Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Authors: John Green and David Levithan
Narrators: Nick Podehl and MacLeod Andrews
ISBN: 978-1-4418-4259-6
Audiobook Length: 7 hours, 52 minutes
Genre: Young Adult; Fiction
Origins: Mine. All mine.
Release Date: 5 April 2011
Bottom Line: This just might be my favorite John Green novel of all time.
Synopsis:
“It’s not that far from Evanston to Naperville, but Chicago suburbanites Will Grayson and Will Grayson might as well live on different planets. When fate delivers them both to the same surprising crossroads, the Will Graysons find their lives overlapping and hurtling in new and unexpected directions. With a push from friends new and old — including the massive, and massively fabulous, Tiny Cooper, offensive lineman and musical theater auteur extraordinaire — Will and Will begin building toward respective romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most awesome high school musical.”
Thoughts: Nick Podehl and MacLeod Andrews are the perfect narrators for Will and Will. Neither man’s voice is too young or too old, an important distinction for young adult novels. Also, each narrator embodies his particular Will in a fashion that is just uncanny. Some of this is due to the brilliance of the words they read. The rest is due to their understanding of their character. The fact that both narrators are not afraid to sing songs from Tiny Cooper’s musical is a particular highlight. Together, their nuanced performances emphasize the creative genius that is the team of John Green and David Levithan.
There is so much to love about Will Grayson, Will Grayson. The writing is fabulous, and the characters are even better. Tiny Cooper all but steals the show. Everything about him is larger than life, and one does not mind his unabashed confidence. His musical is absolutely hilarious and yet so achingly real. The two Wills are distinctly different, each with their own personalities and issues. The entire story is one that will have readers experiencing the full gamut of emotions and will leave each reader just a bit richer in human understanding.
