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The Good Life (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,501 listener ratings
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Hailed by Newsweek as “a superb and humane social critic” with, according to The Wall Street Journal, “all the true instincts of a major novelist,” Jay McInerney unveils a story of love, family, conflicting desires, and catastrophic loss in his most powerfully searing work thus far.Clinging to a semiprecarious existence in TriBeCa, Corrine and Russell Calloway have survived a separation and are thoroughly wonderstruck by young twins whose provenance is nothing less than miraculous, even as they contend with the faded promise of a marriage tinged with suspicion and deceit. Meanwhile, several miles uptown and perched near the top of the Upper East Side’s social register, Luke McGavock has postponed his accumulation of wealth in an attempt to recover the sense of purpose now lacking in a life that often gives him pause—especially with regard to his teenage daughter, whose wanton extravagance bears a horrifying resemblance to her mother’s. But on a September morning, brightness falls horribly from the sky, and people worlds apart suddenly find themselves working side by side at the devastated site, feeling lost anywhere else, yet battered still by memory and regret, by fresh disappointment and unimaginable shock. What happens, or should happen, when life stops us in our tracks, or our own choices do? What if both secrets and secret needs, long guarded steadfastly, are finally revealed? What is the good life? Posed with astonishing understanding and compassion, these questions power a novel rich with characters and events, both comic and harrowing, revelatory about not only New York after the attacks but also the toll taken on those lucky enough to have survived them. Wise, surprising, and, ultimately, heart-stoppingly redemptive, The Good Life captures lives that allow us to see–through personal, social, and moral complexity–more clearly into the heart of things.
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"I really, really loved this book. A far cry from Bright Lights, Big City in writing style, this is a warm and moving story against the backdrop of 9/11. Together with The Emperor's Children, this is the best novel that came in the post-9/11 flow. "
— Jeroen (5 out of 5 stars)
The Good Life Listener Reviews
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" Good book. It takes a sort of Tom Stoppard twist on 911.911 is merely a background event that affects all of the characters but its not the basis of the book. It's a real book with a real ending. Makes me doubt the idea of marriage even more. "
— Elana, 2/16/2014 -
" I read this book over the weekend. It was about a bunch of NYC married people who cheat on each other after the 9/11 events. I kind of found it boring and had no sympathy for any of them. IT was sorta slow. "
— Lisa, 2/16/2014 -
" One of my favorite authors. Sad topic though... "
— Matt, 2/9/2014 -
" More successful Manhattanites with troubled lives, this time with added extra 9/11. Jay McInerney's one of the few novelists I read, mainly because the writing's so sharp, and The Good Life didn't disappoint. "
— Sam, 1/23/2014 -
" This was the right time, and I am precisely the right age, to read this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. "
— Natalie, 1/19/2014 -
" An amazing novel. Nothing more, nothing less. "
— Jen, 1/15/2014 -
" A love story begins around 9/11. "
— Shanna, 1/14/2014 -
" Good read...but the ending felt false. "
— carl, 1/14/2014 -
" Well written. A Good Read "
— Judy, 1/3/2014 -
" Enjoyed this book and was satisfied with the way it ended. Definitely brought back memories of 911. "
— Mark, 12/10/2013 -
" What went wrong Jay? oh, I know, you just had to try and tackle 9/11. Let's put a moratorium on the Twin Towers, shall we? "
— melissa, 11/22/2013
About Jay McInerney
Jay McInerney is the author of seven novels and two collections of essays on wine. He is a regular contributor to New York magazine, Guardian Weekly (London), and Corriere della Sera.
About Dylan Baker
Dylan Baker is an American stage, screen, and television actor. He attended Georgetown Prep and William and Mary College before earning his BFA at Southern Methodist University, where his passion for acting was ignited with numerous stage roles. Later refining his talents at Yale’s School of Drama, Baker turned professional with big screen roles in movies like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Delirious, and Love Potion No. 9. His audiobook narration has won him eleven AudioFile Earphones Awards.