The Marriage Plot

By: Jeffrey Eugenides

Narrated by: David Pittu

Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times Notable Book of 2011

A Publisher's Weekly Top 10 Book of 2011

A Kirkus Reviews Top 25 Best Fiction of 2011 Title

One of Library Journal's Best Books of 2011

A Salon Best Fiction of 2011 title

One of The Telegraph's Best Fiction Books of the Year 2011

It's the early 1980s—the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.

As Madeleine tries to understand why "it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth-century France," real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead—charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy—suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old "friend" Mitchell Grammaticus—who's been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange—resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.

Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology Laboratory on Cape Cod, but can't escape the secret responsible for Leonard's seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.

Are the great love stories of the nineteenth century dead? Or can there be a new story, written for today and alive to the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenups, and divorce? With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the Novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it unfolds like the intimate journal of our own lives.

©2011 Jeffrey Eugenides (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The sound of silk drawn across fine-grain sandpaper best describes David Pittu's voice in THE MARRIAGE PLOT, by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jeffrey Eugenides...The talented Pittu rises to the occasion of this challenging work, rewarding the listener with a sense of satisfaction reserved for great works of literature.”—AudioFile magazine, An Earphones Award Winner

“David Pittu brilliantly narrates this audio version of Eugenides' complex novel, whether he's rattling off quotes from Jacques Derrida and Roland Barthes or creating unique voices for the book's many characters. Among the standouts are his renditions of the slow and reflective Mitchell and Thurston, the star of the semiotics seminar who speaks in a falsely laconic and disinterested fashion to impress his classmates and professor… [Pittu] never runs out of voices for this large, global cast. The result is one of the best audiobooks of the year.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“No one's more adept at channeling teenage angst than Jeffrey Eugenides. Not even J. D. Salinger . . . It's in mapping Mitchell's search for some sort of belief that might fill the spiritual hole in his heart and Madeleine's search for a way to turn her passion for literature into a vocation that this novel is at its most affecting, reminding us with uncommon understanding what it is to be young and idealistic, in pursuit of true love and in love with books and ideas.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“This is a story about being young and bright and lost, a story Americans have been telling since Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Our exceptionally well-read but largely untested graduates still wonder: How should I live my life? What can I really believe in? Whom should I love? Literature has provided a wide range of answers to those questions—Lose Lady Brett! Give up on Daisy! Go with Team Edward!—but in the end, novels aren't really very good guidebooks. Instead, they're a chance to exercise our moral imagination, and this one provides an exceptionally witty and poignant workout.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Disappointing

Any additional comments?

Middlesex was wonderful. My expectations were far too high for The Marriage Plot. What a disappointment and waste of audio time.

Don't enjoy the reader being both sexes

What did you like best about The Marriage Plot? What did you like least?

The story was interesting but don't enjoy hearing a reader perform both male and female parts.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Inevitable

Did David Pittu do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Addressed above

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not

Any additional comments?

Enjoy being able to do things while listening to a good book

Brilliant, fun, and thought-provoking

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, yes, yes. I am recommending this book for my Literature Group. The narrator was excellent and enhanced the experience of a true comic-tragedy. You will really care about the characters and be on the edge of your seat as you listen to this book. Warning: this book is so engrossing that you will find it impossible to get work done once you enter the world of "The Marriage Plot."

Who was your favorite character and why?

All three main characters are splendid and unique. I don't want to give away too much by explaining these characters or their individual quests.

Have you listened to any of David Pittu???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Excellent narrator, contributed greatly to the cliff-hanger effect of each character's narration.

Any additional comments?

Jeffrey Eugenides deserves an award for this achievement. The interview with the author at the end greatly enhances the experience. Thank you.

Coming of age in the early 80s

A little dated by its early 80s cultural references and some stereotypical post grad college characters, but an engaging story told in a way that keeps you interested and engaged.

A literary treat. Finally

Donna Tartt has plagued me for years, re reading her too few novels, especially The Goldfinch, and one reaches a point of despair at the lack of other high caliber literary fic. One can keep reading The Idiot or Daniel Deronda... but very slim pickings for a contemporary literary fic to come along that is not disappointing.
How have I missed The Marriage Plot? Not sure but it’s so appreciated now and I actually loved the wide scope of the book: mental issues( not funnyAt All and seriously moving) religious and romantic themes. The style is highly personal though written in third past, and brilliantly observed and felt.
Daniel Pitu is the best reader in all of recorded books, and made this the most enjoyable listen. I’m now ordering the book to really dig in.
My daughter went to Princeton— in English— oh to be a fly on the wall in Mr. Eugenides classes!

Will not be surprised if it turns into a classic.

If you could sum up The Marriage Plot in three words, what would they be?

A wonderful read.

What did you like best about this story?

The detail and the development of the characters.

What about David Pittu’s performance did you like?

I really enjoyed him.

Any additional comments?

I have already began to recommend this book.

Interesting story somewhat marred by narration

I found the characters to be well drawn and appreciated Eugenides's style. It never became overly sentimental. I thought it was unfortunate that among the three leads, only one section was devoted to Leonard's viewpoint. It made him somewhat more enigmatic than the other two leads. The narration was mostly well done, although some of the voices were more cartoonish than strictly necessary; Leonard occasionally sounded like an adult Bart Simpson. Aside from this quibbles, I would highly recommend this.

Chick book scores with this dude.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Marriage Plot to be better than the print version?

Probably.

What did you like best about this story?

Excellent character development, excellent portrayal of mental health issues.

What aspect of David Pittu’s performance would you have changed?

Nothing much.

If you could rename The Marriage Plot, what would you call it?

Mangos for Maria?

Any additional comments?

All around satisfying read.

Pretentious? The Marriage Plot? Surely Not...

Would you consider the audio edition of The Marriage Plot to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version, but I would consider this audio version to be better. I downloaded this title as much for David Pittu's narration as I did for Eugenides' writing. Both were phenomenal.

What other book might you compare The Marriage Plot to and why?

I would compare Eugenides' writing to that of Franzen. If you like Freedom or The Corrections or even Purity, you will like The Marriage Plot. The writing is very intelligent and insightful. The characters are well-developed, and the reader gains access to their innermost thoughts, feelings, and fears.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't have a favorite scene. This novel doesn't have a lot of peaks and valleys as far as excitement or the quality of the writing. It's a slow progressing yet interesting novel.

If you could rename The Marriage Plot, what would you call it?

The Marriage Plight

Any additional comments?

I've noticed some reviewers referred to this novel as pretentious. It's not. It's just a well written story. There are numerous references to classic literature, but it's not necessary to get them all. As always, David Pittu narrates this novel perfectly. If you're looking for a page turner, this might not be for you. If you're looking for phenomenal writing combined with phenomenal narration, give The Marriage Plot a listen.

Another great book from Jeffrey Eugenides

As soon as I finished listening I began the book again. This is an excellent read, very complex, with many literary references, but it's OK if one doesn't get them all. Great snapshots of early adulthood angst as well as middle age parenthood, done with some humor. The narrator is excellent.