friends welcome another friend, Marx, to make a trio, who go on to start a successful business creating video games. The video games reflect what they experience in life and demonstrate their hopes, fears, values, losses and longings. This books is intricately detailed, emotionally moving and meaningful. I need to read more of this author's work! Highly recommend this read!

Oh goodness, this one is a stunner. I've heard from so many early readers of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin that they liked or loved this book *in spite of* the fact that it is about video games, with assurances that you don't have to care about video games in order to enjoy it. I wasn't worried about video games being involved, because I have enjoyed playing them occasionally (mostly just Stardew Valley, to be honest, but I've played others) and my husband and kids love them so I'm used to seeing them and understand how great they can be. What I didn't expect, however, was how much even my limited knowledge of video games enhanced my appreciation for this novel. There is actually a LOT about video games in it, with explanations of the storylines of the games they create, all of which sound absolutely amazing and wildly creative. I loved this book so much more because of the video games, and that truly surprised me. Add to that the references to Shakespeare (I figured the title was referring to MacBeth, but didn't expect to encounter Shakespeare otherwise) and the unique sections in the middle of the book that told the story in creative ways, and I'm in love. The book is primarily about the central friendship between Sam and Sadie, but I absolutely adored Marx and I was fascinated by Sam's mother Anna. Such beautiful characters and relationships. I think I'm going to have a book hangover for a while.

Sam Masur and Sadie Green first met in a hospital ward as kids and bonded over their mutual love of video games. They were each other's best friends until it all imploded. Now, years later, both Sam and Sadie attend college in the same city and run into each other in the subway. This chance encounter will go on to spark a partnership for the ages. Sam and Sadie decide to collaborate to create their very own video game, and after begging and borrowing money from whoever they could, they put out the instant-hit, Ichigo. They've barely graduated college, and yet the world is already theirs. Over the next thirty years, Sam and Sadie face both personal and professional ups and downs as they learn the hard way that fame comes at a steep price. One that they may not be willing to pay.

I'm not a huge gamer, but I do appreciate the craft. I loved all the references to games I grew up playing, and it was nice to see Sam and Sadie bond over them. I liked their friendship and thought they balanced one another out pretty well. At times Sadie annoyed me because I found her very pessimistic and quick to treat those around her poorly. Both weren't perfect by any means, but they cared about one another, and I found it sweet. I also liked the dynamic once Marx was introduced. He was such a sweetie and felt like the heart of the story in many ways. Plot-wise, I enjoyed how it was broken down into different parts, but it could've been trimmed down. It was just so long, and it felt even longer. If you enjoy stories about games or the gaming industry, or stories focused more on platonic love and how sometimes your soul mates are your best friends, then you would like this.