AWESOME BOOK! Grateful for an opportunity to read an early copy. I definitely will be reading more by this author.

Unfortunately I had to DNF, I did not enjoy the book. The concept was engaging, which is why I requested, but after about 200 pages I had to stop.

Playworld by Adam Ross is one of those books that has kind of stuck with me long after I’ve read it. This is the story of Griffin Hurt, child actor, student, and athlete at an elite prep school in NYC in 1980. We witness the mounting demands and pressures put on him with juggling his family and career, and growing up (honestly, isn’t that enough?) Add to this mix a wrestling coach putting him into compromising positions and then Naomi, a family friend, married, mother of two, who becomes his makeshift therapist, and also a love interest. It’s an interesting dynamic, the innocence of Griffin and the predatory behavior of the adult. Interestingly, a woman in this story. 
     The adults in this novel can seem very self-absorbed and blind to their own behaviors, but Ross manages to write them in a way that you can’t necessarily hate them. Yes, they are adults, far from perfect, still figuring out their own lives, going through their own struggles. It’s a great example of how we can all get swept up in our own selves at times. Mix this all together with taking place during the time of excess in the 80’s where they had to run commercials to ask if you knew where your kids were. These adults are not unique in this.  A different time when a generation of kids left to help raise themselves. 
     I don’t want to call this a coming of age story, but more of an unraveling story of a kid trying to hold it all together. There’s laughter to balance out the heartbreak of this disintegrating family. I rooted for Griffin the entire book, and I think you will, too. Adam Ross has written one of my favorite books of the year, and I can’t wait for it’s release in January so you can all experience it for yourselves

Set in the 1980s New York City, Griffin is a total theater kid who's discovering himself as an artist and a person. He is not top of mind for the adults who surrounded him--they're all too busy with their own stuff--and the one adult who seems interested in him will lead him to a place that readers forty years later will find really squirmy. In fact, a lot of this novel will make you uncomfortable.

Adam Ross fleshes out his characters well, and "Playworld" reminds us not to idealize the past. It also reminds us how hard it is for young people to navigate the world with no empathetic role models, and the kind of adult that results.

This is the sort of book that waxes and wanes with me. I was engaged, on and off, but ultimately, "Playworld" was not for me. Do I think there is a readership for this novel? Absolutely.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a soft DNF for me.

I love the way Adam Ross world-builds, and I think the writing in this is great! But this book is a mammoth for a reason-- in leaving no stone unturned, the pacing ended up being really difficult to get through, in some places.

I think this is an ambitious novel with a unique character, and I love the idea of a male coming-of-age, which challenges the way we view masculinity. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy!

This novel was a in depth and atmospheric look into NY in the 1980s, however I was less than immersed in the romance. I picked this up expecting one thing, and I don’t feel like it delivered what the synopsis described. Not personally my favorite, but I believe those that have a love for City of Girls and even A Little Life would love this book.

Playworld does an exceptional job of immersing the reader in a very specific time and place. Reading it is an immersive experience. It feels like a modern, more aware and mature version of all those male character centered coming-of-age novels that were so popular in the literary fiction world a few decades ago—and this is a good thing. I really enjoyed this book.

Just fine. The writing was a slog and it just didn’t hit me. The characters felt hollow and absolutely charmless. Just wasn’t for me I guess

I LOVED this book. I have a personal connection to a lot of the details, but I think I would have loved it anyway. Griffin had me by the heart throughout, and although, like Hanya Yanagihara's "A Little Life," John Boyne's "The Heart's Invisible Furies" and Rebecca Makkai's "The Great Believers" (three of my top books of all time--this is up there) it deals with a lot of trauma and tough themes, there's just so much joy and life and, to use the word again, *heart.* Loved it loved it loved. (I also can't wait for the press that comes out about this one--I think it's going to be juicy, which Naomi foreshadowed in our last scene with her.)

