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A review by chrissie_whitley
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
5.0
After coming off of some not-so-stellar reads, The Interestings was such a sigh of relief...such a return to what I love in my reading.
Wolitzer has such a strong sense of place, character, and circumstance. With the introduction of the six characters who ironically (mostly) dub themselves The Interestings in July 1974, Wolitzer sets the stage for an entire book that weaves in and out of that warm, hazy, late summer feeling with the approach of autumn on the horizon. That sense of transition is cast over the entire novel, emphasizing the constant ebb and flow of life.
The Interestings meet at a summer camp established for welcoming and encouraging hopeful and prospective artists. While Jules Jacobson is undeniably the main character for the novel, Wolitzer spends a fair amount of time through the lens of a few of the others. Meandering in and out of a set timeline, we explore the lives of this set of friends as they are in and out of each others' lives.
The studied and complex relationships Wolitzer builds for this group of friends feels so true to life — full of the overlapping and crosshatching that would occur organically. Somehow, despite extraordinary things happening to them, their lives never feel overly dramatic, superficial, or forced. The inner workings of the group centers around both the summers spent at the camp when they were young and full of promise, and the steadfast, sincere, and dedicated relationship that develops between Jules, Ethan, and Ash — the heart of the book.
Audiobook, as narrated by [a:Jen Tullock|7205235|Jen Tullock|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Tullock did such a wonderful job performing the narration of this book that I often forgot I was listening to just one person. She truly added to and complemented Wolitzer's fantastic book by conveying the depth and unfeigned emotions that thread through the story.
Wolitzer has such a strong sense of place, character, and circumstance. With the introduction of the six characters who ironically (mostly) dub themselves The Interestings in July 1974, Wolitzer sets the stage for an entire book that weaves in and out of that warm, hazy, late summer feeling with the approach of autumn on the horizon. That sense of transition is cast over the entire novel, emphasizing the constant ebb and flow of life.
The Interestings meet at a summer camp established for welcoming and encouraging hopeful and prospective artists. While Jules Jacobson is undeniably the main character for the novel, Wolitzer spends a fair amount of time through the lens of a few of the others. Meandering in and out of a set timeline, we explore the lives of this set of friends as they are in and out of each others' lives.
The studied and complex relationships Wolitzer builds for this group of friends feels so true to life — full of the overlapping and crosshatching that would occur organically. Somehow, despite extraordinary things happening to them, their lives never feel overly dramatic, superficial, or forced. The inner workings of the group centers around both the summers spent at the camp when they were young and full of promise, and the steadfast, sincere, and dedicated relationship that develops between Jules, Ethan, and Ash — the heart of the book.
Audiobook, as narrated by [a:Jen Tullock|7205235|Jen Tullock|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Tullock did such a wonderful job performing the narration of this book that I often forgot I was listening to just one person. She truly added to and complemented Wolitzer's fantastic book by conveying the depth and unfeigned emotions that thread through the story.