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The Life of the Mind

A Novel

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The Life of the Mind

Written by: Christine Smallwood
Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
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About this listen

One of the Best Books of the Year: Time, NPR, The Atlantic, Electric Lit, Thrillist, LitHub, Kirkus Reviews

A witty, intelligent novel of an American woman on the edge, by a brilliant new voice in fiction - “the glorious love child of Ottessa Moshfegh and Sally Rooney” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“[A] jewel of a debut...abundantly satisfying.” (Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker)

As an adjunct professor of English in New York City with little hope of finding a permanent position, Dorothy feels “like a janitor in the temple who continued to sweep because she had nowhere else to be but who had lost her belief in the essential sanctity of the enterprise”. No one but her boyfriend knows that she’s just had a miscarriage - not her mother, her best friend, or her therapists (Dorothy has two of them). She wasn’t even sure she wanted to be a mother. So why does Dorothy feel like a failure?

The Life of the Mind is a book about endings - of youth, of ambition, of possibility, but also of the meaning that an inquiring mind can find in the mess of daily experience. Mordant and remorselessly wise, this jewel of a debut cuts incisively into life as we live it, and how we think of it.

©2021 Christine Smallwood (P)2021 Random House Audio Literature & Fiction Comedy New York Witty
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What the critics say

“One of the wittiest, most deliciously farcical novels I’ve read in a long time.” (Maureen Corrigan, NPR, Fresh Air)

“Smallwood is...a delightfully stylish rambler; a conjurer of a heightened, carefully choreographed version of consciousness. Reading her is like watching an accomplished figure skater doing a freestyle routine.” (John Williams, The New York Times)

“Hilarious, recognizable, and helplessly wise - a perfect foil for its namesake.” (Rivka Galchen, author of Little Labors)

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relatable and personal

throughout this book, I often felt that the exact same events could have happened to me. the main character is so relatable and the experience of knowing her is so thorough and personal, it really felt like she was me. very thoughtful read.

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