If you've ever found yourself simultaneously amused and irritated by a friend who just can't seem to get it together, then The Book of George might feel like a familiar ride. This novel introduces us to George, a millennial anti-hero who embodies a certain kind of fecklessness that many readers will recognise.

An Oblomov for our times

George is a philosophy graduate with lofty, albeit vague, literary aspirations that never quite materialise. He navigates life with a mix of charm and obliviousness, often relying on his good looks and family connections to get by. His long-suffering girlfriend, Jenny, and his family members oscillate between patience and frustration with his perpetual inertia, indecisiveness and self-absorption.

The narrative unfolds in episodic snapshots, chronicling George's misadventures from adolescence into his late thirties. From a panic attack that leads to a hospital visit and a subsequent injury, to a windfall squandered on ill-advised cryptocurrency investments, George's life is a series of comedic yet poignant missteps.

Greathead's writing shines with understated wit and ironic humour. There are echoes here – in the characters, style, tone and pacing – of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove, to take just two modern examples, but the character I am most reminded of is Oblomov, from Goncharov’s eponymous novel (1859). Like the archetypical Oblomov, George is portrayed as both exasperating and endearing, capturing the essence of a man who is both unusually apathetic and strikingly ordinary. Despite this, the narrative is thoroughly engaging, even gripping.

The parallels between the two novels, The Book of George and Oblomov, are notable: from the protagonists’ apathy to their financial mismanagement, avoidance of responsibility and inability to fully commit to a relationship, etc. ... So many, in fact, that although this novel is not actually a retelling of Oblomov, the latter must at least have served as inspiration for The Book of George.

Like Oblomov, and as with all such men (or women, of course), George's charm fades as the years pass while he remains stuck in his old patterns. His perpetual immaturity and his inability to move forward in his life are exemplified by the story’s episodic structure. Instead of a more traditional character arc, each episode is just a further illustration of how George fails to change in any real way.

Perhaps that's the point. George's story isn't about grand transformations. The Book of George can be read as a meditation on the self-obsessed, spiritually immature aspects of contemporary adulthood — a reflection on a generation grappling with prolonged adolescence and the complexities of modern life. But as Goncharov has shown, it’s not exactly a ‘modern’ condition. There have always and will always be Georges and Oblomovs, largely carried through life by happenstance and other people.

The Book of George offers a sometimes funny, sometimes infuriating, yet continually poignant exploration of a man who, despite his flaws, is undeniably human. It had me alternately chuckling and contemplating the intricacies of personal growth — or the lack thereof.

My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

The Book of George is (unsurprisingly) about George, a millennial man who’s pretty much just drifting through life. He’s got loads of potential, charm, and implied good looks but does little with it, and seems to have coasted through most of his endeavors mostly through luck, privilege (his mother, Ellen comes from money), some serious heavy lifting from his girlfriend Jenny. George is, on the surface, a fairly unlikelable character. He’s downright unpleasant to most people who care about him, frustratingly lazy at points, and seemingly unmotivated to ‘do more’. What’s so good about Greathead’s writing though is her ability to both make you squirm in frustration at George’s ineptitude and still make you feel for him. I'm not saying I rooted for him, but there was something about watching George’s life slowly unravel over a decade that felt uncomfortably relatable. Maybe I'm just projecting, but I think the book taps into something that a lot of Millennials have experienced - this creeping sense that life didn’t quite turn out the way we were told it would.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
A clever, character-driven novel told with understated humour and keen social observation. Kate Greathead paints a fascinating picture of a man caught between modern anxieties and quiet eccentricity. Unique and smartly written with a strong emotional core.

I'm so conflicted on how I feel about this one. In some parts I really enjoyed it but I also couldn't wait for it to be over. That being said, I still feel like this has the potential to be a popular read among litfic lovers this year.

If you fancy reading about a predominately unlikeable male character, pick this one up. There was never much character development with George, which I'm still debating whether I liked or not; it sort of felt right for the book but also I had constant hope he'd have some kind of personality transplant by the end. Perhaps this was the writer's intention in which case, job well done! I did enjoy the scene of Carrie calling him out though, one of the most satisfying parts of the whole story and probably my favourite character overall even if we only saw a glimpse of her.

I found this quite slow paced in general which is another reason for my rating. If it wasn't for enjoying the writing style and the very dry humour throughout, I'd have probably DNF'd this early on. I'm sort of glad I pushed through it though because it wasn't all bad and I still mostly enjoyed going through George's life over a few decades. I didn't think I was particularly attached to him or Jenny but I can't help wonder where they'd be at now after that ending.

