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I'll Take You There
New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb weaves an evocative, deeply affecting tapestry of one Baby Boomer's life—Felix Funicello, introduced in Wishin’ and Hopin’—and the trio of unforgettable women who have changed it, in this radiant homage to the resiliency, strength, and power of women.
I’ll Take You There centers on Felix, a film scholar who runs a Monday night movie club in what was once a vaudeville theater. One evening, while setting up a film in the projectionist booth, he’s confronted by the ghost of Lois Weber, a trailblazing motion picture director from Hollywood’s silent film era. Lois invites Felix to revisit—and in some cases relive—scenes from his past as they are projected onto the cinema’s big screen.
In these magical movies, the medium of film becomes the lens for Felix to reflect on the women who profoundly impacted his life. There’s his daughter Aliza, a Gen Y writer for New York Magazine who is trying to align her post-modern feminist beliefs with her lofty career ambitions; his sister, Frances, with whom he once shared a complicated bond of kindness and cruelty; and Verna, a fiery would-be contender for the 1951 Miss Rheingold competition, a beauty contest sponsored by a Brooklyn-based beer manufacturer that became a marketing phenomenon for two decades. At first unnerved by these ethereal apparitions, Felix comes to look forward to his encounters with Lois, who is later joined by the spirits of other celluloid muses.
Against the backdrop of a kaleidoscopic convergence of politics and pop culture, family secrets, and Hollywood iconography, Felix gains an enlightened understanding of the pressures and trials of the women closest to him, and of the feminine ideals and feminist realities that all women, of every era, must face.
I’ll Take You There centers on Felix, a film scholar who runs a Monday night movie club in what was once a vaudeville theater. One evening, while setting up a film in the projectionist booth, he’s confronted by the ghost of Lois Weber, a trailblazing motion picture director from Hollywood’s silent film era. Lois invites Felix to revisit—and in some cases relive—scenes from his past as they are projected onto the cinema’s big screen.
In these magical movies, the medium of film becomes the lens for Felix to reflect on the women who profoundly impacted his life. There’s his daughter Aliza, a Gen Y writer for New York Magazine who is trying to align her post-modern feminist beliefs with her lofty career ambitions; his sister, Frances, with whom he once shared a complicated bond of kindness and cruelty; and Verna, a fiery would-be contender for the 1951 Miss Rheingold competition, a beauty contest sponsored by a Brooklyn-based beer manufacturer that became a marketing phenomenon for two decades. At first unnerved by these ethereal apparitions, Felix comes to look forward to his encounters with Lois, who is later joined by the spirits of other celluloid muses.
Against the backdrop of a kaleidoscopic convergence of politics and pop culture, family secrets, and Hollywood iconography, Felix gains an enlightened understanding of the pressures and trials of the women closest to him, and of the feminine ideals and feminist realities that all women, of every era, must face.
272 pages, ebook
First published November 22, 2016
About the author
Wally Lamb
16 books7,705 followersWally Lamb is the author of She's Come Undone, The Hour I First Believed, and I Know This Much Is True. Two were featured as selections of Oprah's Book Club. Lamb is the recipient of the Connecticut Center for the Book's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Connecticut Bar Association's Distinguished Public Service Award, the Connecticut Governor's Art Award, the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, the 1999 New England Book Award for Fiction, and the Missouri Review William Peden Fiction Prize.
He was the director of the Writing Center at the Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, Connecticut from 1989-1998, and an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Connecticut’s English Department. He holds a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in English from the University of Connecticut and an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College.
Lamb has served as a volunteer facilitator for a writing workshop at the York Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison for women, in Niantic, Connecticut since 1999. He has edited two collections of autobiographical essays entitled Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters (2003) and I'll Fly Away (2007).
Lamb currently lives in Mansfield, Connecticut with his wife, Christine Lamb, and their three sons, Jared, Justin and Teddy.
He was the director of the Writing Center at the Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, Connecticut from 1989-1998, and an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Connecticut’s English Department. He holds a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in English from the University of Connecticut and an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College.
Lamb has served as a volunteer facilitator for a writing workshop at the York Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison for women, in Niantic, Connecticut since 1999. He has edited two collections of autobiographical essays entitled Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters (2003) and I'll Fly Away (2007).
Lamb currently lives in Mansfield, Connecticut with his wife, Christine Lamb, and their three sons, Jared, Justin and Teddy.
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November 2, 2016
This is my first dip into Wally Lamb, and unfortunately, I’m staring at his earlier works, unread on my shelf, hoping that they contain the gems my friends talked about. Because this latest book of his did nothing to urge me on further. He checked all the PC boxes on feminism, family, dysfunction, loss, and other topical issues, so blatantly that I almost thought it was going to be satirical, but no, it was taking itself seriously. On the other hand, he writes with compassion, and the pages flow smoothly, even though the content has much to be desired. What kept me going was the smooth writing, and the tenderness he evokes. I wanted to care about the characters, too, and the events, but they were too wafer-thin to relate to.
There are aspects of this domestic drama that have wide appeal and significance: dysfunctional family, mental health problems, grief, secrets, communication breakdowns, and regret. But, redemption was advertised too transparently, and at every turn, so any tension that was attempted lost steam before it even got going. This is a book that thinks for you, and with a sweeping and reductive grasp of legitimacy.
The first half of the book read like a YA novel, the way it simplistically raised emotional, psychological, and family issues like a paint-by-number set. Lamb then engaged in some deeper issues—particularly one mental health disease that I know quite a bit about (and have worked with patients with this problem)—and I was shocked at how easily the author dispensed with it. (I don’t want to give spoilers about what it covers). And then there was the largely reliable narrator trying to show how unreliable he thought he was. It was twee in the most banal way, with a dearth of organic material.
Lamb took no risks, and the exposition sections were stilted with what read like borrowed enactments, and read like a Wikipedia research reconstruction. I even felt insulted on occasion that the author was so lazy about drawing us in, with stale buzzwords and overused truisms, sketching cut-out characters and boilerplate scenes. Felix’s dialogue with his daughter added nothing to the story, and there didn’t seem to be any family problems under the surface. As a youth, we saw the drama unfold with his parents and sisters, but in a hackneyed way. As an adult, we know he is divorced with an adult daughter who is too facilely healthy and balanced. The scenes with his ex were trite, as their issues were too shallow. The problems they DID have, such as Felix not appreciating feminism (really?), dwindled out to bromides.
It’s a short book, and if topics like the history of The Miss Rheingold competition appeal to you (he made it appealing, on a fact-by-fact basis, but not as a novel insertion) then you may enjoy it. It had its moments. But the feminist angle was just too antiquated. He is in version 1.0, i.e. he is bringing up basics that have been covered for the past 40 years, but he added nothing new to the table.
By the end, I saw what Lamb set out to do—to reveal how the past presses on the present, and how it affects our future. Too, he attempted to bring up the age-old Venus and Mars arguments between men and women. Felix, the film professor, was able to enter the past by seeing scenes from his life on film, brought to him by former feminists that were in the film industry before women’s employment and professional rights were part of the mainstream. They were powerful women in media, nevertheless, before being quashed one way or another. But, it didn’t resonate as poignant to this story of Felix’s relationships.
