Thank you @netgalley and @henryholtbooks for this advance copy.
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This is a tough book to rate because I appreciated the talent of the author, but I was so sick of George by the end. Which I think was her point. This is the coming of age story of George, a young millennial, from age 12 to his late 30s. In his younger years, I was sympathetic to George and rooting for him to get it together. But he soon grew tiresome. Is the author trying to generalize an entire generation of men? Or was George just based on a particularly loathsome ex boyfriend? I would recommend this novel for book clubs due to the abundance of discussion topics on privilege, parenting, accountability, millennials, failure to launch, nature vs nurture, etc. Excited to see what Greathead does next.

I liked the structure of this novel - following George throughout different points of his life. However, I found these characters unlikeable and not relatable. While the writing was well done, I did not find this an enjoyable reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for a copy of this book.

This hilarious novel follows George, who coincidentally sounds like your ex that had commitment issues. Maybe read for closure?

I am usually a big fan of books that center around one main character and tell their life story in anecdotes. While The Book of George by Kate Greathead was that type of novel, I really struggled to get through it, and never really connected with the characters at all. I enjoyed the writing style, but the story of George's life just did not work well for me.

George is not a terribly likeable character, and while often that is not important to me, in this case, I found myself disliking him intensely for his self-centered obliviousness. His on-again, off-again girlfriend was only slightly more empathetic, and the overall effect for me was a bit of a slog.

I think readers of the millenial generation will respond more positively to the novel and to its characters. As a baby boomer, I found it difficult to relate.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the digital ARC of The Book of George by Kate Greathead. The opinions in this review are my own.

The Book of George by Kate Greathead was such an interesting read. The concept is very original and yet also very relatable in a way. I liked how well-written the characters were and it made for an entertaining read. I enjoyed my time reading it but I did feel like something was missing by the end. I just feel like we didn't get enough information. Overall, I still enjoyed my time reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this novel. I really enjoyed it and preordered the audiobook to listen to when it comes out as well.

The Book of George by Kate Greathead offers an interesting concept: George is a man who goes through life feeling out of place and misunderstood, navigating complicated relationships, work struggles, and his own inner turmoil. The book delves into his world, unpacking his interactions with others and his deeply flawed personality.

The characters are well-written, and Greathead’s style is engaging, but… I just couldn’t get past George himself. He’s so unlikeable that it became hard to root for him, and I kept waiting for some kind of explanation or backstory that would make his personality click—it never came. By the end, I found myself unsure of what the book was really trying to say. If you’re into character studies and don’t mind not loving the protagonist, this might be worth a read, but it left me wanting more.

Did I hate it? No. Did I like it? Also no. Sometimes you read a book and just ask yourself, "What was the point of this?" I suppose if the point was to make the reader frustrated and ready to be done at 30% then, mission accomplished. The writing is very competent, but I didn't like the plot and definitely didn't like the language. I didn't root for any of the characters, and didn't feel like I learned anything. There is nothing deep or entertaining about an unambitious man who constantly poisons his one good relationship, always sponges off of other people, and always acts like the victim.

The Book of George broke my month-long reading slump, where everything I picked up felt like a chore, and I am so grateful! This book is told in a series of vignettes following George from his teenage years through his late-30s.

I tend to love unlikeable characters, and George was truly as unlikeable as the book’s blurb would have you believe. Hot-tempered, self-aggrandizing, self-pitying (but, as Jenny noted, he did suffer from depression, which may have contributed to some of this). With such an unlikeable lead book shouldn’t have been so enjoyable to read, but I couldn’t put it down! The supporting characters were well-rounded and it was fun to see them popping up throughout George’s life.

As someone who was also a clinically-depressed millennial living in New York City throughout my twenties and early thirties, I’m ashamed to say that this book made me feel something akin to nostalgia.

The structure and premise of this book will no doubt draw comparisons to Dolly Alderton’s Good Material, and while the books are very different, if you enjoyed that one I would give The Book of George a try!

I really wanted to tell Jenny to go-just leave. George is a self centered selfish lazy man who needs to wake up and get moving. This tale that stretches over twenty years of their relationship might remind you of someone you know. It might also annoy you. More than once I thought I'd had enough but then I remembered Jenny, the long suffering woman who inexplicably sticks with George. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction

