The Awkward Age

In this beautifully written, haunting book about the clash of family and desire, and about love and its obstacles, its triumphs and devastations, Francesca Segal presents a thoroughly modern family: Julia Alden has fallen in love and is living with the love of her life, James Fuller. James and Julia both have teenage children, and they merge their family homes, bringing James, Julia, Julia's daughter Gwen, and James's son Nathan, under the same roof, with all the challenges and obstacles to peace that such a living arrangement suggests. The teens at first clash and collide, resentful of their respective parents; they come, however, to develop a different relationship, one which threatens to tear this "family" apart.

This is brilliantly show more written and superbly described. The point of view alternates between all the subjects, so we get almost a therapist's individualized view of the perspectives of those involved. Segal's writing is lovely, and she has a knack for describing the heartbreaking with humor, and the comedic with tragic undertones. The novel is sympathetic towards all the characters; no one person here is to blame for the chaos inflicted on each and every person.

If anything, the upheaval that tosses everyone about is mostly an indictment of the modern "family." Julia's and Gwen's loss of Gwen's dad years before the novel opens is the catalyst for an unhealthy relationship that has developed between mother and daughter and which is partly to blame for Julia's coddling of Gwen; James's divorce from his children's mother and their living on different continents accounts for the upheaval in their lives; James and Julia's decision to live together and merge households presupposes an emotional hardiness and adaptability in the children, but which verges on the callous. The throwing together of all the parties here can be seen as a modern maneuver which has disastrous effects. It's hard not to shift the weight of this calamity on the two adults who decide that their own happiness trumps that of their children. If anything is to blame, it seems to be the mistaken notion that so many of us seem to have today, that the shifting of familial tectonic plates that occurs to children when their parents adjust their own love lives is something kids can and should, be able to adjust to with ease.

Complicating the relationships here is Julia's connection to her former in-laws, the parents of her dead husband, with whom Julia shares not only Gwen as a blood relative, but also a close tie. Her in-laws have their own complicated relationship: they are no longer married to each other, yet are themselves deeply connected, sharing daily conversations, outings to cultural events, and even a bank account.

The issues raised by this dilemma are deep, universal and touching: are adults expected to curb their own desires and put their own lives on hold to accommodate their children? How do you recompense your child for a tragedy that took one parent away? How do you convince a grown child of the right path if she refuses to walk it?

Very moving book from a very gifted writer.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy. show less

The writing is great but the only character I liked was Julia’s father-in-law. But Segal’s writing kept me reading until the end, and that says a lot. If I can’t relate to characters in some way, I often stop reading. And yet a week after finishing the book I find myself hoping that despite all the problems, they all “ended up living happily ever after.”

DNF at 65 pages because I'm boooored.

One of the worst books I have encountered in a long time.

“The Awkward Age” by Francesca Segal (2017)

FORMAT(s) CONSUMED (not all available formats-just ones used)
PRINT: Available

DIGITAL: Available

AUDIO:
© May 15, 2017; ASIN: B071QXSTKX; Penguin Audio / Books on Tape; 11 hours (approx.) Unabridged; English

FILM ADAPTATION:
No.

SERIES:
No.

CHARACTERS:
Julia Alden – A widow having recently begun co-habitation with her boyfriend
Gwen Alden – Julia’s 16-year-old daughter
Daniel Alden - Julia's deceased husband.
James Fuller – Julia’s romantic mate.
Nathan Fuller – James’ son
Saskia – James' daughter
Iris - Julia's Mother-in-law from her marriage to Daniel
Philip - Julia's Father-in-law from her marriage to Daniel
Others

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
SELECTED:
This was the first title result on my show more search for “Jayne Entwistle” that I’d not yet listened to.
ABOUT: (Sorry. So as not to spend too much time with reviews (so I can read more!) I’ve stopped assessing the aboutness of books, and am just supplying the cookie-cutter (by which I mean ‘already written’ publisher’s account.)
“Julia Alden has fallen deeply, unexpectedly in love. American obstetrician James is everything she didn't know she wanted--if only her teenage daughter, Gwen, didn't hate him so much. Uniting two households is never easy, but when Gwen turns for comfort to James's seventeen-year-old son, Nathan, the consequences will test her mother's loyalty and threaten all their fragile new happiness.”
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
The main characters are well-developed and interesting. The events are believable, as are the character’s reactions to them and to each other. Does it matter that I disagreed with nearly all of the characters actions, judgements, and assessments? Probably not.

AUTHOR:
Francesca Segal
(Wikipedia) “Francesca Segal (born 1980) is a British author and journalist. She is best known for her debut novel, The Innocents (2012), which won several book awards. “
ME: The author has also written “The Innocents” 2012, and “Mother Ship” 2019, neither of which have I read.

NARRATOR(S):
Jayne Entwistle
(IMDb) “Jayne was Born in Lytham St. Annes, England. Her family emigrated to Canada where she spent time living on both coasts. Once arrived in Los Angeles, a passionate outcry to friends, "If only I could read for a living" was answered. Entwistle narrates audio books. Her narration work has garnered several awards including a place on the NY Times Bestseller List.
- IMDb mini biography by: JAE”
ME: Jayne is one of my all-time favorite narrators and she continues to live up to that with this narration!

LOCATION:
London, England; Boston, Massachusetts

TIME: Contemporary (2017)

GENRE:
Fiction; Psychological Fiction; Coming of Age; Family Life

SUBJECTS (Not comprehensive):
Widows; Deceased Fathers; New living situations; Adjustments; Teenage Romance; Sacrifices; Parenting Styles; Conflict (Spoiler alert: Teen Pregnancy); Broken Families

BRIEF EXCERPT:
From Chapter 1
“Nathan took out a chopping board and announced his intention to make a vegetable omelet, following this with the news that he had never attempted an omelet before, but how hard, after all, could it be? It was important to travel on a good, square meal. He was back in the fridge, taking out eggs, butter, milk, tomatoes, several zucchini, and the whole cheese drawer, which Julia knew from experience was almost impossible to get back onto its plastic runners once it had been removed. Had James been here he would have put a robust and efficient kibosh on this plan as Nathan was unlikely to starve between Gospel Oak and Terminal Five, and had not yet finished packing. But James was not yet back from his jog, and Julia had so far avoided disciplining or even advising his son. She looked at her watch. The morning was slipping from her grasp, and they still had to drop the dog with Phillip.”

RATING:
4 stars.

LISTENED FROM 1/19/26-2/2/26 show less