There was just nothing fresh or invigorating to this novel. I kept thinking of the movie with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep, “Defending Your Life,” but without the droll humor. It was a corny book, and perhaps it was partially autobiographical. ?? It seems possible, because the author was trying too hard to make a statement via platitudes. It is difficult, I have heard, for some fiction writers to stand back from a quasi-fictional memoir about their own histories. It appeared that he wrestled with how to advance truth-in-fact vs. truth-in-fiction.
I think that Lamb could have continued to draft this book and go deeper into the characters and story, rather than the surface narrative that he wrote, and the juvenile dialogue. Perhaps if this had been written and published in the early 60s, he would have been ahead of the curve. But, as it stands, I think it could have merit for younger readers in the YA sector, but for those of us who are seasoned readers and mortals, it just didn’t take me anywhere.
There are aspects of this domestic drama that have wide appeal and significance: dysfunctional family, mental health problems, grief, secrets, communication breakdowns, and regret. But, redemption was advertised too transparently, and at every turn, so any tension that was attempted lost steam before it even got going. This is a book that thinks for you, and with a sweeping and reductive grasp of legitimacy.
The first half of the book read like a YA novel, the way it simplistically raised emotional, psychological, and family issues like a paint-by-number set. Lamb then engaged in some deeper issues—particularly one mental health disease that I know quite a bit about (and have worked with patients with this problem)—and I was shocked at how easily the author dispensed with it. (I don’t want to give spoilers about what it covers). And then there was the largely reliable narrator trying to show how unreliable he thought he was. It was twee in the most banal way, with a dearth of organic material.
Lamb took no risks, and the exposition sections were stilted with what read like borrowed enactments, and read like a Wikipedia research reconstruction. I even felt insulted on occasion that the author was so lazy about drawing us in, with stale buzzwords and overused truisms, sketching cut-out characters and boilerplate scenes. Felix’s dialogue with his daughter added nothing to the story, and there didn’t seem to be any family problems under the surface. As a youth, we saw the drama unfold with his parents and sisters, but in a hackneyed way. As an adult, we know he is divorced with an adult daughter who is too facilely healthy and balanced. The scenes with his ex were trite, as their issues were too shallow. The problems they DID have, such as Felix not appreciating feminism (really?), dwindled out to bromides.
It’s a short book, and if topics like the history of The Miss Rheingold competition appeal to you (he made it appealing, on a fact-by-fact basis, but not as a novel insertion) then you may enjoy it. It had its moments. But the feminist angle was just too antiquated. He is in version 1.0, i.e. he is bringing up basics that have been covered for the past 40 years, but he added nothing new to the table.
By the end, I saw what Lamb set out to do—to reveal how the past presses on the present, and how it affects our future. Too, he attempted to bring up the age-old Venus and Mars arguments between men and women. Felix, the film professor, was able to enter the past by seeing scenes from his life on film, brought to him by former feminists that were in the film industry before women’s employment and professional rights were part of the mainstream. They were powerful women in media, nevertheless, before being quashed one way or another. But, it didn’t resonate as poignant to this story of Felix’s relationships.
There was just nothing fresh or invigorating to this novel. I kept thinking of the movie with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep, “Defending Your Life,” but without the droll humor. It was a corny book, and perhaps it was partially autobiographical. ?? It seems possible, because the author was trying too hard to make a statement via platitudes. It is difficult, I have heard, for some fiction writers to stand back from a quasi-fictional memoir about their own histories. It appeared that he wrestled with how to advance truth-in-fact vs. truth-in-fiction.
I think that Lamb could have continued to draft this book and go deeper into the characters and story, rather than the surface narrative that he wrote, and the juvenile dialogue. Perhaps if this had been written and published in the early 60s, he would have been ahead of the curve. But, as it stands, I think it could have merit for younger readers in the YA sector, but for those of us who are seasoned readers and mortals, it just didn’t take me anywhere.
February 5, 2017
Halfway through, I thought this might be headed for 5-stars. Then, along came the second half and that's too bad. 6 of 10 stars
June 18, 2022
A Brief Q&A Between Myself and Myself
Q: Why did you pick up I'll Take You There in the first place, Natalie?
A: Well, Natalie, I had read Wishin' and Hopin' but had lukewarm feelings about it (cute, quick Christmas tale but didn't feel as Wally Lamb as other Wally Lamb books), so that did not push me to read this one. However, Wally Lamb is one of my FAVORITE authors. Even when I don't L-O-V-E his book, I love his writing. I also feel a lot of guilt when I don't L-O-V-E his book, but that's another conversation that I like to save for the therapist's couch.
Q: I've heard there is a whole lotta feminism going on in this book. How do you feel about that?
A: I have a few thoughts/feelings on this, so I'm going to start a list.
Thought #1: I do not consider myself to be a feminist. This is not because I disagree with feminism but because I've never taken the time to see what it's all about. I'll admit my ignorance.
Oh, hi! It's now 2022 and I've grown up a bit. Strike the above from the records.
Thought #2: I loved the "levels" of feminism shown. Felix's sister, ex-wife, and daughter all share different ideas on the rights of women with different levels/extremes that are based on their life experiences, their ages, their environment, etc. I found this very interesting and identified with a more modern approach (his daughter) than the radical approach (his ex-wife).
Thought #3: Felix's awareness of the struggles of women is unlike that of most (all?!) men I know, which makes it difficult for me to gauge the authenticity. Once again, Wally Lamb writes more like a woman than most women. It's not an insult.
Q: There are ghosts in this book. Did you have to sleep with all your lights on?
A: The "ghosts" in this book were mostly old movie stars, so my electric bill stayed nice and low. Although this "supernatural" angle seemed very unlike Wally Lamb to me, I actually liked it. I liked that it was not taken too seriously. Maybe I should call 911. But what would I tell them? That I've been chatting with a couple of ghosts? That I take a size large in straitjackets? I kept thinking about what movies stars from the past I would like to visit me and what conversations we'd have. #nerdalert #iheartTCM
Q: What was your favorite part?
A: I don't know if I can pick one certain part. I really enjoyed Felix's relationship with his daughter. I really enjoyed Felix being put back into his past because he would NEVER have had the awareness as a young boy that he had as an adult to see the hardships of women (or just his family in general) when he was growing up. I loved his sisters, especially Francis. I liked this book a LOT more than I suspected. Although it has the same characters as Wishin' and Hopin', it has a completely different vibe. It's no She's Come Undone or I Know This Much is True but WHAT IS?
Q: Are you hungry?
A: STARVING.
4 Stars
------------------------------------------------
A new Wally Lamb book?!
I'msoexcited!
Even though I have to admit that Wishin' and Hopin' was my least favorite Wally Lamb book by far, I'm all about second chances.
Q: Why did you pick up I'll Take You There in the first place, Natalie?
A: Well, Natalie, I had read Wishin' and Hopin' but had lukewarm feelings about it (cute, quick Christmas tale but didn't feel as Wally Lamb as other Wally Lamb books), so that did not push me to read this one. However, Wally Lamb is one of my FAVORITE authors. Even when I don't L-O-V-E his book, I love his writing. I also feel a lot of guilt when I don't L-O-V-E his book, but that's another conversation that I like to save for the therapist's couch.
Q: I've heard there is a whole lotta feminism going on in this book. How do you feel about that?
A: I have a few thoughts/feelings on this, so I'm going to start a list.
Oh, hi! It's now 2022 and I've grown up a bit. Strike the above from the records.
