About A Fortunate Age & Joanna Smith Rakoff

[PinkBaby]

YOUR RIGHT EVERYBODY IM SORRY about that i realized  after i wrote that.  that  it was dumb to do that. anyway happy reading to all see you in january.

[dhaupt]

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PinkBaby wrote:
YOUR RIGHT EVERYBODY IM SORRY about that i realized  after i wrote that.  that  it was dumb to do that. anyway happy reading to all see you in january.

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There are no dumb members of this book club pinkbaby so please don't fret. We all look forward to discussing the book with you in Jan. 

[Everyman]

No big deal.  Your comment was pretty innocuous.  I think people just wanted firmly to head off any other comments which might not be so innocuous.  In the past there have been significant comments made in advance of the official start of posting which were much more objectionable than yours. 

But thanks for the apology. And I look forward to discussing it with you when the time comes.

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PinkBaby wrote:
YOUR RIGHT EVERYBODY IM SORRY about that i realized  after i wrote that.  that  it was dumb to do that. anyway happy reading to all see you in january.

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[KathyS]

Please, PinkBaby, don't feel dumb in what you said, or how you post.   It wasn't, and you're not.   As Debbie, and Everyman said, you belong on this discussion.   I want to see you here.  I can be hyper sensitive to people giving these feelings to me, too soon, and I apologize if I've hurt your feelings in any way by what I've said to you.  I've had dozens of second thoughts about what I write and post, myself, and the one to you was one of them.

I wish you all the best on these boards, now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Kathy

[PhyllisJ]

I am very pleased to be part of this bookclub and just received my copy of the book the other day. 

[Thryth]

I am so looking forward to the discussion for this book!  I just received it in the mail a couple of days ago.  Because the description of the book is so interesting, I had to start reading - I couldn't put it down.  I won't say any more than that.  Happy reading, everyone!

[LindaEducation]

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Thryth wrote:
I am so looking forward to the discussion for this book!  I just received it in the mail a couple of days ago.  Because the description of the book is so interesting, I had to start reading - I couldn't put it down.  I won't say any more than that.  Happy reading, everyone!

Like you, I have started the book too. I have not gotten very far into it yet, but wanted a little break from the christmas mysteries I have been reading.

See you all back in January to discuss it. Happy Holidays.

[sam608]

One can never ruin a book for me..I never listen to other's opinions when it comes to reading.  No one can decide if one is going to like a book but one self.  Did that make sense?  It's the same with movies, the critics say all these things thats wrong with a movie, I go and think, well I was entertained, so who cares what the critics thought.  Same with books, I read because I love to read and I can usually find enjoyment in each and every book I read.  But then, I'm a bookworm.

I'm looking forward to discussing this book.

[bookbutterfly]

Hi, my name is Melisa. I'm very excited to be a part of this! I've never belonged to ant sort of Book Club, let alone one online! The book is fantastc, I feel as though I'm a part of the "group".

[mathilda]

*Tap tap tap* my fingers.......are we there yet?

I mean, is it Monday yet? I am so looking forward to reading others' impressions about this book!

Mathilda

[kiakar]

You know, Sam, I am the same way. To me, its not just one thing in a book that is enjoyable, its the enjoyment of the whole entire book, small tidbits never have gotten me uninterersted because they were let out of the bag. Because if I didnt read the book, it would be quite more I would miss.

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sam608 wrote:

One can never ruin a book for me..I never listen to other's opinions when it comes to reading.  No one can decide if one is going to like a book but one self.  Did that make sense?  It's the same with movies, the critics say all these things thats wrong with a movie, I go and think, well I was entertained, so who cares what the critics thought.  Same with books, I read because I love to read and I can usually find enjoyment in each and every book I read.  But then, I'm a bookworm.

I'm looking forward to discussing this book.

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[Jo6353]

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sam608 wrote:

One can never ruin a book for me..I never listen to other's opinions when it comes to reading.  No one can decide if one is going to like a book but one self.  Did that make sense?  It's the same with movies, the critics say all these things thats wrong with a movie, I go and think, well I was entertained, so who cares what the critics thought.  Same with books, I read because I love to read and I can usually find enjoyment in each and every book I read.  But then, I'm a bookworm.

I'm looking forward to discussing this book.

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You are so right.  Everyone's tastes are different.  I've read books that I've loved while others were saying that it was the worst book they ever read.  I've also read books that many have raved about and I just couldn't wait to get it over!  

[gl]

Did anyone else see the positive review of A Fortunate Age in the May 2009 Elle?  Check "Elle Intelligence Books"  section.   It's the first item reviewed and this is what they say:

Rakoff's homage to Mary McCarthy's The Group substitutes Oberlin graduates for Vassar's.  Following these earnest, bookish, arty twentysomethings through job hunting, relationships, and marriage, we get caught up in their career woes and dramatic mishaps while Rakoff simultaneously chronicles the dot-com collapse an then post-9/11 angst in the Big Apple. Starting with a wedding and ending with a funeral, Rakoff creates a deliciously flawed group of women and men whose intricate musings and overly analytical introspections make for a pleasant retreat into their self-centered universe. - Penny Bernal, Encinitas, CA

Moments of insightful writing flicker gamely here among long bouts of predictability. Weaving together many vignettes of these bright young things' longings for and struggles against acceptance from parents, professors, peers, and most mystifyingly, themselves, Rakoff struggles as well to adequately flesh out each human character. - Cate Rubenstein, Marina del Ray, CA

Just wanted to share this with everyone.