Fates and Furies

A Novel

By: Lauren Groff

Narrated by: Will Damron, Julia Whelan

A FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: THE WASHINGTON POST, NPR, TIME, THE SEATTLE TIMES, MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, SLATE, LIBRARY JOURNAL, KIRKUS, AND MANY MORE

“Lauren Groff is a writer of rare gifts, and Fates and Furies is an unabashedly ambitious novel that delivers–with comedy, tragedy, well-deployed erudition and unmistakable glimmers of brilliance throughout.”—The New York Times Book Review (cover review)

From the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Florida, Matrix, and the highly-anticipated The Vaster Wilds: an exhilarating novel about marriage, creativity, art, and perception.

Fates and Furies is a literary masterpiece that defies expectation. A dazzling examination of a marriage, it is also a portrait of creative partnership written by one of the best writers of her generation.

Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. At the core of this rich, expansive, layered novel, Lauren Groff presents the story of one such marriage over the course of twenty-four years.

At age twenty-two, Lotto and Mathilde are tall, glamorous, madly in love, and destined for greatness. A decade later, their marriage is still the envy of their friends, but with an electric thrill we understand that things are even more complicated and remarkable than they have seemed. With stunning revelations and multiple threads, and in prose that is vibrantly alive and original, Groff delivers a deeply satisfying novel about love, art, creativity, and power that is unlike anything that has come before it. Profound, surprising, propulsive, and emotionally riveting, it stirs both the mind and the heart.

©2015 Lauren Groff (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

NPR MORNING EDITION BOOK CLUB PICK

“Lauren Groff is a writer of rare gifts, and Fates and Furies is an unabashedly ambitious novel that delivers–with comedy, tragedy, well-deployed erudition and unmistakable glimmers of brilliance throughout.”—The New York Times Book Review (cover review)

“One of the pleasures of reading Ms. Groff is her sheer unpredictability: She can inject her narrator’s voice at any time, turn a sentence into a small hurricane.”—The New York Times

“Even from her impossibly high starting point, Lauren Groff just keeps getting better and better. Fates and Furies is a clear-the-ground triumph.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

I highly recommend this book. It's eloquently written, philosophical, and not about marriage, but about who we are and who we say we are/portray. Plus, the narration is above average. You can't help but self-examine.

So, why 3 stars? It's an excellent book but some things grated me, which may not bother others at all. First, too many references to Shakespeare and Greek mythology. I can only take those in small doses. Second, I quickly predicted the major plot twists. Third, were all the tangents necessary? Finally, it reminded me of the feeling I had reading Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee. It's that frustrating and brain-draining sensation when you don't know what is fantasy, never understand why there is a pretense, and feel both pity and anger for the main characters.

All said, well worth the credit.

Good story but too long!

I enjoyed the development of the characters but the sex and drinking and drugs went on and on and became boring. I listened to the book but would have put it down if I had been reading it.

Life

This story was somber and real. It demonstrated beauty and love. Lies and fear. Self proclaimed successes and failures. Life. I liked the narration, it kept me on track.

An artists ear

As a painter sees the details that create a perfect picture, Lauren Groff creates a world of exquisitely composed words. Rarely have I listened to such beautiful language !

Slow Building and then....Totally Engrossing!

Excellent story! Starts a little slow but packed with parts of the story you will reference throughout the book!
outstanding character descriptions. The story highlights that there is no logic when it comes to the heart.

Superb.

Absolutely superb, brilliant writing. The reader was perfect. One of the best I’ve ever listened to.

Love. What makes love real.

A couples love story. How family and friends intersect with the couple both good and bad. The sinister and unseen twists that show a tangled web of lies and deceit.

His and hers: a love story

I read reviews that the first half was better, but I whole-heartedly disagree. Matilde’s story is more rich, more raw than Lotto’s surface-level simplicity. She is the depth to his iceberg. I read this because I adored The Monsters of Templeton and rarely read books twice, but knew Lauren Groff had something in her writing. Life is not always pretty, and neither is their marriage but their love is something to strive for.

Unsatisfying

The author is an excellent writer, and the story has many interesting characters and plot lines. But by the 2nd half I was forcing myself to finish it. Hoping for some fulfillment that never came. While I understood the complexity of the characters, towards the end, I just didn’t care about Matild Also, I was quite irritated by the use of racial descriptions only for non-“white” characters. Once again making it obvious whom the writer considers normal or standard (and therefore, pgiven non-race based descriptions) versus the “others.” Buttressed by the writers obsession with “pale skin” as a symbol of beauty - she and John Maher would make great bedfellows. It was all too much. It’s 2024.

wonderfully written and narrated

What made the experience of listening to Fates and Furies the most enjoyable?

the two sides of the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fates and Furies?

how complicated relationships really are.

What does Will Damron and Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

perfectly narrated.

If you could rename Fates and Furies, what would you call it?

I like the title.

Any additional comments?

I hope she writes more.