Fortunate Age
'Funny and acerbic … A Fortunate Age leaves a lasting impression' New York Observer
'An epic novel ... about a generation finding its way ... Rakoff has brilliantly captured the mood of the era and the energy of a city' Bookpage
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Living in crumbling Brooklyn apartments, holding down jobs as actors and writers and eschewing the middle-class sensibilities of their parents, graduates of the prestigious Oberlin College, Lil, Beth, Sadie, Emily, Dave and Tal believe they can have it all.
When the group come together to celebrate a marriage,anything seems possible. But soon the reality of rent, marriage and family will test them all. For this fortunate age can’t last for ever, and the group must face adulthood, whether they are ready for it or not.
Sprawling and richly drawn, A Fortunate Age traces the lives of the group during some of the most defining years of modern America – from the decadence of the dot com boom through to the sobering events of September 11 and the trailing years that followed – this brilliant, ambitious debut novel perfectly captures the hopes, anxieties and dreams of a generation.
Joanna Rakoff is a poet and the author of the critically-acclaimed memoir My Salinger Year. She was the recipient of the Goldberg Prize for Fiction and the Elle Readers' Prize. As a journalist and critic, she has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Vogue, Time Out and O: The Oprah Magazine. The BBC produced a radio documentary following her as she tracked down the writer of her favourite Salinger fan letter. She has degrees from Columbia University, University College London and Oberlin College. Joanna Rakoff lives in Cambridge, MA.
www.joannarakoff.com
@jrakoff