Overall, this was okay. If you're a fan of unreliable characters, timeline jumps and general 'no plot, just vibes' style books, this one may be worth a try. Very glad to not know a man like George mind you.

Thank you Atlantic Books & Netgalley for the free eARC!

I really hoped to love The Book of George, thanks to its excellent publication by Atlantic Books.

The novel follows the protagonist from his teenage years, through adulthood. The more you read about George — his lack of passion and drive, his inability to be there for the people he loves, his general passivity towards life —, the less likeable he becomes; yet, there’s something empathetic about this character. This is a sign of an excellent writer, who makes a mediocre character into a loveably unlikeable hero, and Greathead has pulled it off.

That said, I found the narrative quite slow and wished there had been more plot to balance the astute observations of this bland character. Early on in the novel, when George suffers an unexpected tragedy, his character flaws become pronounced; I believe a more eventful plot (and life) would underline his weaknesses even better than the meandering narrative does.

George is a flawed character, portrayed tenderly but without indulgence by the writer. That is the point of the novel: he is a familiarly disappointing guy. But overall, I found the narrative quite hard to get through and didn’t feel able to relate to the protagonist on any level (unlike in the frequently-comped Good Material or Intermezzo).

3.5 stars. Although this book is about George (clue’s in the title!) what struck me most was how his general inertia and fecklessness affected the women his life. They despair of him, accept him, and cover for him and I think most women can relate to that…maybe most male readers will recognise their friends (but never themselves, obviously) in George’s actions. This is something I’d be interested to know.
The book is essentially a set of vignettes from different years of George’s life and the wry observations are right on the nose. The writing is brilliantly minimal, with never an unnecessary word used. It was the quality of writing that kept me reading actually - I felt the some of the situations were a little too similar to each other and may have paused reading and returned to it later if the writing wasn’t so good.
The end was unexpected although the fact that George is always going to make out ok in our patriarchal world was not surprising.

We all know a George...

This was an easy and surprisingly emotional at times, novel about a man named George. The reader follows his life at various points from when he is young up until he is 40. He has traits that make you want to shout at him and traits that make you want to hug him. He is one man and every man.
An entertaining character study watching this man stumble and find his path in life. Funny, frustrating and an all round enjoyable read.

3.5- 4 stars

The Book of George documents the life and times of George from a young age all the way up to being forty, trying to reach the cusp of change but always seemingly seems to miss.

Through the snippets of George's life, we see him move through school, college and an internship before bouncing between jobs and writing and book as well as moving into a flat with his girlfriend, Jenny (who deserves a book of her own). Socially awkward, inept, and at times irredeemable in his behaviour, the characters around George push him through his own life. He is always on the brink but never quite taking the leap into the unknown. Honest, and refreshing from other books as we have a character who does not have a major breakthrough or quest... here is normal life.

The big question is, will George change?

A brilliantly written book, and I really liked the way Kate Greathead draws the reader into George's life even though he is unlikeable at times, and passive towards the major events that happen to him.

My plan is to go back and ready Kate Greathead's previous book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance ebook copy.

A fairly accurate portrayal of a hapless man, from birth to middle-age. We all know (and love) them.

George is a flawed guy from the get go. He is an average guy who has his problems and life isn’t plain sailing for him. From the age of 12 to roughly 40, we learn more about George and his regular life.

I really enjoyed this!! I found it great that he was just an average guy that wasn’t anything unbelievable. I really liked how his character developed and how much we learn. I also really liked the chapters being a different age so we can have little snippets of his life to get the bigger picture.

I found this an easy to follow read and loved the writing style. I feel like I know a guy very similar to George which is so funny to think about 😂

I’d recommend this book!

The Book of George by Kate Greathead

The story of George from young adult to middle-aged man, I found this book compulsive and finished it very quickly. A difficult one to describe because in many ways George is unlikeable and infuriating, yet i still wanted to know what happened to him! Highly recommended and I can't wait to read what the author writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The Book of George is simply the story of George at various points throughout his life. Each chapter tells you how old he is at that point, and offers a snapshot of his life story. The book initially seems quite disjointed, but the reader can follow the progression of his life and relationships via these short chapters.

The book was well written and easy to read, but I did find George to be rather unlikeable. The only other character who appears frequently enough for the reader to form any kind of opinion on is Jenny, who I found to be interesting and I think I'd have preferred a book about her, not George - her life seemed to have more depth to it than George's. I'm not really sure how I actually feel about the book, as it isn't a story as such, but I did read it quickly and it held my attention. An interesting idea.

