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So! What'd you think of Such a Fun Age? Do you have any lingering questions you'd like us to address when we record the show next week? Are there any moments that you can't stop thinking about? TELL ME EVERYTHINGGGGG

I’m in on the book club and eagerly awaiting podcast even though the wait time on ebook copy via MT library to go is 6 months. Yes, one e- copy for the whole state to share.

This is kind of a *SPOILER* but nearly at the end of the book, when Emira realizes that Alix and Kelley had both been right about each other just about shattered me. All throughout the book you get this sense that something is off, and you get a little bit of despair at the fact that two people Emira sees almost every day cannot be trusted. It really made Emira and Zara’s friendship like a lifeline throughout the story. This novel was truly a depiction of how insidious and subtle racism can be and yet no less destructive

I am in the middle of the book, and completely obsessed. Thanksgiving is looming, and you know there is going to DRAMA.

The ease and nonchalance that Emira brushed off what happened in the grocery store hit me harder than I expected. I would have had similar reactions as Alix and Kelley. The fact that Emira brushed it off is indicative of the current cultural climate and that's heartbreaking.

I read this book so quickly, but it has stuck with me. The characters felt so realistic. The ending definitely surprised me. Can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

For several key events in the book, there's a difference between what actually happens and what a character remembers or perceives as happening. Can Riley speak more about why she chose to write about those contrasts?

(Kiley, sorry! Autocorrect!)

I just started but am already booked!

I keep thinking about Alix jumping to conclusions that were wrong (e.g., the Green Party job was a jab at her work with Hillary) and missing the signals of what was important (e.g., the ballet Halloween party). It makes me think about how the stories we tell ourselves about others can have real impact, and how we're really clueless about the people we work with.

Also, Alix's inability to see a nanny relationship as what it really is - an employer/employee relationship - despite your home and kids being involved.

I started the book this morning and just finished at one am. I just couldn’t put it down. So many thoughts.

(caveat: I am in the middle of the book now, saw the drama being set up and the payoff was worth it!) This book is making me think about another, Women's Work by Megan Stack. Alix feels like she is trying to assuage some white woman guilt by trying too hard to befriend Emira and not seeing the power dynamic in their relationship. I am loving/hating/identifying with Emira's apathy of goals and wanting adult life to just happen.

Lindsay wrote: "I started the book this morning and just finished at one am. I just couldn’t put it down. So many thoughts."

Isn't it GREAT? Tell me your thoughts! Is there a particular moral you're taking away from it? We'd love for you to record yourself and email to to us! [email protected].

The 180 switch in tone from Alix at the end definitely struck me. She spends the entire book trying to be super-friends with Emira, and then after the interview, she turned on Emira so suddenly and aggressively. The "Get away from [Briar]." in such cold tones, as if all of a sudden she was sure Emira was going to harm or kidnap her child, was so outrageous and out of line, but also really telling of how she truly viewed their relationship. That was a powerful moment.

I loved this book so much. All of the characters felt REAL and wholly developed. As a white woman, there were parts of Alix that I completely identified with and that made me uncomfortable in the best way. It called attention to some of my previously unconscious biases. White folks who are social justice-oriented can be blind to their privilege and don't really know the best way to wield (or not) it.


Side note: I never quite figured out the obnoxious pronunciation of Alix's name. I think I read that the emphasis was on the second syllable? Regardless, it added a hilarious level of bougie-ness to her character.

Heya! The Such a Fun Age episode of the book club is out, and I mentioned some of your comments in our conversation! . Hope you enjoy!

Renee // Feminist Book Club wrote: "I loved this book so much. All of the characters felt REAL and wholly developed. As a white woman, there were parts of Alix that I completely identified with and that made me uncomfortable in the b..."

Wasn't it GREAT??? Can't wait for you to hear the conversation, if for no other reason than you'll hear us say uh-LEEKS!

I realize this comment is coming late but I read the book as soon as I could pick it up from the library and wanted to participate. I enjoyed the story and could barely put it down. Kiley Reid did a great job carrying the plot along and adding in plenty of drama (Thanksgiving dinner, anyone!?!). I loved Emira and I thought I loved Alix until, well, I didn’t. Alix’s character rather quickly became unrelatable to me, the way she pursued Emira’s affection and constantly breached her privacy. There was so much to think about while/after reading this book (race, affluence, parenthood, career choices, predjudices, and on and on), but the parenting themes resonated most with me.

So... I just listened to the podcast. I never realized the name Alix was pronounced Ah-LEEKS, I thought she changed the spelling and enunciated it so folks wouldn’t confuse it with Alice. I feel like if I’d understood that from the beginning it would’ve explained SO much more about her earlier on.

Just finished in less than 24 hours (oh the glory of vacation reading) and I really loved this book. So interesting to see from an outside perspective how everyone kept acting in what they thought was Emira’s best interests and saying what they all thought she would do without considering what she wanted. Then that overlaid with the race and class issues, all so deftly handled. Can’t wait to recommend this one!

Question for everyone: I've been discussing the book with some friends and we want to hear your thoughts. Does anyone have any thoughts on why the setting is in 2015? Is it to have it pre-Trump era?

Sarah wrote: "Just finished in less than 24 hours (oh the glory of vacation reading) and I really loved this book. So interesting to see from an outside perspective how everyone kept acting in what they thought ..."

So glad you liked it, Sarah!

Darcy wrote: "So... I just listened to the podcast. I never realized the name Alix was pronounced Ah-LEEKS, I thought she changed the spelling and enunciated it so folks wouldn’t confuse it with Alice. I feel li..."

Hahaha, glad we could help clarify the absurdity!

I just finished the book and listened to the podcast. Definitely a page turner in an incredibly cringey way. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that made me have to keep reminding myself to relax my shoulders. Among many things, I was really struck by how much Alix couldn’t stand Briar’s constant questions and observations when clearly Alix’s refusal to question her own assumptions and motives was one of her biggest problems. The characters in this book were so vivid and each had pieces of relatability even if I didn’t like them. Spoiler I also really like that Emira didn’t get some big fancy job in the end or find her “passion�. The simplicity of her desires is so undervalued by everyone around her.

I really enjoyed about two-thirds of the book, but felt that the last third was a let down. Characters behaved in ways inconsistent with their development to that point. Particularly I didn’t believe Alix would leave her baby alone. And I thought the author cheated by hiding some things that we should have known, like the business about the notes in the locker.