Thought #2: I loved the "levels" of feminism shown. Felix's sister, ex-wife, and daughter all share different ideas on the rights of women with different levels/extremes that are based on their life experiences, their ages, their environment, etc. I found this very interesting and identified with a more modern approach (his daughter) than the radical approach (his ex-wife).
Thought #3: Felix's awareness of the struggles of women is unlike that of most (all?!) men I know, which makes it difficult for me to gauge the authenticity. Once again, Wally Lamb writes more like a woman than most women. It's not an insult.
Q: There are ghosts in this book. Did you have to sleep with all your lights on?
A: The "ghosts" in this book were mostly old movie stars, so my electric bill stayed nice and low. Although this "supernatural" angle seemed very unlike Wally Lamb to me, I actually liked it. I liked that it was not taken too seriously. Maybe I should call 911. But what would I tell them? That I've been chatting with a couple of ghosts? That I take a size large in straitjackets? I kept thinking about what movies stars from the past I would like to visit me and what conversations we'd have. #nerdalert #iheartTCM
Q: What was your favorite part?
A: I don't know if I can pick one certain part. I really enjoyed Felix's relationship with his daughter. I really enjoyed Felix being put back into his past because he would NEVER have had the awareness as a young boy that he had as an adult to see the hardships of women (or just his family in general) when he was growing up. I loved his sisters, especially Francis. I liked this book a LOT more than I suspected. Although it has the same characters as Wishin' and Hopin', it has a completely different vibe. It's no She's Come Undone or I Know This Much is True but WHAT IS?
Q: Are you hungry?
A: STARVING.
4 Stars
------------------------------------------------
A new Wally Lamb book?!
I'msoexcited!
Even though I have to admit that Wishin' and Hopin' was my least favorite Wally Lamb book by far, I'm all about second chances.
December 7, 2016
Not one of Wally Lamb's best books...
...in fact, when considering the greatness that is Wally Lamb, who set the bare extremely high with works like "she's come undone" and "I know this much is true" this might have actually been his worst so far, that's not to say it was a bad book but I was expecting more.
I was really looking forward to this book when I heard it was out because Wally Lamb has been one of my favorite authors since I read "she's come undone" when I was 15 years old, and have since read, and loved, every single book he's come out with since, including the composition of short stories written by inmates at a women's prison where Lamb taught a writing class. I think he's an amazing, often under appreciated, talent and one of the best writers of our time. This new book just didn't do him justice although it was very well written it seemed more like a novella than an actual novel and I would have liked it to have been at least twice the length with a more developed plot. The characters were well thought out, relatable, and complex but I didn't feel as connected or invested in them as I usually become when reading Lamb. Overall I was glad to have read "I'll take you there" and it was certainly worth the short time it took to get from cover to cover and I would recommend to fellow fans of Lamb but to those who haven't read his other works I would highly recommend reading those first because he can do so much better, be so much more powerful of a writer, than one could ever tell from reading this particular novel.
...in fact, when considering the greatness that is Wally Lamb, who set the bare extremely high with works like "she's come undone" and "I know this much is true" this might have actually been his worst so far, that's not to say it was a bad book but I was expecting more.
I was really looking forward to this book when I heard it was out because Wally Lamb has been one of my favorite authors since I read "she's come undone" when I was 15 years old, and have since read, and loved, every single book he's come out with since, including the composition of short stories written by inmates at a women's prison where Lamb taught a writing class. I think he's an amazing, often under appreciated, talent and one of the best writers of our time. This new book just didn't do him justice although it was very well written it seemed more like a novella than an actual novel and I would have liked it to have been at least twice the length with a more developed plot. The characters were well thought out, relatable, and complex but I didn't feel as connected or invested in them as I usually become when reading Lamb. Overall I was glad to have read "I'll take you there" and it was certainly worth the short time it took to get from cover to cover and I would recommend to fellow fans of Lamb but to those who haven't read his other works I would highly recommend reading those first because he can do so much better, be so much more powerful of a writer, than one could ever tell from reading this particular novel.
Read
December 5, 2016I gave up after 80 pages. I can get behind a good ghost story but this didn't qualify.
October 17, 2016
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Wally Lamb has been one of my favorite authors since I first read “She’s Come Undone” when I was 16 years old. One of my favorite books I’ve ever read is his book, “The Hour I First Believed.” I’ve read all of his books and he never ceases to amaze me with his ability to write female characters that are so brutally honest, complex and real. Lamb’s ability to delve inside the mind of a woman and explore the inner workings of the female psyche is, in my opinion, what sets him apart from other male authors. Lamb always writes his characters in such a way that you truly feel like you know them when you finish the book.
“I’ll Take You There” is different than some of Lamb’s previous works, but his exploration into writing with a more light-hearted tone doesn’t take away from the book’s powerful message and Lamb delivers another incredible story. The novel explore serious themes like parenthood, mental illness, eating disorders, gender inequality, complicated family dynamics, reconciling one’s past, and the impact childhood makes on your adult life.
“I’ll Take You There” tackles these themes in the sincere, heartfelt way that Wally Lamb does so well.
“I’ll Take You There” is about Felix Funicello, whose claim to fame is his relationship to his cousin, the famed Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. Felix is a film scholar whose love for movies stretches back to the early celluloid days of Hollywood. His professional love of film extends to an extra-curricular Monday night movie club which has a handful of dedicated members that Felix enjoys screening films for and later discussing at the old movie theater in the neighborhood that was once a place for vaudeville entertainment. Felix has a cordial relationship with his ex-wife Kat, the staunch feminist, and is very close to his grown daughter Aliza. Aliza’s take on feminism is more modern but is a naturally born writer and having been the product of creative parents has benefited her greatly, and she learned about all types of artistic expression which serve her well in the millennial age and her job writing for New York Magazine. Her relationship with her dad is very open and despite her tendency to overshare some of the details of her life that a father would usually not want to hear, Felix adores his time spent with Aliza and enjoys their frequent phone calls, getting to hear about her life in New York, and also getting to offer some fatherly advice when the situation calls for it.
On what seems like a old regular Monday, Felix heads to the theater where he holds his Monday night movie club to set up the projection booth and ready the films he has decided to screen. While in the projection booth, he suddenly sees a ghostly apparition, which leads him to suspect that he may be having some sort of health crisis, or maybe have been slipped drugs at some point. The ghost, Lois Weber, recognizable to Felix because of his extensive knowledge of Hollywood’s silent film era, was one of the first female directors of film and her legacy has been buried under the more famous male directors of her time. Despite being a pioneer of cutting-edge techniques and well respected among her peers, Lois Weber was never given credit where credit was due because she was a woman in a male dominated industry. The ghost of Lois Weber explains these things to Felix, who is still unsure of how he’s communicating with her, but Felix is thoroughly enjoying learning about the celluloid film era from someone who was there. They discuss the other famous directors, actors, and actresses of the time and Lois is even joined by the ghost of silent film star Billie Dove, who starred in many of Lois’s pictures. When Felix asks Lois why she has shown up to talk to him, she says that he is “educable” and then explains to him that she has brought along some films that will be of special interest to Felix. She explains that the film in the reels she brought along are the movie of Felix’s life. With these reels, Felix will be able to re-live certain points of his life. Still unable to process the information being presented to him, Felix reluctantly follows the instructions given to him by Lois and begins to watch the films of his life.
