You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
"The sun lit up the façade of the house. A breeze whispered through the trees, sending golden leaves cascading around to rest, suspended, on the tips of the long leaves of grass. I bowed my head and cast up a silent prayer. A deep calm came over me. I opened my eyes and picked up the brush and began."
Huge thank you to @algonquinbooks @netgalley for the paper back copy of The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington.
The novel is poetic, heartbreaking, reveals truths about the parallels within the class system, the unspoken moments, new beginnings, and portrayal of trying to find where you belong.
I love the book for all the significant pathways it displays through Charlie's eyes as he titters between the crossroads of privileged and working class. Tarkington wrote Charlie as an insightful, smart character, who like many of us in life have been swayed by the glamour and "greener grass" life of someone else. Though Charlie is faced with several discussions, he ultimately stands loyally by his friends, supporting them while trying to figure out his own place among them.
If you haven't read the novel yet, definitely do so. It reminders me of The Great Gatsby in some ways.
Huge thank you to @algonquinbooks @netgalley for the paper back copy of The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington.
The novel is poetic, heartbreaking, reveals truths about the parallels within the class system, the unspoken moments, new beginnings, and portrayal of trying to find where you belong.
I love the book for all the significant pathways it displays through Charlie's eyes as he titters between the crossroads of privileged and working class. Tarkington wrote Charlie as an insightful, smart character, who like many of us in life have been swayed by the glamour and "greener grass" life of someone else. Though Charlie is faced with several discussions, he ultimately stands loyally by his friends, supporting them while trying to figure out his own place among them.
If you haven't read the novel yet, definitely do so. It reminders me of The Great Gatsby in some ways.
I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by Algonquin Books. Thanks to Algonquin for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m quite conflicted with how I feel about this book because overall it was very enjoyable. Tarkington’s writing makes for easy reading and I sped through the story in a little less than two days because my mind wouldn’t stop coming back to it. I was captivated in the first half of the book and I was invested in Charlie’s coming-of-age story; however, my feelings started to turn lukewarm in the second-half. I’ve been trying to figure out why and I think it’s because I expected more–more from the story, more from the characters, just… More? But let’s take a look at what I loved first:
This was my first book by Tarkington so I had no idea what to expect, but I loved his writing. I wouldn’t have been mad if the story was longer because I honestly could’ve just kept reading as his style flowed so easily off the page. The story is simply but beautifully written and I thought Tarkington did a great job in capturing the nostalgic and somewhat tragic tone of Charlie’s story through captivating and compelling prose. What surprisingly worked was the first person point of view as it made for a more intimate experience as we relive the past through both Charlie’s rose-coloured glasses and the jarring perspective and realisation of age and experience. Reading his story sometimes felt kind of dreamlike and “summer-hazy”, which I thought was quite fitting for how Charlie perceived his life at the time. Hands down, 10/10 for the writing.
Check out the full review on my blog!
I’m quite conflicted with how I feel about this book because overall it was very enjoyable. Tarkington’s writing makes for easy reading and I sped through the story in a little less than two days because my mind wouldn’t stop coming back to it. I was captivated in the first half of the book and I was invested in Charlie’s coming-of-age story; however, my feelings started to turn lukewarm in the second-half. I’ve been trying to figure out why and I think it’s because I expected more–more from the story, more from the characters, just… More? But let’s take a look at what I loved first:
This was my first book by Tarkington so I had no idea what to expect, but I loved his writing. I wouldn’t have been mad if the story was longer because I honestly could’ve just kept reading as his style flowed so easily off the page. The story is simply but beautifully written and I thought Tarkington did a great job in capturing the nostalgic and somewhat tragic tone of Charlie’s story through captivating and compelling prose. What surprisingly worked was the first person point of view as it made for a more intimate experience as we relive the past through both Charlie’s rose-coloured glasses and the jarring perspective and realisation of age and experience. Reading his story sometimes felt kind of dreamlike and “summer-hazy”, which I thought was quite fitting for how Charlie perceived his life at the time. Hands down, 10/10 for the writing.
Check out the full review on my blog!
Read physical copy. 3.5 stars, almost 4. Character driven, and not usually my cup of tea, but enough plot to keep me reading.
This was blurbed as being a fresh new take on The Great Gatsby (which I liked/not loved, and can see the merit of) but for me this was a modern take on Brideshead Revisited (which I hated and have never understood its merits). I found the characters just as difficult to root for as I did in the aforementioned "classic". I couldn't hate or love a single one of them. I couldn't really muster up any feeling for them at all. If this hadn't been a book club selection I'm not sure I would have finished it. Looking back on this read I enjoyed the opening pages and the closing pages the most. So, while this was just okay, I'm glad I powered through.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I picked this book up, I of course didn’t think I’d be able to get into it let alone finish it within a day.
This story brings to light two walks of life the rich, and the poor, and what you have to overcome to be a bigger and better person. I cried a few times while reading this.
Sometimes those who have it all are the worst people for us.
