The basis for the acclaimed 1967 film, this novel about a naïve college graduate adrift in the shifting social and sexual mores of the 1960s captures with hilarity and insight the alienation of youth and the disillusionment of an era.
When Benjamin Braddock graduates from college and moves back to his parents’ house, everyone wants to know what he’s going to do with his life. Embittered by the emptiness of his education and indifferent to his grim prospects, Benjamin falls haplessly into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the relentlessly seductive wife of his father’s business partner. It’s only when her lovely daughter Elaine comes home to visit that Benjamin, now smitten, thinks he might have found some kind of direction in his life. But Mrs. Robinson is having none of it. A wondrously fierce and absurd battle of wills ensues, with love and idealism triumphing over the forces of corruption and conformity.
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"A book about the disenchantment of youth that is nit bogged down with extened metaphors and mindless cliches. Benjamin's sense of disillusionment is pervasive throughout the novel without being lingered upon. What a relief!"
— Victoria (4 out of 5 stars)
“Brilliant…sardonic, ludicrously funny.”
— New York Times“A highly gifted and accomplished writer.”
— Chicago Tribune“His novel makes you want to laugh and it makes you want to cry.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer“Brick provides a strong narration of the text and executes believable voices for his male and female characters, as usual. His delivery of Benjamin is distinct enough to not seem derivative of Dustin Hoffman’s performance in the 1967 film adaptation.”
— Publishers Weekly“Scott Brick displays a wide range of vocal styles and gives a melancholic yet playful performance that captures character personalities with precision. It’s a superb delivery—from the high-pitched voice of insecure, sexually inexperienced Benjamin and the browbeating tones of his parents to the husky, sultry voice of Mrs. Robinson. Brick’s sexy bass voice and measured pace make this a deliciously fun distraction listeners will enjoy.”
— AudioFile" Another case of the guy narrating the book ruining the characters and the plot being pretty unfinished, it needs 50 more pages. "
— MK, 2/18/2014" didn't finish it. it reads exactly like the movie. and honestly, the deadpan humor doesn't even come across in book form. so yeah, it was easy airplane reading but not worth wasting my time beyond that. "
— Sarah, 2/16/2014" um... strange. I didn't really like it. "
— Brooke, 2/4/2014" I''m not really sure how this was made I to a movie. I've only seen bits of the movie but I'm pretty sure it's word for word from the book. And I definitely did not find Ben even the slightest bit likeable. "
— Steph, 2/3/2014" Mike Nichols' fine film of this novel owes a lot to Charles Webb. The dour yet blithe, finely wrought dialogue was lifted pretty much verbatim from the book. "
— Corey, 1/27/2014" Very drab and vacant... not a fan! Also, I noticed that (clothes) 'hanger' was incorrectly spelled as 'hangar'... "
— Lois, 1/13/2014" Very much like the movie. Not complicated; just a straight forward, tell it as it happens solid read. "
— Kurt, 1/7/2014" Pretty much like the movie. "
— Gobasso, 12/29/2013" One of my most favorite book. Benjamin's character is so endearing! Just took one seating under 30 minutes to finish this wonderful! Definitely a page turner. Literary work at its finest. "
— Kent, 12/15/2013" Benjamin Braddock is a slightly older Holden Caulfield with a degree. He comes home from college, has an affair with an older married woman, then pursues her daughter. The movie is apparently good but this book wasn't worth reading. "
— David, 12/11/2013" Disliked this book from the beginning. Thought it was poorly written and the characters undeveloped by the time the book was finished. "
— Charlotte, 12/10/2013Charles Webb (1939–2020) was the author of nine novels, including his best-known novel The Graduate, which was made into a major motion picture in 1963 and which became an icon of the social tensions of the 1960s. He studied history and literature and graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts. He and his wife, an artist, lived a non-materialistic life style, home-schooled their two children, and were activists their entire lives in support of gay rights and other social issues.
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.