Felix is taken back to times in his life when he was just a happy boy and his sisters Frances and Simone took him to see Pinocchio which led to his love of movies, and to more painful times when his family was dealing with Frances having a life threatening eating-disorder. Although Felix was just a boy during that time, it isn’t until he re-visits these memories as an adult that he realized the impact of what Frances went through had on him. He’s also taken back to other times in his life and visited by other ghosts that shed light on some of his family’s painful secrets and forces Felix to deal with his emotions regarding them.
With each new encounter with Lois and the films of his life, he learns more about what injustices and prejudices women of all eras have had to deal with in every aspect of their lives which leads him to understand the women in his life in a whole new way, and leads him to understand his life and the choices he’s made from a whole new perspective.
I loved the way Wally Lamb handled Felix’s story and the stories of these women and proves even further that Lamb has an understanding of women and what challenges they face in their every day lives that most men lack. Wally Lamb is a brilliant novelist, able to explore all types of themes and deliver beautiful stories that will resonate with his readers long after the last page is read. As a huge fan of his, I am so glad I was able to read and review “I’ll Take You There” and go on another journey with a master story-teller who continues to prove that he is one of the great novelists of our time.
I absolutely recommend this book to lovers of all genres, because it truly appeals to fans of all.
A new addition to my blog is a rating system to let you guys know how much I liked the book I reviewed in a simpler way. I’ll be rating them by stories: (as in stories in a building) 1 story being a modest one floor home, to 10 being a skyscraper. I may change it, but for now I hope you guys agree that it’s a clever play on the story angle, and I like it a lot!
I give this book 9/10 stories. Not quite the Empire State Building, but still a high rise condominium with a top-floor penthouse.
I hope you guys enjoy my review and it inspires you to pick up a copy of “I’ll Take You There” and read it for yourself
Wally Lamb has been one of my favorite authors since I first read “She’s Come Undone” when I was 16 years old. One of my favorite books I’ve ever read is his book, “The Hour I First Believed.” I’ve read all of his books and he never ceases to amaze me with his ability to write female characters that are so brutally honest, complex and real. Lamb’s ability to delve inside the mind of a woman and explore the inner workings of the female psyche is, in my opinion, what sets him apart from other male authors. Lamb always writes his characters in such a way that you truly feel like you know them when you finish the book.
“I’ll Take You There” is different than some of Lamb’s previous works, but his exploration into writing with a more light-hearted tone doesn’t take away from the book’s powerful message and Lamb delivers another incredible story. The novel explore serious themes like parenthood, mental illness, eating disorders, gender inequality, complicated family dynamics, reconciling one’s past, and the impact childhood makes on your adult life.
“I’ll Take You There” tackles these themes in the sincere, heartfelt way that Wally Lamb does so well.
“I’ll Take You There” is about Felix Funicello, whose claim to fame is his relationship to his cousin, the famed Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. Felix is a film scholar whose love for movies stretches back to the early celluloid days of Hollywood. His professional love of film extends to an extra-curricular Monday night movie club which has a handful of dedicated members that Felix enjoys screening films for and later discussing at the old movie theater in the neighborhood that was once a place for vaudeville entertainment. Felix has a cordial relationship with his ex-wife Kat, the staunch feminist, and is very close to his grown daughter Aliza. Aliza’s take on feminism is more modern but is a naturally born writer and having been the product of creative parents has benefited her greatly, and she learned about all types of artistic expression which serve her well in the millennial age and her job writing for New York Magazine. Her relationship with her dad is very open and despite her tendency to overshare some of the details of her life that a father would usually not want to hear, Felix adores his time spent with Aliza and enjoys their frequent phone calls, getting to hear about her life in New York, and also getting to offer some fatherly advice when the situation calls for it.
On what seems like a old regular Monday, Felix heads to the theater where he holds his Monday night movie club to set up the projection booth and ready the films he has decided to screen. While in the projection booth, he suddenly sees a ghostly apparition, which leads him to suspect that he may be having some sort of health crisis, or maybe have been slipped drugs at some point. The ghost, Lois Weber, recognizable to Felix because of his extensive knowledge of Hollywood’s silent film era, was one of the first female directors of film and her legacy has been buried under the more famous male directors of her time. Despite being a pioneer of cutting-edge techniques and well respected among her peers, Lois Weber was never given credit where credit was due because she was a woman in a male dominated industry. The ghost of Lois Weber explains these things to Felix, who is still unsure of how he’s communicating with her, but Felix is thoroughly enjoying learning about the celluloid film era from someone who was there. They discuss the other famous directors, actors, and actresses of the time and Lois is even joined by the ghost of silent film star Billie Dove, who starred in many of Lois’s pictures. When Felix asks Lois why she has shown up to talk to him, she says that he is “educable” and then explains to him that she has brought along some films that will be of special interest to Felix. She explains that the film in the reels she brought along are the movie of Felix’s life. With these reels, Felix will be able to re-live certain points of his life. Still unable to process the information being presented to him, Felix reluctantly follows the instructions given to him by Lois and begins to watch the films of his life.
Felix is taken back to times in his life when he was just a happy boy and his sisters Frances and Simone took him to see Pinocchio which led to his love of movies, and to more painful times when his family was dealing with Frances having a life threatening eating-disorder. Although Felix was just a boy during that time, it isn’t until he re-visits these memories as an adult that he realized the impact of what Frances went through had on him. He’s also taken back to other times in his life and visited by other ghosts that shed light on some of his family’s painful secrets and forces Felix to deal with his emotions regarding them.
With each new encounter with Lois and the films of his life, he learns more about what injustices and prejudices women of all eras have had to deal with in every aspect of their lives which leads him to understand the women in his life in a whole new way, and leads him to understand his life and the choices he’s made from a whole new perspective.
I loved the way Wally Lamb handled Felix’s story and the stories of these women and proves even further that Lamb has an understanding of women and what challenges they face in their every day lives that most men lack. Wally Lamb is a brilliant novelist, able to explore all types of themes and deliver beautiful stories that will resonate with his readers long after the last page is read. As a huge fan of his, I am so glad I was able to read and review “I’ll Take You There” and go on another journey with a master story-teller who continues to prove that he is one of the great novelists of our time.
I absolutely recommend this book to lovers of all genres, because it truly appeals to fans of all.
A new addition to my blog is a rating system to let you guys know how much I liked the book I reviewed in a simpler way. I’ll be rating them by stories: (as in stories in a building) 1 story being a modest one floor home, to 10 being a skyscraper. I may change it, but for now I hope you guys agree that it’s a clever play on the story angle, and I like it a lot!
I give this book 9/10 stories. Not quite the Empire State Building, but still a high rise condominium with a top-floor penthouse.
I hope you guys enjoy my review and it inspires you to pick up a copy of “I’ll Take You There” and read it for yourself
September 19, 2016
This had an interesting premise but it never really went anywhere for me. I could never really relate to the characters or care why this story was being told.
December 15, 2016
A unique reminder of American culture in the 50s-60s, brought together with current culture. The reading experience would be enhanced by reading Wishin' and Hopin' but not necessary.
December 6, 2016
I... hate this. I am starting to think Wally Lamb only had three truly great books in him (which, honestly, is 3 more books than most people get). Do yourself a favor and read his greats: I Know This Much Is True, She's Come Undone, and The Hour I First Believed.
