July, July

Tim O'Brien

ISBN 10: 0618258124 ISBN 13: 9780618258123

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Audio, 2002

Synopsis

Terrifically rich in story, full of unforgettable characters, July, July is the definitive novel of the baby boom generation, the men and women whose lives were molded and defined by the 1960s.At the thirtieth reunion of Minnesota's Darton Hall College class of 1969, a group of old friends reassemble for a July weekend of dancing, drinking, flirting, reminiscing, regretting. The three decades since their graduation have seen marriage and divorce, children and careers, dreams deferred and disappointed. Many memories, many ghosts. Two best friends toast their ex-husbands with vodka and set out for a good time. A damaged war veteran opens his soul to a Republican trophy wife recovering from a radical mastectomy. An overweight mop manufacturer with a large but failing heart reignites his passion for a hyperkinetic housewife. A draft dodger back from Canada finds surprising sympathy in a minister who has scandalously lost her job. Each of their lives is a wonderfully compelling tale of passion, hope, self-delusion, and yearning. Together they provide a portrait of a generation launched into adulthood at the moment when this country, too, lost its innocence.

About this title

Book Description

Penguin Paperback
Previous ISBN 978-0-142-00338-1

From the Back Cover

“Insidiously, compulsively readable.” — MSNBC

At the thirtieth reunion of the Darton Hall College class of 1969, ten old friends join their classmates for a summer weekend of dancing, drinking, flirting, reminiscing, and regret. The three decades since graduation have brought marriage and divorce, children and careers, hopes deferred and replaced. July, July tells the heart-rending and often hilarious story of men and women who came into adulthood at a moment when American ideals and innocence began to fade. These lives will ring familiar to anyone who has dreamed, worked, and struggled to keep course toward a happy ending.

With humor and a sense of wistful hope, July, July speaks directly to the American character and its resilience, striking deep at the emotional center of our lives.

"A symphony of American life.” — All Things Considered, NPR

“A small-scale tour de force by an American original . . . O’Brien is one of the most accomplished members of a generation of writers that includes Don DeLillo and Thomas Pynchon.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Astonishing for [its] clarity of character, for [its] narrative thrills and surprises, for [its] humor and hard-won wisdom . . . July, July gives readers plenty of reasons to celebrate." — Chicago Sun-Times

"Perceptive, affectionate and often very funny." — Boston Herald

"A deeply satisfying story . . . O’Brien is intelligent and daring, but he is also eminently accessible.” — O, the Oprah Magazine

"Taut and compelling." — Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Beautifully realized, heartbreakingly honest." — Providence Journal-Bulletin

“Almost impossible to put down.” — Austin American-Statesman

TIM O’BRIEN received the 1979 National Book Award for Going After Cacciato. Among his other books are The Things They Carried, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist and a New York Times Book of the Century, and In the Lake of the Woods, winner of the James Fenimore Cooper Prize. He is a recipient of the Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation.

Author photograph © Meredith O’Brien

Mariner
www.marinerbooks.com
$15.95
ISBN 978-0-544-21757-7
Fiction
0614/1561995

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Audio
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0618258124
• ISBN 13: 9780618258123
• Binding: Audio Cassette