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The Book of George

A Novel

Audiobook
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From the author of the critically acclaimed Laura & Emma comes a The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. for our times: Kate Greathead's razor-sharp but big-hearted excavation of millennial masculinity, The Book of George.
"Baker captures the overarching impact of the audiobook, making this listening experience exceptional, especially for the Georges who may hear themselves in the narrative."—AudioFile
If you haven't had the misfortune of dating a George, you know someone who has. He's a young man brimming with potential but incapable of following through; sweet yet noncommittal to his long-suffering girlfriend; distant from but still reliant on his mother; charmingly funny one minute, sullenly brooding the next. Here, Kate Greathead paints one particular, unforgettable George in a series of droll and surprisingly poignant snapshots of his life over two decades.
Despite his failings, it's hard not to root for George at least a little. Beneath his cynicism is a reservoir of fondness for his girlfriend, Jenny, and her valiant willingness to put up with him. Each demonstration of his flaws is paired with a self-eviscerating comment. No one is more disappointed in him than himself (except maybe Jenny and his mother). As hilarious as it is resonant and as singular as it is universal, The Book of George is a deft, unexpectedly moving portrait of one man—but also countless others.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 2, 2024
      Greathead (Laura & Emma) offers a wry and riveting story of wasted potential that follows its eponymous protagonist from the ages of 12 to 38. As a boy, George’s relationship with his parents is distant. When his mother, Ellen, divorces his clothes-horse father, Denis, George’s contempt for Denis grows. In college, George drifts further from Denis after he develops a thriving friend group. When Denis has a stroke, George puts off visiting him until it’s too late, marking the onset of lifelong feelings of guilt and depression. Greathead keenly depicts the ways in which George’s fractured family and grief contribute to his low self-esteem, which he masks under his narcissism and unjust critique of others, including his long-term girlfriend, Jenny, who supports him while he interns at a hedge fund and later quits working to pursue writing. George, though self-absorbed, shows enough potential for redemption to sustain Jenny’s interest as well as the reader’s, and Jenny delivers the book’s best lines (“Some people go through life trying to build others up.... You like to poke holes”). As George considers Jenny’s accusations, it’s a testament to Greathead’s skill that he becomes a character worth rooting for. This is a revelation.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Blair Baker's narration effectively frames the story of a privileged young man who is struggling to see the world beyond himself--even if he's not aware of his own limitations. Listeners observe the development of George, an inauspicious male in his 20s who continues the unfulfilled promises of his youth and lacks critical awareness of the people close to him. He survives on a potent mix of luck and assistance from family and friends. Baker handles humor, conflict, and cringeworthy events with subtle timing while fully embodying the characters, including George's girlfriend. Baker captures the overarching impact of the audiobook, making this listening experience exceptional, especially for the Georges who may hear themselves in the narrative. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

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  • English

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