This book cannot POSSIBLY be written by the same man who wrote those. The characters are forced, the dialogue is stiff, the narrator's corny outlook is revolting, the premise is boring - I actually abandoned this halfway through in pursuit of more worthy books.
This book cannot POSSIBLY be written by the same man who wrote those. The characters are forced, the dialogue is stiff, the narrator's corny outlook is revolting, the premise is boring - I actually abandoned this halfway through in pursuit of more worthy books.
December 4, 2016
Before I give you my opinion of Wally Lamb's newest book, I have to admit that I have read and loved everything he has written and he is one of my favorite authors. This wasn't my favorite book by him but it's still a fantastic book. The character of Felix Funicello (who we knew as a child in Wishin' and Hopin') is now 60 years old and this book is a reflection on his life helped along by a few ghosts who provide him with movies of critical points in his childhood. He could not only view the films but he could also become part of it with the feelings that he had at the age he was viewing. Just as important as his reviewing his life is his look at feminism in the past compared to feminism today. I loved seeing how Felix's character evolved from his earlier book and seeing how the events in our past are what makes us the adult we are today. To sum it up, this is a book about aging, family and feminism told in a way that only Wally Lamb could tell it.
December 28, 2016
“”I’ll Take You There” by Wally Lamb re-introduces us to the character of Felix Funicello (previously brought to our attention in Lamb’s Christmas story, “Wishin’ and Hopin’”). In this novel, Felix is a film scholar who runs a workshop for fellow film buffs, based out of an old theatre. While setting up for his film group, Felix comes across the ghost of a female film director from Hollywood’s silent film era. In her interactions with Lois (the film director), Felix gets a Charles Dicken’s-type re-examination of his life, shown to him through snippets on the movie screen that he can explore at will. Through these experiences, the reader gets to share Felix’s life and his upbringing (re-introducing us to some of the characters we met in “Hopin’”), revealing some very deeply hidden family secrets.
Like everyone else, I became a huge fan of Lamb after his novel “She’s Come Undone” and my all-time favourite is “I Know This Much is True”. There is no arguing that Lamb is a prolific and inspirational writer, and in every novel he writes Lamb demonstrates exceptional creative talent. For me, however, my disappointment in Lamb’s work started with “We Are Water” and has increased since then- not because of the way his novels are written or any ineptness of Lamb’s writing- but because each novel since has become increasingly more political, trying to force a modern-day message on the reader.
“Wishin and Hopin” (the pseudo prequel to this novel) was a cute little Christmas story focusing on the life of the extended family of Annette Funnicello (who was apparently in a show related to Mickey Mouse before even my parent’s time?), especially Felix, who is our protagonist in this new novel. The Funicello family was entertaining in “Hopin”, however a follow up was not necessary. I did not feel the need was there to continue the storyline for these characters. However, Lamb did so and, to his credit, he did it rather well. I loved where he took Frances’ character in “Take you There”, and the drama that that entailed- it made the book entertaining (it was the only thing, as a matter of fact).
The novel started off dry, and in fact I almost stopped reading it (which would have been a first for one of Lamb’s novels). Lamb spends pages and pages on pro-feminism diatribes that are irrelevant to the main storyline and seem to be there only to spread Lamb’s thoughts and messages to his readers. Now, of course, I am not anti-female or anti-feminist (how can I be?) but I do not need a successful writer feeding me facts about the history of feminism and how “we” got where we are today. If I wanted to watch politics, I would turn on the news. There is enough opinions out there in the media that anyone could reach out and grab one- I was disappointed that Lamb felt it necessary to throw his opinion so blatantly in his reader’s face.
Lamb’s creative talent is present in “I’ll Take You There”, and his die-hard fans (like me) will read this novel regardless of the reviews (in fact, I purchased a signed first edition), and I encourage it. I however, would prefer Lamb to return to the writing of the past, the words that put his name on the map. I have no problem with supporters of females in power (rah-rah and all that) and I understand the importance of presidential elections and politics in general, and am not in any way ignorant to any of it, but reading is a way to escape from all of it, and Lamb’s book did not allow me to do this. Had Lamb continued with his creative storyline and characters, and left out the political messages, I would’ve enjoyed this book more thoroughly, as it showed potential and promise. I think I will instead, return to “I Know This Much is True”.
Like everyone else, I became a huge fan of Lamb after his novel “She’s Come Undone” and my all-time favourite is “I Know This Much is True”. There is no arguing that Lamb is a prolific and inspirational writer, and in every novel he writes Lamb demonstrates exceptional creative talent. For me, however, my disappointment in Lamb’s work started with “We Are Water” and has increased since then- not because of the way his novels are written or any ineptness of Lamb’s writing- but because each novel since has become increasingly more political, trying to force a modern-day message on the reader.
“Wishin and Hopin” (the pseudo prequel to this novel) was a cute little Christmas story focusing on the life of the extended family of Annette Funnicello (who was apparently in a show related to Mickey Mouse before even my parent’s time?), especially Felix, who is our protagonist in this new novel. The Funicello family was entertaining in “Hopin”, however a follow up was not necessary. I did not feel the need was there to continue the storyline for these characters. However, Lamb did so and, to his credit, he did it rather well. I loved where he took Frances’ character in “Take you There”, and the drama that that entailed- it made the book entertaining (it was the only thing, as a matter of fact).
The novel started off dry, and in fact I almost stopped reading it (which would have been a first for one of Lamb’s novels). Lamb spends pages and pages on pro-feminism diatribes that are irrelevant to the main storyline and seem to be there only to spread Lamb’s thoughts and messages to his readers. Now, of course, I am not anti-female or anti-feminist (how can I be?) but I do not need a successful writer feeding me facts about the history of feminism and how “we” got where we are today. If I wanted to watch politics, I would turn on the news. There is enough opinions out there in the media that anyone could reach out and grab one- I was disappointed that Lamb felt it necessary to throw his opinion so blatantly in his reader’s face.
Lamb’s creative talent is present in “I’ll Take You There”, and his die-hard fans (like me) will read this novel regardless of the reviews (in fact, I purchased a signed first edition), and I encourage it. I however, would prefer Lamb to return to the writing of the past, the words that put his name on the map. I have no problem with supporters of females in power (rah-rah and all that) and I understand the importance of presidential elections and politics in general, and am not in any way ignorant to any of it, but reading is a way to escape from all of it, and Lamb’s book did not allow me to do this. Had Lamb continued with his creative storyline and characters, and left out the political messages, I would’ve enjoyed this book more thoroughly, as it showed potential and promise. I think I will instead, return to “I Know This Much is True”.
February 7, 2017
Imagine being able to go back and see parts of your life like a movie? This one did not disappoint.
December 13, 2016
I love Wally Lamb's writing and would read the phone book if he wrote that. I'm sure he'd find a way to make it fascinating. So it pains me to give him anything below five stars. However, when I get a Wally Lamb book, I expect an elaborate plot with lots of twists and turns. While there were some twists in this story, I felt there was very little plot.
I'll Take You There is mostly told in flashbacks, with some scenes from the present interspersed. Most of those scenes either take place in the movie theater or through conversations between Felix and his daughter. So the focus is definitely on the past. And the flashbacks are great. Classic Wally Lamb! I enjoyed reading about Felix's childhood and teen years. There was even a story within a story, when Verna talks about her life. And that was also very interesting.
