I wanted to love this book so much. It was just way too long. There were parts that I lost complete interest and they were either unnecessary or too long. There were other sections of the book that I could not put down but it was very cyclic. There were too many pages coming to keep me motivated to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of Wellness by Nathan Hill.

I enjoyed Hill's first novel, The Nix, and the mix of real life and folktale, and found his portrayal of life experiences to be realistic and honest. Wellness begins the same, two young loves escaping their turmoil from their childhoods and their desire to break out on their own and make their own way.. The feelings of young love, the excitement of new college and first apartments, friendships and adventure drew me in. It was nostalgic, realistic and reminded me of the passion for life that grows into contentment as you grow and mature and settle into routine. I was drawn to reading this novel, wanting to put aside other things to read it, and I almost recommended it to someone before I was done.

Then, about the half-way mark, it really slowed down. It got a bit long winded, went off on tangents, and it rambled. Two VERY LONG chapters I felt were entirely unnecessary, and overall the book could have been about 250 pages shorter.

Hill draws a lot into this book, still realistic characters and expanding on how life experiences form the people we are, the expectations we have, and how we have expectations (true or not) on those around us based on our histories and previous experiences. There are a lot of topics here, all well researched. Many discussion points on how your surroundings influence your actions and thoughts, whether your surroundings are truth or not. I liked the last chapter when the characters were enlightened, but getting to that point I wanted to just get done. Hard to rate this book because what I liked, I REALLY liked, but other parts were a slog. Lots of topics for discussion here, but if my book clubs chose to read this, I would not re-read just because of the ramblings of those two center chapters. (for those that read The Nix, there were many similarities between Samuel and Jack's mothers. The author must have had some tough relationship issues with his own mom.)

Enjoyed the beginning, I would give it 4.5 stars, but for length and unnecessary content in the middle, I'd give it 2.

Wellness should be on every best of 2023 year end lists. This book is absolutely brilliant! I cannot stop thinking about this book and the topics it tackles.

𝗪𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 (PUB 09.19) is best described by my dear friend Jamie "It was about everything and nothing. And I adored every word."

I started this book in print and was enjoying it. But when I switched to the audiobook narrated by Ari FliakosI LOVED it. The narration took the story to a new level.

At 624 pages and nearly 19 hours of audio there is alot going on- but it always felt just right. There is truly a bit of 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨: algorithms, placebo effect, polyamory, wellness fads, uppity community members, marriage, relationships, psychology and an ancestry full of swindlers and shameful parents . The storyline moves across multiple time periods and is told from multiple perspectives. Jack and Elizabeth's journeys together and apart were thought full of intrigue and insight peppered with heart and humor. The writing was observant and thought provoking in a subtle way that made me sympathetic to characters without feeling manipulated.

FWIW: I also adored Nathan HIll's debut, THE NIX, especially on audio.

"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳- 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳- 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺." "𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 . . "

While I enjoyed the 90s Chicago setting, I found the characters boring, which made the story drag.
Interesting and unique plot, but not my favorite.

Filled with gorgeous prose and meticulous detail, Nathan Hill’s Wellness follows two characters named Jack and Elizabeth from student life to marriage around the changing landscape of Chicago from the 90s to early 2000s. Hill explores everything from relationships to careers, the housing crisis and gentrification, art, culture, and wellness. It’s a deep and immersive read, and one you could find yourself lost in for days or weeks. I’m looking forward to checking out the Hill’s acclaimed debut, The Nix.

This is a clever take on modern life. Once I started reading, I was eager to get back to the story. I haven’t read The Nix but will add that to my list.

(3.5 stars) I enjoyed this book, but didn’t quite love it as I did The Nix. Ironically, what didn’t work so well for me was the very thing that the author credits as a positive:

“One of the great joys of writing a book is that it gives me permission to explore the various odd things that grab my attention, to dive deeply into those subjects that puzzle, amuse, or amaze me. This book had many such deep dives. It was a daily process of discovery and wonder, and I’d like to issue a generalized thank-you to all the psychologists, sociologists, neurologists, evolutionary biologists, economists, sexologists, therapists, philosophers, doctors, data scientists, and everyone else working so hard to understand our strange, unruly, miraculous, and messy minds.”

Hill works a lot of research and other details into Wellness through the characters’ professions and backgrounds. I started out liking this, particularly the integration of the child-marshmallow study, but it ended up being too much for me. I would have liked a little more organic feel to the characters and their stories.

This is a little bit nit-picking because I did enjoy the book. I liked the way in which the story was presented, with the first half following the main characters - Jack and Elizabeth - as they meet and marry, and the second half uncovering the secrets of Jack and Elizabeth’s upbringings. I especially liked the character of Toby, their son. His struggles allowed the author room to explore child-related issues that were among those most interesting to me.

So, overall, a book I’d recommend, even if the introduction of related research and other details feels a little forced.

I really enjoyed all of the 90's references however the book isn't my usual style. I was overall pleasantly surprised. it was well written and the story line was just fine. i personally would not normally pick up this book if i had seen it in the bookstore but I believe that people who do in fact enjoy satire on relationships will enjoy this book.

3/5

The thing that saved Wellness for me at all was the rich story telling of Chicago in the 90s. Overall I found Jack and Elizabeth’s character arc boring, trite and lacking what I was expecting from the author behind Nix. I felt like their plight was belabored, and overall it took soo long to many any commentary work making.

