Customer Reviews

Boys and Girls Together: A Novel

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Boys and Girls together is the story of raising two small children while writing plays and trying to hold a once sexy marriage together. Saroyan's best writing are found in his plays and short stories -- My Name is Aram is the best -- but this novel, long out of print, can make anyone who is strugleing with child raising, writing and love smile: Saroyan makes us laugh because raising children and staying married are difficult things and the way saroyan gets through difficult things is by never taking anything too seriously. There is a wonderful part in this book where he explains the reasons for NOT having children with any of his girlfriends that were around before his wife. And this coming from the man who married and divorced the same woman twice...

Boys And Girls Together by William Saroyan is a humorous, touching, and insightful look at human fallibility and the strained interpersonal relationships that result. Probably somewhat autobiographical, the plot concerns an aging writer finding it difficult to feel inspired to work amid marital and financial strains and the time-consuming (though often joyous) demands of raising two children. His wife is a frustrating but pitiable younger woman whose combination of helplessness, sex appeal, and ability to manipulate her husband's emotions imposes a constant drain on his ability to focus (and thus his income), meanwhile perpetuating the dysfunctional union. The couple's individual personalities and relationships with each other are juxtaposed with those of their friends, many awkward truths being voiced under the influence of alcohol. Mortality and the mourning process are observed with a keen eye, as well as are human desire and the will to live (and procreate). Saroyan's characters are paradoxically complex - their flaws so understated and believable that they rarely provoke severe judgement so much as a nagging wish that they'd sober up and go home. Boys And Girls Together is full of life, unpretentious, and quick to read. I will definitely be seeking out more of Saroyan's work.