What didn't work so well was that some timing was off. I can't say what it was because that would present a spoiler, but I did some math based on Felix's age in various years and some things did not add up correctly. Also, a huge chunk of the book was devoted to talking about the history of Miss Rheingold. While some parts of it were necessary, it felt like it was filler that took away from the story. I also have never read a surreal story written by Wally Lamb and felt like some of it was a bit far-fetched, without much of an explanation. Perhaps Lois's lessons would have been better spent on someone who actually needs to reflect on their attitude toward women. Felix seemed like a good guy who treats women respectfully. There also is a lot of name dropping and pop culture references. I only knew about a handful, so it was like a history lesson for movie buffs.
If you want a quick escape and a glimpse of the past, this is the book for you. Wally's thoughtful and descriptive writing will definitely take your mind off everything else going on in the world. I just hope he will go back to his usual style for future novels. No matter what, he's still one of my favorite authors.
What would a book about movies be without movie casting ideas?
Felix: J.K. Simmons
Aliza: Lola Kirke
Lois: Brenda Strong
I'll Take You There is mostly told in flashbacks, with some scenes from the present interspersed. Most of those scenes either take place in the movie theater or through conversations between Felix and his daughter. So the focus is definitely on the past. And the flashbacks are great. Classic Wally Lamb! I enjoyed reading about Felix's childhood and teen years. There was even a story within a story, when Verna talks about her life. And that was also very interesting.
What didn't work so well was that some timing was off. I can't say what it was because that would present a spoiler, but I did some math based on Felix's age in various years and some things did not add up correctly. Also, a huge chunk of the book was devoted to talking about the history of Miss Rheingold. While some parts of it were necessary, it felt like it was filler that took away from the story. I also have never read a surreal story written by Wally Lamb and felt like some of it was a bit far-fetched, without much of an explanation. Perhaps Lois's lessons would have been better spent on someone who actually needs to reflect on their attitude toward women. Felix seemed like a good guy who treats women respectfully. There also is a lot of name dropping and pop culture references. I only knew about a handful, so it was like a history lesson for movie buffs.
If you want a quick escape and a glimpse of the past, this is the book for you. Wally's thoughtful and descriptive writing will definitely take your mind off everything else going on in the world. I just hope he will go back to his usual style for future novels. No matter what, he's still one of my favorite authors.
What would a book about movies be without movie casting ideas?
Felix: J.K. Simmons
Aliza: Lola Kirke
Lois: Brenda Strong
July 1, 2017
No clue what this book was trying to do. Lots of weird feminist stuff, but did not really make sense. Freaking out about The Rolling Stones under my thumb for some unknown reasons?!?? Anyway, almost stopped reading it which I never do, but it was short enough so finished it. Not quite sure why I wasted my time
January 20, 2017
The narrator's voice never rang true to me. I have loved Lamb's previous work, and think he has been talented speaking from experience outside his own. But "grumpy old man" and "sex in the city" daughter aren't working here.
January 19, 2021
RATING: 3 STARS
The issue I had with the last two full-length novels by Lamb was that at times the book felt too long. When I saw that this book was less than 300 pages I thought this may be the next She’s Come Undone. I read the novella (Wishin’ and Hopin’) first as I knew it was a prequel in a way. I liked the character of Felix so was looking forward to an older Felix in I’ll Take You There. In this novel, Felix is middle-aged, divorced with a 20-something daughter and a film scholar. As he is dealing with the present, he also visits his past with some ghosts that appear to him. There are a lot of things happening in this book but no overall arc to talk about. And, I still had the same issue as the novels mentioned above. I feel like while this novel is short it still has parts that seem to have no cohesion in the overall novel. I did like Felix’s relationship with his daughter, Aliza which I think would have made a great story. I also liked the story of France – which is what I think the novel should have been mostly about and told from her point of view (he writes women so well, I wish he would write them more often). And, the feminism that runs through this book makes it worth the read. I gave this novel a three for those reasons. I would say…this is a book for fans of Wally Lamb. It is exciting to see his writing, but it feels more like a few first drafts sewn together. There is so much talent in this man, I will read any novel by him, even if I a forewarned it is not great. And, P.S. the cover to this novel is gorgeous!
Blog post has more on this book and series
My Novelesque Life
The issue I had with the last two full-length novels by Lamb was that at times the book felt too long. When I saw that this book was less than 300 pages I thought this may be the next She’s Come Undone. I read the novella (Wishin’ and Hopin’) first as I knew it was a prequel in a way. I liked the character of Felix so was looking forward to an older Felix in I’ll Take You There. In this novel, Felix is middle-aged, divorced with a 20-something daughter and a film scholar. As he is dealing with the present, he also visits his past with some ghosts that appear to him. There are a lot of things happening in this book but no overall arc to talk about. And, I still had the same issue as the novels mentioned above. I feel like while this novel is short it still has parts that seem to have no cohesion in the overall novel. I did like Felix’s relationship with his daughter, Aliza which I think would have made a great story. I also liked the story of France – which is what I think the novel should have been mostly about and told from her point of view (he writes women so well, I wish he would write them more often). And, the feminism that runs through this book makes it worth the read. I gave this novel a three for those reasons. I would say…this is a book for fans of Wally Lamb. It is exciting to see his writing, but it feels more like a few first drafts sewn together. There is so much talent in this man, I will read any novel by him, even if I a forewarned it is not great. And, P.S. the cover to this novel is gorgeous!
Blog post has more on this book and series
My Novelesque Life
June 5, 2017
So this started off great. I was really enjoying it and then about halfway through...I was over it. I mean I get what the book was about but, no.
February 7, 2017
I seriously hope there are some Wally Lamb fans out there who can tell me what all the fuss is about or at least that I'll Take You There is simply not an example of his best work.
I acknowledge that I am jet-lagged after our big trip away and now a yucky summer head cold has caught up with me too. My ability to concentrate is severely impaired, which is why I had to put down Herodotus' The Histories for a bit.
I'll Take You There seemed light enough and interesting enough for my tired brain to cope with. A bit of a ghost story with a bit of time travel sounded fun. A family drama with secrets, revelations and personal insights sounded just right.
Full review here -http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20...
I acknowledge that I am jet-lagged after our big trip away and now a yucky summer head cold has caught up with me too. My ability to concentrate is severely impaired, which is why I had to put down Herodotus' The Histories for a bit.
I'll Take You There seemed light enough and interesting enough for my tired brain to cope with. A bit of a ghost story with a bit of time travel sounded fun. A family drama with secrets, revelations and personal insights sounded just right.
Full review here -http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20...
October 30, 2016
The narrative voice drove me to distraction! I didn't mind so much when Felix was talking to me-as-the-reader with his ho hum golly gee ain't this modern world somethin' voice. But when he was educating me-as-the-reader by having a "conversation" with another character...man, was it annoying! It reminded me of the patronizing way some doctors ask "How are WE today?" Felix's conversations with Lois were just an excuse to teach/lecture on film history.
I was surprised/disappointed that a celebrated, veteran author would use such a ploy. And use it so terribly! Maybe it got better better once the reader had "learned it good", but I wasn't willing to read on in order to find out.
I was surprised/disappointed that a celebrated, veteran author would use such a ploy. And use it so terribly! Maybe it got better better once the reader had "learned it good", but I wasn't willing to read on in order to find out.
