When Benjamin Braddock graduates from a small Eastern college and moves home to his parents’ house, everyone wants to know what he’s going to do with his life. Embittered by the emptiness of his college education and indifferent to his grim prospects—grad school? a career in plastics?—Benjamin falls haplessly into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the relentlessly seductive wife of his father’s business partner. It’s only when beautiful coed Elaine Robinson comes home to visit her parents that Benjamin, now smitten, thinks he might have found some kind of direction in his life. Unfortunately for Benjamin, Mrs. Robinson plays the role of protective mother as well as she does the one of mistress. A wondrously fierce and absurd battle of wills ensues, with love and idealism triumphing over the forces of corruption and conformity.
THE GRADUATE
Charles Webb
(1963)
Narrated by: Scott Brick
MIND-NUMBING!
I sincerely considered DNFing several times toward the end of this book.
I’m finding with a little bit of poking around that some modern classics were made classics because of the popularity of a movie. Not the other way around.
I’m thinking that has attributed to the success of THE GRADUATE and its being named a classic.
Mostly dialogue is told almost exclusively in conversations between new graduate Benjamin and those in his life. I imagined myself as an FBI agent listening in on monotonous recordings.
It was not fun.
What I understood it to be is not what is portrayed to be at all. Making this a really confusing and unenjoyable reading experience.
Webb and I were not on the same page.
What’s portrayed about THE GRADUATE is it’s a story about a young man who is depressed after graduation (read somewhat listless) he decides to have an affair with his parents’ partner’s wife and then sets eyes on their daughter.
Creating a love triangle.
The book as I read it is about boundaries. Ben has none. And everyone in his life knows it and is willing to varying degrees to exploit it.
There is nothing amorous about the relationship between Ben and Mrs. Robinson from my viewpoint. And I’m trying, trying so hard to get into the mind of Ben to try to understand but I can’t. Webb gave me nothing to work with.
Someone has to explain this book to me. As it stands it is a two star. The worst book of my reading challenge so far.
THE GRADUATE…⭐️⭐️
Classics reading tip #4: Take Notes.
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