Preview
  • The Book of George

  • A Novel
  • By: Kate Greathead
  • Narrated by: Blair Baker
  • Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
  • 3.4 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)

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The Book of George

By: Kate Greathead
Narrated by: Blair Baker
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Publisher's summary

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.

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.

©2024 Kate Greathead (P)2024 Macmillan Audio
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Critic reviews

The Book of George is not only an excellent novel—it's also one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. Engaging from the first page, it nevertheless gains momentum as it progresses, deftly building toward something larger and unexpected, a portrait of a character—and to an extent a generation—that's as convincing as it is moving.”
—Adelle Waldman, bestselling author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. and Help Wanted

“This book is a knockout. Mesmerizing from page one, it's Stoner meets Mrs. Bridge meets George, the millennial male we can't look away from. Kate Greathead has gifted us with a character for the ages, and a novel that is sure to be swooned over and endlessly discussed.”
—Maria Semple, New York Times bestselling author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette

“Kate Greathead is an astonishingly talented writer. Every sentence in this novel glitters with insight and humor. A perceptive, funny and tender portrayal of the complicated relationships that define our adulthood.”
—Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People

Editorial Review

A Portrait of the George as a George
I was eager to get into this one when I heard about it several months ago, but when it came across my desk, I have to admit that I balked a little at starting it after reading the descriptions of George as “a young man brimming with potential but incapable of following through,” and “sweet yet noncommittal,” and “charmingly funny one minute, sullenly brooding the next.” Not to blow up my own spot too much, but it felt like I might be wading into some territory that hits a little too close to home. But The Book of George is so much more than that. Sure, George is all of those things, but Kate Greathead gives great depth to him and the others in his life. It’s not an indictment of the man or men like him, it’s an empathetic and funny portrait of a character who, aside from everything else, is just a guy moving through the world the best way he knows how. — Aaron S., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Book of George

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Good, tiresome ol' George!

I finally gave up. Nothing changes, especially George. Jenny just keeps on being exasperated by him, but lingers on in the malaise and mediocrity that is their life. I tried, but it's a DNF for me.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Lots of potential, little payoff

I kept comparing this book to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - an engaging, well written coming of age story following an awkward, perhaps brilliant, definitely flawed young man from childhood to middle age - and unfortunately it pales with that comparison. Like the character namesake, the story of George was enjoyable, at times funny & poignant but ultimately transient and forgettable.

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