Wonder Boys

By: Michael Chabon

Narrated by: David Colacci

Chabon's extraordinary story of one turbulent weekend in the life of a struggling writer, a satire of the permanent adolescence of the creative class.

A wildly successful first novel made Grady Tripp a young star, and seven years later he still hasn't grown up. He's now a writing professor in Pittsburgh, plummeting through middle age, stuck with an unfinishable manuscript, an estranged wife, a pregnant girlfriend, and a talented but deeply disturbed student named James Leer. During one lost weekend at a writing festival with Leer and debauched editor Terry Crabtree, Tripp must finally confront the wreckage made of his past decisions. Mordant but humane, Wonder Boys features characters as loveably flawed as any in American fiction.

©1995 Michael Chabon (P)1995 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Michael Chabon is One of a Kind

I am incredibly intrigued by Chabon’s ability to step away from a story to tell a different story without ever retracting from the present story.
The only thing that kept me from staying on track as consistently as I would have liked is his signature wordiness. While I find them very admirable most of the time, I was deterred about a third of the way in by how mouthy the sentences become.
The story though is enthralling and I felt like I was as high as our narrator the entire time.

Fun and so Human

I laughed so much ! and felt like I knew these characters personally. It hurt so much when it ended, I didn't wa ant to say goodbye

Love it

What great novel of ups and down with dark humor of drama. I love it.

good performance, story feels cliche

If you could sum up Wonder Boys in three words, what would they be?

writing, failure, redemption

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wonder Boys?

the dinner with the jewish in-laws

Which character – as performed by David Colacci – was your favorite?

no idea

If you could rename Wonder Boys, what would you call it?

writing about what the author knows

Any additional comments?

Okay book...but Chabon is a writer's writer...heavy handed, solipsistic, and very literary. If you prefer brevity and books not about the incestuous faculty crowd at universities (of which, Warren's "A Place To Come To" is the best), then skip it.

Really 3 1/2 stars

The writing is excellent but the characters are so self centered, addictive and unproductive the plot becomes rather depressing.

This book is always a pleasure.

Wonder Boys is full of well developed characters in funny/serious situations.
I have enjoyed reading it several times and the audiobook is just as enjoyable.

Pretty good

I came to this by way of the film, which I love. The book is pretty good, but the film on the whole is better — tighter and more neatly finished. But I enjoyed the book a lot; it was much better than I expected it to be. The reader is excellent, and I’ll look out for more of his work

WELL WRITTEN, ENTERTAINING STORY

Where does Wonder Boys rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10%.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wonder Boys?

Shooting the blind dog - no one could forget that.

What about David Colacci’s performance did you like?

David Colacci is a super star in the world of narration. He seamlessly moves from character to character and scene to scene.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The warmth and affection the "hero's" soon to be ex-in-laws showed him when he came to their home unannounced for a holiday meal.

Chabon young and daring

This is Chabon's best work. A satire of academia, a coming of age story, or a meditation on what it means to write. Hilarious with an emotional depth where absurdities abound. A classic.

Overall Okay, but…

Kind of slow moving and, to be honest, I couldn’t wait to get through it. The author is a good writer and there were a lot of very amusing scenarios. As well as hundreds of references to events, people, and things, many of which sailed right over my head. 🫤

Still worth a listen, but be prepared to be a bit bored. 🥱