December 3, 2016
I started reading this book because I really liked "We are Water."
I abandoned this book a third of the way through, because the protagonist is unbearable.
We are told that the main character is sixty years old, but given Lamb's portrayal he seems more like eighty. I was starting to get over that when Lamb places us in the mind of the protagonist when he was six years old. Whether or not he accurately portrays a six year old is moot. What adult would want to read page after page of the minutiae of everyday life written through the perspective of an annoying six year old boy?
I bailed. Don't waste your time or money.
I abandoned this book a third of the way through, because the protagonist is unbearable.
We are told that the main character is sixty years old, but given Lamb's portrayal he seems more like eighty. I was starting to get over that when Lamb places us in the mind of the protagonist when he was six years old. Whether or not he accurately portrays a six year old is moot. What adult would want to read page after page of the minutiae of everyday life written through the perspective of an annoying six year old boy?
I bailed. Don't waste your time or money.
November 4, 2016
Wally Lamb's latest novel, "I'll Take You There", is about 60-year old film expert, Felix Funicello. It starts out great: his musings on aging are spot-on and his film references will delight film buffs. But in chapter two he meets two ghosts in the projection room of an old theater. Hmm...not my cuppa - but hey, I love Noel Coward's, "Blithe Spirit", so I hung on.
So these ghosts are Lois Weber and Billie Dove, both of whom were real people. Lois was a powerful film director in Hollywood, and Billie was an actress. Their Wiki pages are a wealth of information - and Lamb flushes it out a bit in the story. I had no idea who Lois Weber was, and Lamb does us all a service in this novel by bringing her accomplishments and struggles to light.
Lois and Billie provide Felix with films of his life and they allow him to "re-enter" specific times in his history. It's a cute conceit…and I confess to fantasizing about how much fun that would be (and how dangerous). Readers who are right around the age of 60 will especially enjoy the trip down memory lane that Felix takes. But then, of course, his memories turn dark.
In the end there is a gentle screed about feminism, past and present, that assumes all women/feminists feel the same about all the issues, which are much more complicated than presented. This was off-putting to me, but frankly it’s also pretty common: “if you don’t agree about X then you aren’t really a feminist”. Sigh. The best thing I can say is that it’s a fast read. No, I take that back, the best thing I can say is: do yourself a favor and skip this book but DO read Lamb’s beautiful novel, “I Know This Much is True”.
So these ghosts are Lois Weber and Billie Dove, both of whom were real people. Lois was a powerful film director in Hollywood, and Billie was an actress. Their Wiki pages are a wealth of information - and Lamb flushes it out a bit in the story. I had no idea who Lois Weber was, and Lamb does us all a service in this novel by bringing her accomplishments and struggles to light.
Lois and Billie provide Felix with films of his life and they allow him to "re-enter" specific times in his history. It's a cute conceit…and I confess to fantasizing about how much fun that would be (and how dangerous). Readers who are right around the age of 60 will especially enjoy the trip down memory lane that Felix takes. But then, of course, his memories turn dark.
In the end there is a gentle screed about feminism, past and present, that assumes all women/feminists feel the same about all the issues, which are much more complicated than presented. This was off-putting to me, but frankly it’s also pretty common: “if you don’t agree about X then you aren’t really a feminist”. Sigh. The best thing I can say is that it’s a fast read. No, I take that back, the best thing I can say is: do yourself a favor and skip this book but DO read Lamb’s beautiful novel, “I Know This Much is True”.
February 19, 2017
Oh Wally Lamb. How does he take such a fun idea and turn it into thoughtful insights into feminism, advertising, and dark family secrets. I loved it right off because the main character is a movie buff and has a movie club along with teaching. I'm hoping Mr. Lamb is also like his character so I have that in common with him. I also loved his idea of bringing a few ghosts to life in an old theater and learning about an amazing woman from the 20s that I'd never heard about. I like when a book engages me enough to want to look up information about the characters. He weaves fact with fiction very well.
March 5, 2017
As a huge Wally Lamb fan, I began this story with high expectations but became wary shortly into it. The old movie references and trivia were not quite living up the standards that Mr. Lamb had set in his previous books for me. He almost lost me when the ghosts entered the story. However, once I got past that part and got into the story about the family, I saw the Wally Lamb writing I that remembered and loved and realized that the concept that Lamb has created of vividly seeing our past or even reliving it is something that I have found quite fascinating. To really view the events of one's past without the misconceptions borne of fading memories and passing time or the inexperience of youth, while sometimes painful, could be a potentially life affirming opportunity (as proven by Felix himself.) In the end, I found what I have always loved about Wally Lamb's stories. Life can be messy and sometimes cruel, but hope and love must prevail. So despite the rocky beginning, I am glad that I held out hope in the story and made it to its lovely conclusion.
October 21, 2016
Lamb takes a somewhat unexpected detour into magical realism in his latest novel. Fenix Funicello is an aging film buff, who runs a small town movie club. He finds that the specters of old Hollywood are also attending his weekly meetings, leading him to revisit his past through supernatural means. Felix learns a new appreciation for the women in his life, as well as the silent film actresses guiding his journey.
The premise is overall a little lame, and the characters all seem unnatural. In a novel with such a supernatural premise, which requires its readers to make a huge leap of faith, Lamb forgot to make his characters believable. A lot of the plot seems baby-boomer schlocky in a way that is wildly unlike Lamb's other novels, which are among my all-time favorites.
A major disappointment.
The premise is overall a little lame, and the characters all seem unnatural. In a novel with such a supernatural premise, which requires its readers to make a huge leap of faith, Lamb forgot to make his characters believable. A lot of the plot seems baby-boomer schlocky in a way that is wildly unlike Lamb's other novels, which are among my all-time favorites.
A major disappointment.
February 18, 2018
This story is a creative attempt to bridge the reality of past feminist ideals, struggles & pressures with that of today- to illuminate the path.. the ugly, and sometimes victorious path. I enjoyed parts of it- mostly Felix's childhood memories. Good story but not his best work.
December 6, 2017
Felix Funicello is a film professor who lives in Connecticut. He is divorced and has one daughter, Eliza, who is currently working for New York Magazine. Felix also has two older sister, Simone and Frances who are an integral part of his life. Felix hold a movie club on Monday nights in the old Vaudeville theater in town. One night as he is setting up, he is visited by the ghost of Lois Weber, a renowned film director in her time. Lois shows Felix glimpses of his life along with the important women in it. Through these snapshots, Felix gains a greater understanding of the women in his life and women in general.
This book was reminiscent to A Christmas Carol, but he is visited by the same ghost, who brings three different visitors with her. Felix is first returned to his six year-old self. Where he and his sisters are helping their neighbor gather votes to become the next Rheingold Girl. Rheingold is a beer. This happens after his daughter tells him she has to write a piece about these girls.
The next transportation is a few years later when Felix is twelve. His mother and sister are talking in the kitchen about her boss being inappropriate with her at work. This part I heard just a few days after hearing day after day about a new man in a high position has been removed because of inappropriate behavior in the work place. Mind you, this is taking place in the early '60s and times were different, but some things never change. As Eliza, is telling her mother about what her boss has said, it's the mother's response that truly strikes me.
