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The Innocents Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,249 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
"It is impossible to resist this novel's wit, grace, and charm." --Lauren Groff, author of The Monsters of Templeton and Arcadia
A smart and slyly funny tale of love, temptation, confusion, and commitment; a triumphant and beautifully executed recasting of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence.
Newly engaged and unthinkingly self-satisfied, twenty-eight-year-old Adam Newman is the prize catch of Temple Fortune, a small, tight-knit Jewish suburb of London. He has been dating Rachel Gilbert since they were both sixteen and now, to the relief and happiness of the entire Gilbert family, they are finally to marry. To Adam, Rachel embodies the highest values of Temple Fortune; she is innocent, conventional, and entirely secure in her community--a place in which everyone still knows the whereabouts of their nursery school classmates. Marrying Rachel will cement Adam's role in a warm, inclusive family he loves.
But as the vast machinery of the wedding gathers momentum, Adam feels the first faint touches of claustrophobia, and when Rachel's younger cousin Ellie Schneider moves home from New York, she unsettles Adam more than he'd care to admit. Ellie--beautiful, vulnerable, and fiercely independent--offers a liberation that he hadn't known existed: a freedom from the loving interference and frustrating parochialism of North West London. Adam finds himself questioning everything, suddenly torn between security and exhilaration, tradition and independence. What might he be missing by staying close to home?
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"I selected this book for my Book Club based on recommendations from People magazine and a friend - I ended up really enjoying it and hope my Book Club friends do too :)"
— Allison (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A crafty homage…[Segal] writes with engaging warmth.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Inspired by The Age of Innocence, Segal’s book is warmer, funnier, and paints a more dynamic and human portrait of a functional community that is a wonderful juxtaposition to Wharton’s cold social strata.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
It is impossible to resist this novel's wit, grace, and charm.
— Lauren Groff, author of The Monsters of Templeton and Arcadia -
With understated wit, empathy and a cinematic eye of detail, Segal brings alive a host of characters so robust that you can easily imagine them onscreen... A winning debut novel.
— People -
Inspired by The Age of Innocence, Segal's book is warmer, funnier, and paints a more dynamic and human portrait of a functional community that is a wonderful juxtaposition to Wharton's cold social strata.
— Publishers Weekly, starred review -
A crafty homage... [Segal] writes with engaging warmth.
— Entertainment Weekly, Grade: B+ -
Readers who enjoy fast-paced, gently satirical literary novels, fans of Allegra Goodman, and book group participants will find a Shabbat dinner's worth of noshing in this accomplished debut novel.
— Library Journal -
An emotionally and intellectually astute debut.
— Kirkus -
[A] delightful first novel... wise, witty and observant.
— The London Times -
Segal writes with an understated elegance.
— The Observer (UK) -
The Innocents is written with wisdom and deliciously subtle wit... This is a wonderfully readable novel: elegant, accomplished, and romantic.
— André Aciman, author of Out of Egypt, Call Me by Your Name, and Alibis -
A moving, funny, richly drawn story... Full of real pleasures and unexpected wisdom, this book sweeps you along.
— Esther Freud, author of Love Falls and Lucky Break
Awards
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Winner of the 2012 Costa Book Award for Best First Novel
The Innocents Listener Reviews
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" I very much enjoyed the setting. The characters, however, just didn't work for me. For Wharton, the characters' attitudes and beliefs were understandable, and most definitely a sign of the times. However ineffective, the reader understood why the characters did what they felt they had to do. In the case of The Innocents, the characters were simply annoying. Adam, or "Ads" as Rachel so annoyingly anoints her beloved, is especially unendearing (apologies for the made-up word). While Jewish society may impose certain societal restrictions, I'm pretty sure it doesn't require it's faithful to behave like simpering idiots. "
— Sherrilyn, 1/21/2014 -
" Boring. The most boring book I have ever read. "
— Rachael, 1/16/2014 -
" Great story. Sometimes it feels like there are too many cliches. The writing is great but there are parts where I felt "this isn't as important" and others where I wished Segal would have shared more about (wedding!). Overall, it is an enjoyable read. "
— Adriana, 1/16/2014 -
" Not enjoying it so far "
— Gillian, 1/3/2014 -
" What you don't learn about this book until a couple of chapters in is that the cousin that is so appealing is actually a porn star and walks around wearing very little. Needless to say,I did not finish this book. "
— Kimberly, 12/6/2013 -
" Loved how the author actually made strict social mores more akin to early 20th century pertinent to today. Fascinating look at London's Jewish society. "
— Sally, 12/6/2013 -
" A tale told way toooooo many times! Nothing new, exciting or interesting - Jewish family disrupted by infidelity - period! I finished thinking that something interesting and/or different would happen! It didn't! "
— Pat, 12/3/2013 -
" I'd rate this 3.75- "
— Mara, 11/15/2013 -
" I wish there was an option for 3 1/2 stars. It definitely held my interest. The ending was not satisfying enough for me to go all the way to 4, but I enjoyed reading it considerably more than most of the books I have given 3 stars. "
— Abigail, 11/15/2013 -
" A beautifully written, understated book that just didn't quite make me fall in love with it. It's a nicely told story with well-drawn characters, offering an interesting glimpse into a segment of Jewish culture in London - definitely a good book, just not an entirely captivating one. "
— Molly, 5/27/2013 -
" Great read - complex characters and relationships. "
— Erin, 5/16/2013 -
" Plodding and predictable, this book never uses a page when a chapter will do. I kept hoping things would pick up so I stuck with it until I was too far in to give up or turn back. Then I raced to the finish, anxious to leave these uninteresting, immature characters behind. "
— Walt, 5/6/2013 -
" Saw that this had good reviews but I didn't find the story or characters engaging. "
— Marybetsy, 5/1/2013 -
" Couldn't finish it. Blah. "
— Cindy, 3/20/2013 -
" dithering between 3 and 4 stars. A good summer read. "
— Claire, 12/31/2012 -
" I really liked this book - beautiful writing - and it doesn't hurt that my sister is currently living in London:). "
— Elana, 10/8/2012 -
" An excellent read; I just wanted to punch Adam in the face the whole time. Very much my reaction to The Age of Innocence. Men... "
— Jess, 9/10/2012 -
" I loved this book. It was like visiting my family and sharing in their lives. "
— Rita, 6/4/2012
About Francesca Segal
Francesca Segal was born in London and studied at Oxford and Harvard before becoming a journalist and critic. Her work has appeared in Granta, the Guardian, and the Observer, among other publications. For three years she wrote the “Debut Fiction Column” in the Observer and has been a features writer at Tatler. She divides her time between London and New York.
About Rosalyn Landor
Rosalyn Landor is an English-born television, theater, and multiple-award-winning audiobook narrator. Her television credits include Love in a Cold Climate, Rumpole of the Bailey, Sherlock Holmes, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has won numerous Audie awards and AudioFile magazine Earphones awards.