The decade spanning story of George and his inability to make something of himself, through his infuriating decision making.
I really enjoyed the book, loathed his treatment of Jenny, but did find myself rooting for him at times. I liked the character of Cressida and found the sibling relationship refreshingly positive.
I would read this author again

I read this in a single sitting - sat down to with the intention of just reading the opening chapter but never quite managed to put it down. I loved and hated George - he's a brilliant character - and this has been a great recommendation for readers who liked Good Material and want to read in the same vein.

I’m struggling a bit with my review of this book. Maybe because it wasn’t quite what I expected but that’s not to say that’s necessarily a bad thing. The book follows George from age 14 to his late 30’s. George was expected to do well in his life; George expected to do well in his life but life doesn’t always give you what you expect. This is a slow paced character driven novel so don’t expect fast paced action!

Briefly, at college when writing his dissertation he got a job in a restaurant and there he met Jenny. Although she clearly fancied him he didn’t feel the same but as they came closer they started a relationship, one that would last, on and off, for many years. Throughout the timescale George starts jobs but never seems to last for long and job hopping often means home hopping too.

George was probably one of the most annoying character I’ve read for a long time. His treatment of Jenny made my blood boil but I did feel that she facilitated his behaviour at times. I did like Jenny as a character, she was full of good intentions and tried to put George on the right path on a number of occasions. However, he was unambitious and lazy, although there were times when I wondered if he was supposed to be on the spectrum? He had relied on various women through his life, his mother, his sister and Jenny and there were no indications this would change. Despite all this I was rooting for George, I wanted him to pull his socks up and get a good job and stick to it, to marry Jenny and live happy ever after. Did he? You’ll have to read the book. A compelling and interesting novel. 3.5⭐️

Oh, George!

This man took me on a rollercoaster.
The book reads almost like a biography, following a series of moments that paint a picture of who he is.
Inept, funny, socially awkward, likable, pitiful, irresponsible, relatable, cringeworthy, egotistical, irredeemable, redeemable.

It’s easy to feel like I’ve known someone like George before. He’s not a bad person, but he’s not a particularly good one either.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book was George’s relationship with Jenny. In many ways, she’s like him—but his opposite.
At times, she’s the lifeline he needs to keep from drowning; at others, she’s the source of his anger and depressive tendencies, simply for being her true self.

It’s hard to tell whether they bring out the best or worst in one another. Are they exactly what the other needs, or would they be better off as friends? I still don’t know, but I found this tender yet toxic dynamic surprisingly realistic.

A funny, sad, and honest portrait of a man like many.

This smart funny novel is reminiscent of Dolly Alderton. As you navigate through George will feel familiar and you’ll find the heartstrings pull at this tender novel

Unfortunately this was not what I was expecting at all, which is totally my fault for going in with expectations, but this was pitched to me as a funny, relatable story and I just found it quite dull to be completely honest. I ended up DNF'ing at around 50% as I just was not invested at all, really sorry! It's not for me, but i'm sure lots of people will love this!

I really enjoyed this book. The chapters were a good length to read in a 30-45 minute sitting. I also liked how the book spans across George's lifestyle from a young age up to mid-40s. Whilst there are no major plot twists or events, this book is somewhat 'amusing' and comedic on a basic level with George's encounters and thoughts, which kept me reading.

THE BOOK OF GEORGE by KATE GREATHEAD

“We all know a George. He's the kind of guy who's brimming with potential but incapable of following through; he doesn't know if he's in love with his girlfriend, but he certainly likes having her around; he's distant from - but still reliant on - his mother; he swears he'll finish his novel one day.
Sure, you might find him disappointing. But no one is more disappointed in George than George himself”

I went back and forth throughout this book thinking George was insufferable to thinking actually he lazy but he’s alright. Maybe that’s what made him feel like a real person, aren’t we all multiple things as once? And the blurb is right, we all definitely all know a “George” in life, I’ve probably even been a “George” and one point or another growing up. Aside from George and my inability to make up my mind on him, this books had multiple other characters who were equally as complicated. I think George’s girlfriend was potentially the only person I liked throughout the entire story. I thought this was brilliant as it kept the characters from feeling one dimensional which is needed in character driven story.

This is a slow paced, character driven story with no plot twists or gotcha moments but the characters are entertaining enough to keep this from feeling like a chore to read.