I'll Take You There

A Novel

By: Wally Lamb

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Wally Lamb weaves an evocative, deeply affecting tapestry of one baby boomer's life - Felix Funicello, introduced in Wishin' and Hopin' - and the trio of unforgettable women who have changed it in this radiant homage to the resiliency, strength, and power of women.

I'll Take You There centers on Felix, a film scholar who runs a Monday night movie club in what was once a vaudeville theater. One evening, while setting up a film in the projectionist booth, he's confronted by the ghost of Lois Weber, a trailblazing motion picture director from Hollywood's silent film era. Lois invites Felix to revisit - and in some cases relive - scenes from his past as they are projected onto the cinema's big screen.

In these magical movies, the medium of film becomes the lens for Felix to reflect on the women who profoundly impacted his life. There's his daughter, Aliza, a Gen Y writer for New York Magazine who is trying to align her postmodern feminist beliefs with her lofty career ambitions; his sister, Frances, with whom he once shared a complicated bond of kindness and cruelty; and Verna, a fiery would-be contender for the 1951 Miss Rheingold competition, a beauty contest sponsored by a Brooklyn-based beer manufacturer that became a marketing phenomenon for two decades. At first unnerved by these ethereal apparitions, Felix comes to look forward to his encounters with Lois, who is later joined by the spirits of other celluloid muses.

Against the backdrop of a kaleidoscopic convergence of politics and pop culture, family secrets, and Hollywood iconography, Felix gains an enlightened understanding of the pressures and trials of the women closest to him and of the feminine ideals and feminist realities that all women of every era must face.

©2016 Wally Lamb (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Felt rushed in the last chapters

Wally Lamb is a phenomenal writer and story teller. The narrator was perfect for this role and felt authentic. I just feel like there needed to be more. The themes addressed are relevant and worthy and certainly provide an accurate portrait of what was and what is the fight toward equality for woman and more marginalized groups.
I don’t know what could have been added to lengthen the story, so maybe making it longer would have been simply for the sale of word count. It’s certainly worth a read and an enjoyable listen.

Good

Maybe I was too excited about the next Wally Lamb book. So, I was a little disappointed. I am looking forward to the next one. This one is on par with his Christmas book.

Very nice

Not as heavy as his books can be. I Enjoyed it. The reading was great.

The Real Deal

This is a good one - just what you want and expect from Wally Lamb; a nice long listen to lose yourself in for a long while. The characters are memorable and so are the situations. It has a plot that doesn't quit and his references are great. For my money perhaps he doesn't deliver as strongly as he might have on the promise of Lois Weber, but just the fact that he knows who she is wins him points with me.

Fantastic !

Wally Lamb has always been a favorite author of mine. I had sort of forgotten about him when I noticed this book. This story is beautifully crafted. The characters are flawed and very real. This story chronicles the journey from ignorance to wisdom for many of the characters. It asks the listener to consider his or her feelings about family, equality and the afterlife through the telling of one family's journey through decades past. Definitely worth the time!

a story of feminism

the ghost was a bit much but perhaps that is the symbolism of the extraordinary circumstances some need to understand the feminine movement, both past amd present. I've always loved Wally Lamb's ability to nail emotion, especially women! when I read Shes Come Undone I flipped that cover at least 50 times to read the author's description. I couldn't believe he was not a SHE! Wally nailed so much of how I myself felt growing up. As an 'always in recovery' bulimic, and a foster child, I felt every word he wrote in those pages. This book, sans the ghosts, was exactly the same way. I adore Wally's writing in this book, and quite frankly, I adore his appreciation of women. Thank You Wally!! big gigantic hugs.

Almost perfect

Except for the tail end, which devolves into a bit of a lecture, the story was fascinating and kind of magical.

good performance not as gripping

this was a good performance. Not as gripping as previous novels but a nice read. At least it didn't leave me devastated for weeks which is the sign of an incredible novel but also can wreak have it on my emotional World :-) every now and then it's nice to read a book that's just a good book.

Just didnt enjoy the story. great reading though.

some laughs. I did chuckle during the listen. nodded my head in recognition. it also held my attention to the end. I was held hostage as driver of a car doing an 8 hr straight drive. better than static. kept my mind stimulated enough to keep me awake when I was tired. but when it was over I felt disappointed that I hadn't downloaded something else. more accurate score would be 2.5 stars from me.

Loved It!

Wally never fails to bring it to the table. He brought back so many fond memories with his wide net of nostalgia on this one. If you're a bit older, you'll really appreciate all the references. You won't be able to stop your inner child from taking over!