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A review by okiecozyreader
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I was fortunate to join The Telltale Bookclub with Julia Whelan for a few weeks to discuss this book. I have read her newer book and enjoyed it, but I really loved this one.
Something to note, she repeatedly mentioned this book was based on a screenplay. She spent a year at Oxford through her college program and did “some light copyediting for the Los Angeles chapter of the Oxford alum association,” who was asked about a screenwriter to “rewrite on an existing screenplay set in Oxford.” She and a friend wrote some sample scenes and got the job. The part of the book that deals with grief spoke to her, as she was dealing with the loss of her father, and she ended up dealing with all of this through expanding the screenplay into a book. (The recent movie from Netflix was based on the screenplay, not the book).
I loved getting a little glimpse of going to Oxford in the book. I found myself searching for all the buildings and places. I felt like I was there with her. It is written much in her voice, and even though I read the copy (and not the audiobook), I felt like I could hear her speaking.
In this book, Ella (from Ohio) goes to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. She (of course) doesn’t want a relationship, but immediately runs into a “posh prat” with an Aston Martin, who she also quickly realizes is her professor. She finds a motley group of friends, who take her under their wing, as she experiences Oxford in all the best ways.
If you have triggers, you might consider checking this one before reading.
“She thinks she’s better than everyone else.
Honestly, I don’t. But I do think I’m better than what everyone, besides my dad, told me I was.” Ch 1
“…can be a boy I knew during my Oxford year, the first boy I ever loved,” ch 29 - love when I see the title of the book used in the book
“…being called upon to do something because you’re good at it is not the same thing as having a calling” ch 30
“Now, we don’t always get to choose what happens in life, don’t we all know. However, we can choose what we do with what we’re given.” Ch 25
“Reading poetry is a conversation of feeling between two people. It shouldn’t answer anything, it should only create more questions, like any good conversation.” Ch 8
“If you don’t open yourself up, how can you ever be surprised by life? And if you’re not surprised, what’s the bloody point?” Ch 8
“I came to Oxford looking for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience. I chose to experience a lifetime.” Epilogue
“I wanted to write a story fueled by the untying of emotional knots,” Author’s note - in our conversation she also mentioned this being about choice and career.
Something to note, she repeatedly mentioned this book was based on a screenplay. She spent a year at Oxford through her college program and did “some light copyediting for the Los Angeles chapter of the Oxford alum association,” who was asked about a screenwriter to “rewrite on an existing screenplay set in Oxford.” She and a friend wrote some sample scenes and got the job. The part of the book that deals with grief spoke to her, as she was dealing with the loss of her father, and she ended up dealing with all of this through expanding the screenplay into a book. (The recent movie from Netflix was based on the screenplay, not the book).
I loved getting a little glimpse of going to Oxford in the book. I found myself searching for all the buildings and places. I felt like I was there with her. It is written much in her voice, and even though I read the copy (and not the audiobook), I felt like I could hear her speaking.
In this book, Ella (from Ohio) goes to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. She (of course) doesn’t want a relationship, but immediately runs into a “posh prat” with an Aston Martin, who she also quickly realizes is her professor. She finds a motley group of friends, who take her under their wing, as she experiences Oxford in all the best ways.
If you have triggers, you might consider checking this one before reading.
“She thinks she’s better than everyone else.
Honestly, I don’t. But I do think I’m better than what everyone, besides my dad, told me I was.” Ch 1
“…can be a boy I knew during my Oxford year, the first boy I ever loved,” ch 29 - love when I see the title of the book used in the book
“…being called upon to do something because you’re good at it is not the same thing as having a calling” ch 30
“Now, we don’t always get to choose what happens in life, don’t we all know. However, we can choose what we do with what we’re given.” Ch 25
“Reading poetry is a conversation of feeling between two people. It shouldn’t answer anything, it should only create more questions, like any good conversation.” Ch 8
“If you don’t open yourself up, how can you ever be surprised by life? And if you’re not surprised, what’s the bloody point?” Ch 8
“I came to Oxford looking for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience. I chose to experience a lifetime.” Epilogue
“I wanted to write a story fueled by the untying of emotional knots,” Author’s note - in our conversation she also mentioned this being about choice and career.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Minor: Death of parent