by Ed Tarkington
For fans of Ann Patchett's Commonwealth and Kevin Wilson's Nothing to See Here, The Fortunate Ones is an engrossing story of class, love, and loyalty.
When Charlie Boykin was young, he'd thought his life with his single mother was really just fine. But when his mother's connections get Charlie into boarding school and give them access to the upper echelons of Nashville society, Charlie falls under the spell of all that a life among the wealthy can mean. Increasingly attached to another boy, Arch Creigh, Charlie learns how morality has little to do with life in Belle Meade. On into college and after, Charlie aids Arch in his pursuit of a Senate seat, only to be pulled into a growing web of deceit. The novel examines the questions: Why do the poor love the rich? Why do we envy and worship a class of people that so often exhibits the worst excesses and the lowest morals?
"Tarkington weaves in some scandal—an affair, an abortion, and enough secrets to keep readers guessing. But he's not just prompting the next page turn. The novel is concerned with what lies beneath both the best intentions and worst impulses...An impressive literary balancing act that entertains as it enriches." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The Fortunate Ones feels like a fresh and remarkably sure-footed take on The Great Gatsby, examining the complex costs of attempting to transcend or exchange your given class for a more gilded one. Tarkington's understanding of the human heart and mind is deep, wise, and uncommonly empathetic. As a novelist, he is the real deal. I can't wait to see this story reach a wide audience, and to see what he does next." - Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife
"[S]pirited...Tarkington's strong story of loyalty and the corruption of privilege transcends the familiar set-up." - Publishers Weekly
"Tarkington's writing ... calls to mind a young Pat Conroy." - Garden & Gun
"There's a sharpness to Ed Tarkington's view of the world, an exacting truthfulness of how things work, but he marries it to such an open-hearted and resonant humanity in his writing that it's hard not to place him easily in the company of Pat Conroy and Alice McDermott. In The Fortunate Ones, Tarkington examines privilege and friendship with that same incredible perspective, and he helps us see the difficulties of trying to hold onto yourself even as you want so badly to be transformed. An amazing, thought-provoking novel by one of our most generous writers." - Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here
"Ed Tarkington perfectly captures the heady, conflicted emotions that come with proximity to privilege — both the irresistible longing and the heartbreaking disillusionment. I'm recommending The Fortunate Ones to every book club I know." - Mary Laura Philpott, author of I Miss You When I Blink
This information about The Fortunate Ones was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ed Tarkington's debut novel Only Love Can Break Your Heart was an ABA Indies Introduce selection, an Indie Next pick, a Book of the Month Club Main Selection, and a Southern Independent Booksellers Association bestseller. A regular contributor to Chapter16.org, his articles, essays, and stories have appeared in a variety of publications including the Nashville Scene, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Knoxville News-Sentinel, and Lit Hub. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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