In this coming of age story, a teenager in New York City of the early 1980s struggles with unique and common pressures. Griffin is the star of a hit TV show, a responsibility he seeks to balance with making his way through his prep school. His family, made up of a father who is himself a struggling actor and a mother who is a former ballerina back in school, rarely provides him much in the way of support. So he seeks the guidance he desperately wants from an unlikely, and complicated, source.

This ambitious novel explores interesting themes around ambition, family, love, and wealth. It captures well this period of time, as America in general and New York City in particular entered a new era.

Highly recommended!

The book wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a fan of the main character and didn’t feel the need to finish the book.

Playworld is a NYC based Bildungsroman that follows Griffin, a child actor navigating the world around him where the adults closest to him are either preoccupied with their own issues, or taking advantage of him in despicable ways. Playworld gives readers a glimpse of life in the concrete jungle during the 1980s, as well as an understanding of what it’s like to be a lover, worker and contributor to the arts.

This book is atmospheric at best, and interminable at its worst. The characters, both main and supportive, were well fleshed out and felt like real people but the story sometimes felt flat and at least a third of the book could be removed without feeling like anything at all was missing.

Overall the writing was eloquent but the story sometimes bored me enough to keep me away for days at a time.

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although, I initially had some difficulty becoming invested in the narrative, once I was in I was IN. This is incredibly well-written, heavy themes are handled deftly, and I was left this book feeling quite emotional and concerned for dear Griffin.

Playworld delivers a devastating yet beautifully written story with all the highs and lows of a young boy experiencing some of the worst horrors imaginable. Despite thoroughly enjoying the writing style and having big emotions elicited, I ultimately DNFed about 45% into the book. It was hard to stay enthralled in the story while simultaneously digesting the trauma depicted. I really wanted to push through, as I loved Ross's previous work but I simply couldn't.

Please check trigger warnings prior to reading.

I might be biased due to my undying passion for New York City, but I loved this book. It is a book to be savored, not raced through. I’m excited to see what the author does next!

I suppose this a story of many things: NY theater play art communities of old, GenX childhood traumas (neglect beneath narcissistic parents, unrealized social and sexual violence), child actors, ethnic communities in 80s NYC, and a regular old coming of age, from innocence to understanding.

The novel takes place in the 1980s NYC arts world, hence the obvious take on the title. Its main character, Griffin, is the son of an oft-struggling Broadway actor, and a something-of-a-ballet dancer mother. He himself unaware of his world, his privilege, and even the traumas inflicted upon him. For much of the book, he just lets things happen to him. It is a slow meander into awareness, and an outlining of all of the influences along the way.

It is softly heartbreaking, and exquisitely written on the sentence-level. And relatable to another lost Gen Xer, despite having never lived in these places or been part of the same circles.

****Though I really did love this book in the end, I think it’s important to note for the publishers that I was not interested in the first third of the book. I put it down for a few weeks and came back to it reluctantly. I first realized my developing interest during Christmas at the grandparents’ house. That’s about 30% through the book.

The beginning is, of course, hard to take, as Griffin is just experiencing all kinds of horrific events. I also realize it is setting the scene, establishing inciting events (as we learn from the plot map!), preparing us for developmental milestones in him. And that these are necessary in part. But I wonder if that first 30% could hurry along a little more. I’m not sure all the parties, gatherings, car rides, are entirely necessary. Or, overlay more with his grown voice, as happens some in the later parts of the book. We have first person narrative, but that voice remains innocent in the beginning, making it even more laborious to get through the disturbing plot. I found myself wanting to shake him to “do something!” But of course, that was also the point, to show his vulnerability. I just don’t want readers to give up on the book in this 30%, as I almost did. ***

Playworld is gritty and contemplative. It delves deep into the human experience. The author’s dedication to research is evident on every page, providing a rich backdrop for the story’s unfolding. The narrative is unflinching in its portrayal of reality, offering a raw and unvarnished look at its themes. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Adam Ross mixes pathos and comedy in equal measures. “Playwood” is a smart comedy of inappropriate behaviors — while also an examination of human absurdity. It’s emotionally packed — often charming - yet at times incredibly sad from the pure frustration, exhaustion and worry of juggling too many commitments.