George in Kate Greathead’s The Book of George is about fifteen or so years younger than I am. As a result many of the big events that frame his life framed mine as well making the novel quite relatable. How to summarize … George’s fairly ordinary life is set forth chronologically from 12 until his early 40s. We learn about the divorce of his parents, his college life - his friends and philosophy major, his series of jobs, and his on again off again relationship with Jenny. And more…
The novel is very much character driven. The reader learns just so very much about George. The relationship with Jenny which encompasses many eras of his life sort of hints at what George’s life in general is like. Jenny cares for George much more than he cares for her. She just sort of happens to him. They don’t choose to live together at first, but little by little, she is there. He allows all of this to happen while low key criticizing her much of the time. As they break up and come back together, Jenny puts up with so much, and continues to champion him and quite literally support him for years and years with little in return. When he does overcome his malaise and shows her some love - it always tugs at my heart strings just enough to have some empathy for him. He is like he is with Jenny with his friends and his family. At one point he spends a whole weekend playing Mario on game boy rather than cleaning his childhood room so his mother can move. When the entire place is finally packed he UNPACKS kitchen boxes to make some sentimental pancakes. He means well but seems incapable of reading a room so to speak. He floats through a variety of largely dead end jobs and seldom can pay for a place to live. But he knows he is a difficult person. He assesses himself fairly accurately. But even that self awareness doesn’t inspire him to do much on the way of changing himself. Greathead’s characterization is precise and detailed and accomplished.
What kept coming back to me as I read, was what if I had such an in-depth accounting of my thoughts and actions and choices of my chronological life. How would I fare compared to George? What is my ratio of optimism to cynicism? Of joy to sadness? Of steering my life to letting life happen to me? I even played around with the differences between being a millennial (George)versus being Gen X (me). I think reading this book after the upcoming Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner also featuring millennials just made me curious. I got a bit frustrated with both George and to a lesser extent Amy. Could it be our different generations and perhaps different approaches to life? Or, if I were truly honest (authentic? My review of the Authenticity Project is coming :-) would I sound quite like George? Now I am writing in circles. Kate Greathead’s got me thinking with her fascinating novel The Book of George, and I quite like it.

I enjoyed the writing style of the author and the characters of George and Jenny that she created. However, ultimately I couldn't see the point of the book - I imagine I'm not the target reader as I'm an older woman and not from the US but I did expect to relate to, or possibly learn, a lot more than I did.
Thank you to netgalley and Henry Holt and Company for an advance copy of this book

The writing in this was strong. You get a real sense of self from George, no matter how dislikable George is at times. You find yourself rooting for him to change and improve despite his actions. I wanted more character development from Jenny’s perspective. The style of vignettes was a nice choice, but I felt some could be shorter.

The Book of George is the kind of longitudinal story I usually avoid, but for some reason I was drawn to it, and I loved it. Well-written and engaging, it follows its title character through young and early-middle adulthood, dipping in and out of his life as he evolves (or fails to evolve) from a callow and self-centered adolescent to a callow, self-centered, and deeply sad almost-40-year-old. The author manages the impressive feat of balancing a broad timespan with depth and specificity, lingering in vignettes and allowing the reader to connect the dots between. This, plus the incredible characterization of the substantial cast of secondary characters, makes the novel feel cozy despite its scope.

The Book of George is perhaps meant for readers who see themselves in its protagonist. George is probably not someone you'd want to spend time with in real life, but he felt deeply familiar to me. This novel might resonate deeply with anyone who found Reality Bites aspirational.

George is just an every day guy experiencing every day things-or is he? Navigate George’s life with him as he experiences the ups, downs, plateaus and everything else mundane that adulthood in the 21st century has to offer.

This is a litfic (literary fiction) book unlike any I’ve read in a long time. It’s Seinfeld-like approach to telling random stories and tidbits from George’s life mixed with commentary on living through the times we have in the last 24 years is something that really struck me. It was relevant and relatable. Unfortunately, George is not the most likable character or person, and continues to make poor decisions (sometimes even knowingly?!) and we just remain along for the ride. While I appreciated the story and writing, I wish the author would’ve gone a bit further to show her hand on what the message and themes of the book were a bit more. What does Greathead want me to take away from THE BOOK OF GEORGE? Is it a nihilistic take on how none of it matters? Are we all tied together by invisible connections that make our individual choices meaningless?

George is a character that while unlikable, he was striking & relevant & someone I will not forget for a very long time. Please pick up this book if you’re looking for a new type of litfic and an adventure you won’t soon lose to the mundane nature of life.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This a pretty good book. Albeit very frustrating but I guess that’s the point, as the reader we see how charming and pull of potential George is but just falls short every time. You just can’t help to root for him though. This is very much a character book and if you enjoy those types of stories I think you’d love this!

Thanks NetGalley & Macmillan pub/ audio.
I also listened to the audiobook and it was great.

An heartbreaking and hilarious look at a pretty unlikable person, which felt very entrenched in reality. The setting vividly conveyed early-20th century New York, but the characters felt universal—distinct characters whose thoughts and feeling came through even crashing into George's self-absorbed perspective.

While I loved the writing and the examination of millennial masculinity, George was so insufferable that I had a hard time caring about what happened to him. Still Greathead hooked me in with her frustratingly realistic portrayal of the titular man-child (so many of us who've dated one can relate and it's totally why I'm Team Jenny!) even if I was rooting against him the whole time.

Thanks to Henry Holt for the copy to review.

I just could not root for George, and maybe that is the point. Most people know someone who just goes through life, letting it happen to them. Who screws up, can't commit and just can't quite grow up. Who's responsible? Crappy parents? Personality flaws? Society? The individual themselves? I wanted George to figure life out... but mostly I didn't like him enough to care.

3 stars. I liked this! George is inherently an unlikable guy but is surrounded by interesting people throughout this life. This book tracks George over the course of his life as he makes his different choices and we see how they affect those around him. In general I found myself more invested in the people around him than George itself which felt odd given the nature of this book. Even so, it was very well written and many parts of it were quite humorous. A nice story but not my favorite!

Thank you to netgalley and holt books for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts!