The Interestings

A Novel

De: Meg Wolitzer

Narrado por: Jen Tullock

“Remarkable . . . With this book [Wolitzer] has surpassed herself.”—The New York Times Book Review

"A victory . . . The Interestings secures Wolitzer's place among the best novelists of her generation. . . . She's every bit as literary as Franzen or Eugenides. But the very human moments in her work hit you harder than the big ideas. This isn't women's fiction. It's everyone's."—Entertainment Weekly (A)

The New York Times–bestselling novel by Meg Wolitzer that has been called "genius" (The Chicago Tribune), “wonderful” (Vanity Fair), "ambitious" (San Francisco Chronicle), and a “page-turner” (Cosmopolitan), which The New York Times Book Review says is "among the ranks of books like Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom and Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot."

The summer that Nixon resigns, six teenagers at a summer camp for the arts become inseparable. Decades later the bond remains powerful, but so much else has changed. In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge.

The kind of creativity that is rewarded at age fifteen is not always enough to propel someone through life at age thirty; not everyone can sustain, in adulthood, what seemed so special in adolescence. Jules Jacobson, an aspiring comic actress, eventually resigns herself to a more practical occupation and lifestyle. Her friend Jonah, a gifted musician, stops playing the guitar and becomes an engineer. But Ethan and Ash, Jules’s now-married best friends, become shockingly successful—true to their initial artistic dreams, with the wealth and access that allow those dreams to keep expanding. The friendships endure and even prosper, but also underscore the differences in their fates, in what their talents have become and the shapes their lives have taken.

Wide in scope, ambitious, and populated by complex characters who come together and apart in a changing New York City, The Interestings explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shift and tilt precipitously over the course of a friendship and a life.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Like Virginia Woolf in The Waves, Meg Wolitzer gives us the full picture here, charting her characters' lives from the self-dramatizing of adolescence, through the resignation of middle age, to the attainment of a wisdom that holds all the intensities of life in a single, sustained chord, much like this book itself. The wit, intelligence, and deep feeling of Wolitzer's writing are extraordinary and The Interestings brings her achievement, already so steadfast and remarkable, to an even higher level."—Jeffrey Eugenides

4.41 stars

While this audiobook might not blow you away, it’s quite good. The story focuses on characters and relationships. The plot is not a fast moving one, if that's what you're into, but it’s interesting and should keep your attention. Plus, the narrator is really good. Judging by this novel and her latest release, The Female Persuasion, listeners can expect consistent, high quality work from Meg Wolitzer.

Overall rating: 4,41 stars

For every nerdy art kid.

Would you listen to The Interestings again? Why?

Yes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jules and Ethan. Their story touched me and made my heart ache. I found the description of their lives (minus the star status and fame) to be actually quite realistic.

What about Jen Tullock’s performance did you like?

She did a great job making each character distinct and an individual.

If you could rename The Interestings, what would you call it?

Art school.

Any additional comments?

Loved it. I listened to the entire book in two days.

Not for everyone

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Just not a book that will interest the typical reader. Think the professional reviewers got a bit carried away with their asessments.

Would you be willing to try another book from Meg Wolitzer? Why or why not?

Maybe. Not a horriible book, just way under achieved expectations based on gushing reviews.

Which scene was your favorite?

The End

Did The Interestings inspire you to do anything?

Be more selective in book selection. Exercise Audible's return guarantee.

Slow starter but worth the extra time

I liked the characters, particularly the lead and her husband, and the story grows far more interesting than the beginning of the book.The narrator offers very subtle voice changes with the characters that was hard to distinguish in the beginning, when the characters are young. But as they age, she fleshes them out nicely and the story flows between them without affectation.

Magnificent

I typically listen to mysteries or thrillers because they engage my attention more than literary fiction, which can be easy to stray from while driving, etc. But The Interestings thoroughly engaged my attention no matter where I was when I listened. In fact, I looked forward to driving, exercising, whatever and whenever I could just to be able to get back into the story.

What I liked:
• The writing. Wolitzer is a master of the meaningful metaphor. Her analogies are pitch perfect.
• The characters. Wonderfully drawn, fully human, the characters come to life, and you feel you really get to know them as people -- sometimes that's good, sometimes not so much.
• The narration. Well paced and engagingly delivered. Jen Tullock reads like she enjoyed what she was doing.
• The story. The tale explores the lives of 8 young people who meet at a summer camp for the arts, and traces their lives into middle age. We discover through them what it means to have dreams dashed and dreams fulfilled -- and that sometimes it is difficult to determine which is best.

This is a great book and a terrific listen.