This story brings to light two walks of life the rich, and the poor, and what you have to overcome to be a bigger and better person. I cried a few times while reading this.
Sometimes those who have it all are the worst people for us.
Charlie is taken in by a wealthy Nashville family, and sponsored to attend the elite high school, Yeatman. His single mother, Bonnie, works at a cocktail bar and they live in an apartment with his cousin in a primarily black neighbourhood.
Charlie is immediately drawn to and entranced by the god son of his sponsor, a handsome and charismatic boy called Arch, who has also been nurtured by this family. Arch’s background however is similar to theirs: enormous wealth and family privilege.
When Charlie meets Vanessa, his sponsor’s daughter, her cool blond reserve has him smitten.
What follows is a story spanning close to two decades as Charlie moves in and out of the orbit of Arch and Vanessa.
There’s discovery of self, as Charlie tries to reconcile his own awareness of their foibles with his own helpless adoration and his susceptibility to the lure of money and ease. Their politics don’t necessarily coalesce with his own and yet he becomes intimately involved in a Republican election campaign.
I loved the self assured writing, and the non judgemental observation of Charlie as he is bewitched by this family. It’s very Great Gatsby-esque , but I enjoyed it more. As an Australian, the social divisions in America are always a fascinating experience and this time capsule narrative set in the South, and Nashville, seemed acutely drawn.
The ending fell a little flat (it’s referenced in the prologue so perhaps the anticipation was blunted), thus only 4 stars.
Charlie is immediately drawn to and entranced by the god son of his sponsor, a handsome and charismatic boy called Arch, who has also been nurtured by this family. Arch’s background however is similar to theirs: enormous wealth and family privilege.
When Charlie meets Vanessa, his sponsor’s daughter, her cool blond reserve has him smitten.
What follows is a story spanning close to two decades as Charlie moves in and out of the orbit of Arch and Vanessa.
There’s discovery of self, as Charlie tries to reconcile his own awareness of their foibles with his own helpless adoration and his susceptibility to the lure of money and ease. Their politics don’t necessarily coalesce with his own and yet he becomes intimately involved in a Republican election campaign.
I loved the self assured writing, and the non judgemental observation of Charlie as he is bewitched by this family. It’s very Great Gatsby-esque , but I enjoyed it more. As an Australian, the social divisions in America are always a fascinating experience and this time capsule narrative set in the South, and Nashville, seemed acutely drawn.
The ending fell a little flat (it’s referenced in the prologue so perhaps the anticipation was blunted), thus only 4 stars.
The Fortunate Ones is a well-written book that tugs at the heartstrings and elicits a response from the reader, so why do I feel so lukewarm about it? Frankly, I was quite bored by this book, and I think it is due to Ed Tarkington's complete lack of subtlety. For a more sheltered, well-off individual the messaging may be relevant, but for most of us, it'll be more of what we already know.
Charlie is painfully aware of his privileges and the double standards of the upper class, as well as how they end up damaging those less fortunate than themselves, but he does very little about it. He disapproves of his friends' actions, but rather than taking a definitive stand he allows himself to be swept along with them. It's mildly infuriating, but nothing changes from beginning to end, except that Charlie is perhaps more aware of it by the end.
For many readers, though, the idea that upper class folks aren't always fussed about morals and don't consider their privileges or how their actions affect others is, well, not new. Tarkington isn't forging new ground here, but trodding a well-worn path known to many others. Very little in the book will take the reader by surprise.
So while Tarkington has crafted a perfectly good story, one that flows well and connects with readers, I can't say that I particularly enjoyed this book, and I think it'll end up being quite forgettable. Enjoyable enough in the moment, but not one I'll be pushing friends to pick up.
--
This is an all-the-good-bits abbreviated review. You can read my full review as well as other book reviews over on my blog, The Library Cryptid.
Charlie is painfully aware of his privileges and the double standards of the upper class, as well as how they end up damaging those less fortunate than themselves, but he does very little about it. He disapproves of his friends' actions, but rather than taking a definitive stand he allows himself to be swept along with them. It's mildly infuriating, but nothing changes from beginning to end, except that Charlie is perhaps more aware of it by the end.
For many readers, though, the idea that upper class folks aren't always fussed about morals and don't consider their privileges or how their actions affect others is, well, not new. Tarkington isn't forging new ground here, but trodding a well-worn path known to many others. Very little in the book will take the reader by surprise.
So while Tarkington has crafted a perfectly good story, one that flows well and connects with readers, I can't say that I particularly enjoyed this book, and I think it'll end up being quite forgettable. Enjoyable enough in the moment, but not one I'll be pushing friends to pick up.
--
This is an all-the-good-bits abbreviated review. You can read my full review as well as other book reviews over on my blog, The Library Cryptid.
I read this because I heard it was a "rich people/politicians behaving badly" set in the South. I did enjoy the descriptions of some of the grand old south, but not much happened in this book, and I wasn't super attached to the characters. Overall it didn't really do it for me, but it could just be the season I am in right now.