Fall . . . is in the air.
It’s a perfect time to settle in with good book.
And have Bonny and Carole and I got one for you! Today we’re excited to announce the fall Read With Us book selection . . .
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney.
I’m sure many of you are already familiar with Sally Rooney, the young Irish writer who’s been called “the Salinger of the Snapchat generation.” But if you haven’t read her earlier books yet, well . . . Welcome to the Sally Rooney zeitgeist!
Intermezzo, Rooney’s 4th novel, is a character-driven story of grief, relationships, love, family, and . . . possibility. Dwight Garner, book reviewer for the New York Times, calls Intermezzo . . .
“Wise, resonant and witty . . . There is so much restraint and melancholy profundity in [Sally Rooney’s] prose that when she allows the flood gates to open, the parched reader is willing to be swept out to sea . . . Rooney has an exquisite perceptiveness and a zest for keeping us reading . . . Intermezzo wears its heart on its sleeve.”
I’m going to have to agree with Mr. Garner. I finished the book over the weekend, and I loved it. (Of course, I happen to love character-driven novels where there isn’t much action. And I don’t mind stylistic language, or even a lack of punctuation. So your mileage may vary.) Intermezzo is an ideal book group selection because it is packed with discussable . . . stuff. (I can’t wait!)
Bonny and Carole and I will be talking more about the book and providing additional background information for you next month. Then . . . mark your calendars for our blog book discussions/Zoom discussion on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 (7:00 pm Eastern time).
Please be sure to visit the new Read With Us resource page BEGINNING NEXT WEEK for more information about the book and our discussion. (It’s still under construction right now. . . )
We hope you’ll be as excited as we are to read Intermezzo together.
C’mon along!
Grab a cup of tea, find yourself a comfy chair . . . and Read With Us this fall!
I have my copy as well… but I put it on hold when a bit of a library avalanche hit last week! But discussion is a LONG way off… and reading close to our discussion is (for me) a wiser decision! I will look for the Intermezzo Page later this month! XO
I was not a huge fan of our last book, but there was loads to discuss, and that is definitely going to be the case for Intermezzo. I’m just going to keep reading, appreciating the discussable parts and “melancholy profundity”.
I picked up a copy at my library yesterday — surprised that it came in for me so quickly.
I’m a little more than halfway through (I managed to be #3 in the hold list at my library, so as soon as they got more than one copy, it was ready for me). I didn’t particularly enjoy the one other Sally Rooney book I’ve read, but I’m reserving judgment on this one until I’m done.
I’m on the hold list for this at the library and am hopeful I’ll get it in time! This will be my first Sally Rooney!
I have it on hold at the library and I have a date in mind that if it doesn’t come for me by then, I will pick it up.
Everywhere I look on the internet someone is writing about Sally Rooney and this book. We definitely picked a buzzy book this time!
We were in NYC over the weekend, and this book was on a display table in almost every bookstore we entered! It’s also on my bookshelf at home, as there was no line at my library. But I think I’ll wait a month or two… I’ve learned I get so much more out of discussions when I can remember what I read 🙂
Fingers crossed I can join you on 1/7!
I’m reading this now and only 100 pages in I love the characters. Since I’m a Sally Rooney fan I think I’m going to love it. Hope I can join you!