I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly
surprised by this book. It sounds simple…a look at the lives and love of Jack and Elizabeth. Yet, this book was complex. The shifts in time helped to piece the story together bit by bit until a clear image of Jack and Elizabeth’s relationship reveals itself. I liked this book a lot and recommend it.

Not my cup of tea. Nathan Hill is a talented writer, and the book is full of clever ideas, but the combination of Franzen-like sprawling family drama and not-so-subtle social satire made it impossible for me to become invested in the fates of the main characters. I could not like nor feel connected to them and their problems, which is a serious issue in the case of a 600-page novel.

Thanks to the publisher, Knopf, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Omg, this book. One of my top reads this year. A soaring, sweeping, gorgeous domestic fiction on what guides us in life when there are so many compasses to choose from. I love the meditations on belief here and how we have harnessed so many different sectors of the human experience to be help us find our way towards certainty. The author’s point: we’re looking for certainty in a very fucked up world, in very fucked up ways. Maybe we should just…. Be? For like a second? He says this way more eloquently than me. Wow. Read this.

Both Jack and Elizabeth come from extraordinarily dysfunctional families. Although their geographical and economic backgrounds differ greatly, they both had childhoods wherein their greatest desire was to be ignored.

Both break free from their families to attend college in Chicago in the 1990s, where they find one another and finally enjoy life. After another 20 years, though, neither is dealing well with themselves or each other. Their childhood demons are dragging them both into deep unhappiness.

Independently, they dig into the past to determine what, if anything, can be used now to bring clarity and salvation to their relationship.

Nathan Hill’s first novel was the widely-acclaimed The Nix, and Wellness is a worthy successor, though it could be a bit shorter than 624 pages. And despite the very serious story of Jack and Elizabeth’s relationship, Hill takes some great shots at contemporary art, gentrification, university politics, remodeling and decorating, woo-woo philosophies, Facebook and its algorithms, and more.

After finishing Nathan Hill's 2016 novel "The Nix," I wondered if he would ever write another novel. I loved living in that world and had the distinct impression that he left everything on the page (in the best way possible). Thankfully, I was wrong and his follow-up "Wellness" is just as astute, hilarious, and heartbreaking as its predecessor.

Hill often gets compared favorably to John Irving, (a comparison that I've read that Irving himself agrees with) and I don't disagree that they have similar sensibilities or that you are unlikely to find a reader that enjoys one but not the other. However, a developing hallmark of Hill's work is his magician-like ability to reframe the reader's initial perceptions and assumptions about the characters and situations as the story develops and more information is revealed. This ability is on full display in "Wellness;" the characters feel like close friends throughout the novel even as you feel like you don't know them at all.

Wellness is laugh-out-loud-alone-in-the-dark funny, it is gripping from the first page to the last, and is as important to our reexamination of the 1990s as "The Nix" was to the 1960s.

This was my freaking jam. Please never stop writing Nathan!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC; I will be buying a hardcover when it is available at my local bookstore. I may by two copies and give one away.

This was a HEFTY read in physical form! It was enjoyable, but extremely long. I think it might have been easier to read on Kindle. Thank you for giving me the opportunity!

Wow - that was a work of art. It’s a LOT but go with it. The writing is breathtaking describing love and family with detail and nuance that is both gorgeous and a LOT - so know that going in. Take your time and enjoy the research included and the questions it prods within the reader (you). This novel is begging for a book discussion group - it’s so chock full of the inner thoughts I have had as a woman with true same partner for 30+ years, kids, careers, and friends. It’s a soul-searching ride and one I loved. Pick this one up and TAKE YOUR TIME reading it. It’s spectacular.

I picked up this book because I had heard about [book:The Nix|28251002] and that it was good - unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to read that one yet. Anyway, I wanted to sample Nathan Hill's work.

Description:
When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the '90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago’s thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter cults disguised as mindfulness support groups, polyamorous would-be suitors, Facebook wars, and something called Love Potion Number Nine.

For the first time, Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize each other, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their each other.

My Thoughts:
Not what I expected, but a very interesting and different read. The book went back and forth between present day and childhood memories by both Jack and Elizabeth. I will say it rambled a bit and the book was probably longer than it need to be. I found the chapter about Elizabeth's family and how they accrued their wealth to be very interesting. The parts about her relationship with her father were intesting too and tells you a lot about how she became who she is in present day. Jack's background was very different from Elizabeth's and he had a very traumatic experience that shadows his life. The book looks deeply at how people come together then grow apart. It looks at marriage and child-rearing, mistakes made and lessons learned. I did like the humor in the book. Some of the deep dives into protocols for Google and Facebook were a little much though. I found the placebo premise for the company Elizabeth worked for kind of disturbing to think people paid money for this. I recommend this to anyone who likes thought-provoking reads peppered with humor.

Thanks to Knopf through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on September 19, 2023.

This book was so amazing. I loved it from the beginning. Elizabeth was so great. Her thoughts and how she processed her thoughts was so intense. I could see myself going through similar patterns. Jack was a man I felt so bad for at times he just made me feel sorry for him. Their separate childhoods were something else.

Then they have Toby and his episodes were something else. Elizabeth’s thoughts during some of these were so intense.

The author putting in references was great.

I completely and thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read this book again and again!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Knopf and this is my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for the eARC.

This book was so interestingly written. Nathan Hill really gave such descriptors of situations, feelings, ideas, relationship building and so much more. I will say there were times that I needed to reread passages so I did not get confused, but this really packed so much in. What a book.