I didn’t rush through ‘Playwood’, however, I was quickly hooked every time I continued to read it.
Great storytelling, characters, setting, descriptions, imagery, and contemplative themes.
I often thought about ‘Playwood’ between readings while reflecting on my own past memories — (having been the mother of a child professional actress). … who is still acting today as an adult.
I remember those busy years clearly: private school, Hebrew school, acting classes, The Shakespeare coach, voice dance, & piano lessons, the productions: equity stages and SAG movies—
Family life with a child actor and other children - is a busy one. Trying to stay functional requires delicate management with lots of love and communication.

The voice of our main character, Griffin Hurt, (child actor), captures our human heart effortlessly.
By age eleven, Griffin was already walking a tightrope balancing his professional acting job - his TV show, school, homework, family responsibilities, other auditions (sometimes being pulled out of school to take the bus himself to get to them) - weekly therapy - wrestling- school friends- as well as the inappropriate relationship with Naomi Shah, a married woman twenty years older with two children.

We become intimate with Griffin’s inner voice of frustrations, mockery, awareness, and sarcastic aloofness. With many complicated situations, desires, and daily chaos, I was curious to how things would turn out ….. rooting for a mostly positive outcome….
…..which …..
I was left satisfied by the end.

We meet a full cast of interesting and influential characters: Griffin’s parents, the family therapist, teachers, coaches, brother, friends, TV family, and other family friends.

There were a few times when I felt like strangling a character (shhh …. not saying who)….but overall the characters were so human — almost too human — making “Playworld” quite an astounding brilliant novel.

I can’t promise everyone will connect with this book —
but if you like interesting coming-of-age-stories in Manhattan- have any associations or interest with the world of child actors in an adult world, or relate to artistic busy families and modern day struggles ….then this book is a great choice.

No matter how flawed ‘all’ the characters were - Adam made me care for them. I spent time thinking about the underbelly of why the adults - and kids - made the choices they did…..
….be it driven by career, external incentives & validation, autonomy, worthiness, loneliness, etc….the characters were motivated and passionate about a purposeful life.
And Manhattan was the perfect setting.

The Prologue sets the stage for the epic journey:
“In the fall of 1980, when I was fourteen, a friend of my parents’ named Naomi Shah fell in love with me. She was thirty-six, a mother of two, and married to a wealthy man. Like so many other things that happened to me that year, it didn’t seem strange at the time”.

As a child actor, Griffin found his “greatest subject to be adults”. I found this quality about Griffin fascinating….. wondering if it was because of his gifted maturity— or was it something else? Like not fitting in well with his peers?
Much to think about.
Much to enjoy!

Adam Ross is a wonderful writer.
I feel ‘at home’ with his contemporary storytelling styling.

"Playworld" is a coming-of-age novel that centers on a consequential year in the life of Griffin, a teenage boy and child actor in New York. This was an easy and enjoyable read. The language is straightforward and the plot is compelling. The writer did a good job of giving readers an idea of who Griffin is and how is mind works as he moves through the world and its challenges. The writer also did a great job of communicating a sense of time and place.

A lot happens in this book, and I wonder if all of it was necessary to include. Because there is so much going on over a quick time frame, it was a struggle to focus and follow the details and the main plot points as they began to to come together, and the ending felt a bit rushed.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is very well researched and well written exquisitely, at the beginning of the book I was hopeful that the book would be easy to connect with - although I felt connected to the family at first this book (and the author portrays) parts of the book I felt were to be hard to understand. The age difference is very large at the start of the book, for me personally, the fact being that the female character being married but yet having relations with a much younger male I found it hard to stomach at times. But looking past the problems I previously mentioned, the writing is very brilliant, Such a fantastic novel!