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The Interestings
560 pages, 2014
fiction
1382 booksThe 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 life. 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.
In The Interestings, Meg Wolitzer explores the deep and lasting impact of friendships. The book shows how friendships formed in youth can shape our lives, for better or worse. It's a great reminder to cherish our friends and the memories we make with them.
Wolitzer's characters in The Interestings are all driven by their own definitions of success. Some seek fame, others wealth, and some just want to be happy. This book encourages us to think about what success really means to us and to pursue our own version of it.
Envy is a major theme in The Interestings. The characters often compare their lives to those of their friends, leading to feelings of envy and dissatisfaction. This book encourages us to look at our own lives and appreciate what we have, rather than comparing ourselves to others.
The Interestings spans several decades, showing how the characters and their relationships evolve over time. It's a reminder that life is a journey, and we all change as we grow older. This book encourages us to embrace change and the passage of time.
Meg Wolitzer digs into the complexity of human relationships in The Interestings. She shows that relationships are not always easy or straightforward, but they are always worth it. This book encourages us to appreciate the complexity of our relationships and to work on them, even when it's hard.
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The Interestings is a captivating novel that explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shape our identities.
Jennifer Egan - Pulitzer-winning authorThe Interestings is a brilliantly conceived, powerfully observed, and superbly written novel.
Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, LoveThe Interestings is a novel that will make you rethink what you value, and who you want to be.
Jodi Picoult - Bestselling novelist