"Men are men. Shapely girls like you just have to put up with stuff like that in the working world or else quit. Those are your choices."
Thank God, those are no longer our choices, and that shouldn't have been the mentality then, maybe we wouldn't have all these issues today.
Also during this trip, Felix is given some news about his family that will change the dynamic forever.
The final time Lois comes to visit, the guest she brings, gives Felix a testimony that he has wondered about in the back of his mind for most of his life. That helps to fill a missing piece. The story is sad and is a part of the two previous visits from Lois.
All of these visits help Felix to be a better man, brother and father to the women in his life.
I think this is a very important book for all women to read, especially with the things going on in our world today. Told from the male point of view, I think it helps to see that some men can be empathetic to the plights of women. And this books covers a lot of those plights, from feminism, to abortion, adoption and acceptance. Years ago, I read She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb and I remember feeling the same way after reading it. Read them both.
This book was reminiscent to A Christmas Carol, but he is visited by the same ghost, who brings three different visitors with her. Felix is first returned to his six year-old self. Where he and his sisters are helping their neighbor gather votes to become the next Rheingold Girl. Rheingold is a beer. This happens after his daughter tells him she has to write a piece about these girls.
The next transportation is a few years later when Felix is twelve. His mother and sister are talking in the kitchen about her boss being inappropriate with her at work. This part I heard just a few days after hearing day after day about a new man in a high position has been removed because of inappropriate behavior in the work place. Mind you, this is taking place in the early '60s and times were different, but some things never change. As Eliza, is telling her mother about what her boss has said, it's the mother's response that truly strikes me.
"Men are men. Shapely girls like you just have to put up with stuff like that in the working world or else quit. Those are your choices."
Thank God, those are no longer our choices, and that shouldn't have been the mentality then, maybe we wouldn't have all these issues today.
Also during this trip, Felix is given some news about his family that will change the dynamic forever.
The final time Lois comes to visit, the guest she brings, gives Felix a testimony that he has wondered about in the back of his mind for most of his life. That helps to fill a missing piece. The story is sad and is a part of the two previous visits from Lois.
All of these visits help Felix to be a better man, brother and father to the women in his life.
I think this is a very important book for all women to read, especially with the things going on in our world today. Told from the male point of view, I think it helps to see that some men can be empathetic to the plights of women. And this books covers a lot of those plights, from feminism, to abortion, adoption and acceptance. Years ago, I read She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb and I remember feeling the same way after reading it. Read them both.
August 28, 2018
Started off great, but alas...
April 1, 2017
This was my first Wally Lamb book, and I get the strong impression it wasn’t the best one to start with for this author. While I Know This Much is True and She’s Come Undone appear to me to be ambitious and dramatic epics, I’ll Take You There honestly feels like something Lamb could have written up in a single weekend. I’ll still undoubtedly try out some of Lamb’s other books in the future, but this one was pretty weak, and felt more like a short story stretched out to novel length so it could be sold as such.
The whole ghosts/time travel device feels like a hoaky and unnecessary gimmick. There very well could have been potential an interesting novel about the protagonist’s family here: about the various women in Felix Funicello’s life, the challenges they experienced in their respective eras, and the way feminism has changed and evolved over the generations. But the supernatural element does nothing to enhance or improve upon that idea, and in fact is really just a distraction from it.
Lois Weber, a pioneer director from the silent film era, pulls a “This Is Your Life!” and having Felix to recall his past by watching or participating in film versions of his childhood. The idea is rather silly on its face, but it’s also never even made clear why they are visiting Felix in the first place. The closest they come to explaining is that he is an “educable” man, but why does he need to be educated? Before the ghosts visit him, he appears by all accounts to be a good, caring man who appreciates his family and fully supports the feminist ideals championed by the women he loves. So why does he need these ghosts, anyway?
This is never adequately explained, and the ghosts simply and abruptly stop appearing to him as the book nears its conclusion. I’m a big film buff, so I thought the idea of cinematic icons like Billie Dove and Ingrid Bergman (my favorite actress of all time) being heavily featured in this book would appeal to me, perhaps in the vein of Cinema Paradiso but with supernatural elements. I expected the magic of cinema to play some role in major revelations that Felix would have about his life, but I saw little of that in the end. It seemed to serve only to make the very obvious point that Lois Weber had to struggle in her career just as other feminists and strong-willed women had to struggle in their own times.
In the end, the supernatural and cinematic elements feel like filler in a book that already had plenty of that. Between paragraphs of dialogue between ghosts discussing movie trivia, and entire chapters in the style of news articles or blog posts written by Felix’s journalist daughter, it felt like Wally Lamb was straining to meet a required page limit. There are also heavy doses of baby boomer nostalgia throughout this book, which occasionally got tiresome. Ultimately, I’m hoping my next foray into Wally Lamb is a better one, and that I’ll Take You There is a low point in an otherwise impressive bibliography.
The whole ghosts/time travel device feels like a hoaky and unnecessary gimmick. There very well could have been potential an interesting novel about the protagonist’s family here: about the various women in Felix Funicello’s life, the challenges they experienced in their respective eras, and the way feminism has changed and evolved over the generations. But the supernatural element does nothing to enhance or improve upon that idea, and in fact is really just a distraction from it.
Lois Weber, a pioneer director from the silent film era, pulls a “This Is Your Life!” and having Felix to recall his past by watching or participating in film versions of his childhood. The idea is rather silly on its face, but it’s also never even made clear why they are visiting Felix in the first place. The closest they come to explaining is that he is an “educable” man, but why does he need to be educated? Before the ghosts visit him, he appears by all accounts to be a good, caring man who appreciates his family and fully supports the feminist ideals championed by the women he loves. So why does he need these ghosts, anyway?
This is never adequately explained, and the ghosts simply and abruptly stop appearing to him as the book nears its conclusion. I’m a big film buff, so I thought the idea of cinematic icons like Billie Dove and Ingrid Bergman (my favorite actress of all time) being heavily featured in this book would appeal to me, perhaps in the vein of Cinema Paradiso but with supernatural elements. I expected the magic of cinema to play some role in major revelations that Felix would have about his life, but I saw little of that in the end. It seemed to serve only to make the very obvious point that Lois Weber had to struggle in her career just as other feminists and strong-willed women had to struggle in their own times.
In the end, the supernatural and cinematic elements feel like filler in a book that already had plenty of that. Between paragraphs of dialogue between ghosts discussing movie trivia, and entire chapters in the style of news articles or blog posts written by Felix’s journalist daughter, it felt like Wally Lamb was straining to meet a required page limit. There are also heavy doses of baby boomer nostalgia throughout this book, which occasionally got tiresome. Ultimately, I’m hoping my next foray into Wally Lamb is a better one, and that I’ll Take You There is a low point in an otherwise impressive bibliography.
December 5, 2018
My first read by Wally Lamb wasn't quite what I expected. I thought I misheard at the beginning when Felix was seeing ghosts offering to show him "films" of his past, into which he could jump and relive the scenes. I didn't really buy it but went along anyway but was put off by the "twist" focusing on his sister. I wondered why the book wasn't just written from her POV. The more I asked myself that the more I thought using Felix as the container for HER story made no sense.
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November 27, 2017What I read of this book was just incredibly dumb. Got to page 73 and decided to move on. Still like Wally Lamb, but probably won’t revisit this one. 2/5 for what I actually read.
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