I'll Take You There: A Novel

By Joyce Carol Oates

"Anellia" is a young student who, though gifted with a penetrating intelligence, is drastically inclined to obsession. Funny, mordant, and compulsive, she falls passionately in love with a brilliant yet elusive black philosophy student. But she is tested most severely by a figure out of her past she'd long believed dead.

Astonishingly intimate and unsparing, and pitiless in exposing the follies of the time, I'll Take You There is a dramatic revelation of the risks—and curious rewards—of the obsessive personality as well as a testament to the stubborn strength of a certain type of contemporary female intellectual.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 17, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061745003

Joyce Carol Oates

JOYCE CAROL OATES is the recipient of the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction and the winner of the National Book Award. Among her major works are We Were the Mulvaneys, Blonde, and The Falls.

Reviews for I'll Take You There

[stefaniegeeks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a quiet story and, while I liked the main character and the time period quite a lot, I didn't feel very satisfied upon finishing it. It's an interesting story on family dynamics, how times have changed in the last 50 years, and has some lovely film history to geek out over but it was too cozy for my taste.

[chasidar_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'd give this 3 1/2 stars. I liked it but felt it left me wanting. The characters weren't developed enough and the ends tied up too quickly and neatly. I liked both the story which took place in the past and the present day story but didn't like the gimmick used to tell about Felix's childhood. Left me wishing the book was actually longer

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have loved Wally Lamb's books since his first one, She's Come Undone, so I always pre-order his books, signed if available and I have never been disappointed, ever in any of his books. This book is no exception. Loved it!

[sparemethecensor · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not for me. No plot and underwhelming characters.

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Read from September 04 to 05, 2016Wally Lamb doesn't disappoint in this lighthearted, yet surprisingly deep novel about the women that have effected the life Felix Funicello - a character we first met in Lamb's 2009 Christmas novella Wishin' and Hopin'. The writing makes for an easy read, while the story gives us a look into the lives of women and the choices they faced throughout the Funicello family's history. There are family secrets and difficult choices that the reader discovers along with Felix.

[bookchickdi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wally Lamb is a writer who grabs the reader emotionally, taking them on a heartfelt journey in each book that he writes. I first discovered him in She's Come Undone, which I read at work. I cried so hard, people would stop by and ask me if I was OK. That's the kind of writer he is.When I began his latest novel, I'll Take You There, I got a different kind of vibe, a lighter tone. Felix Funicello, cousin of 1960's star Annette Funicello, is a divorced dad of Aliza, a young woman working as a writer for New York magazine.I loved the interplay between Aliza and her dad. Felix teases Aliza about her coarse language (an unfortunate side effect of living in NYC) and is supportive and encouraging in her career. Kat, Aliza's mom and Felix's ex-wife, is a strident feminist, and Felix and Kat still get along well even though they are divorced.Felix runs a Monday movie night club at a old theatre that used be a vaudeville theatre. He has heard talk of ghosts that inhabit the place, but hadn't seen any until one day he is accosted by the ghost of Lois Weber, who made her name as a female director of films of the silent era. Lois tells Felix that she is going to show him a film of his life, starting when he was ten years old.Felix actually enters the film and he becomes the young boy he once was. We meet his older sisters, Simone and Frances, as they are going to the theatre to see a movie. We learn about Felix's family and their relationships to each other.The story deepens midway, when Frances faces some issues that she has been unable to deal with. The entire family is affected by Frances's problems, and the children learn some secrets that threaten the family's cohesion.I grew to love I'll Take You There. I enjoyed the nostalgic look back at 1950's Brooklyn, and the history lesson of the Miss Rheingold beer competition that the Funicello children became personally involved in when their former babysitter was a finalist.Lamb tugs at the heartstrings of the reader in the latter half of the story, with a tale that brought tears to my eyes. (Damn you Wally Lamb, you did it again!) The Funicello family worms their way into your heart and you love and identify with them. (Fans of TV's wonderful new show This Is Us would love I'll Take You There. It has a similar sensibility and blend of humor and pathos.)Aliza is given the task of writing about the Miss Rheingold competition, which galls her since she was a Feminist Studies major in college. But she learns something interesting, and Lamb ends the novel with a blog post written by Aliza to her mom about the new generation of feminists that will particularly enlighten feminists of my age who may not quite recognize the feminists of today.I'll Take You There features a grown-up Felix, whom we first met as a young boy in Lamb's sweet Christmas novel Wishin' and Hopin', and while you don't have to have read that book to appreciate this one, those who have read it will enjoy it on a higher level. I highly recommend I'll Take You There, and it would make a great gift for the literary feminist on your list.

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[bearette24 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. History, feminism, pop culture, storytelling and Hollywood lore: it had it all.

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you were politically aware in the 1960s, and especially if you were at university around that time, then this book will bring back memories. It's worth reading just for JCO's take on that situation of which she was very much a part. In fact, I reckon there's a lot of autobiography in this novel (I've just recently read her memoir written on the death of her husband, but looking back to their early relationship in the time this book is set). It's much more than of historical interest though. The un-named main character has a personal growth experience with which many readers will find empathy. JCO's perspective added significantly to my understanding of self, but could add much more to a reader who is a white female in a mixed-colour society. There's a fairly heavy philosophy orientation which is really integral with the story and enriches it a lot. JCO also makes a strong bid to rescue the semi-colon from demise, single-handedly using up the whole North American quota for one year :-) . I haven't noticed whether this is a feature of her other stories.

[dandailey-212203 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first Wally Lamb book I've read. It will not be the last!

[nocto_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

According to the blurbs on the back of the book Oates is a candidate for "Great American Novelist". I disagree. That's about all you need to know. Not quite sure how/why I finished it.

[purplehena · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A newspaper review or maybe the description on the back of this book described it a book that every college girl could relate to. Um, maybe if you're crazy? I read this right after reading Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates, which was wonderful, and while I was able to get through the book and didn't actively dislike it, it was sorta a disappointment.

[pdebolt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

JCO introduces her readers to a fascinating woman in this novel. She is desperate to fit into almost any place that will have her; she seeks identity, companionship and a sense of belonging that has eluded her all of her life. As is often the case, our greatest strength may also be our greatest detriment. "Annelia's" intellectual pursuits and abilities lead her to seek definition through another character, Vernor, who uses and discards her just as her sorority did. I felt intense compassion for Annelia in her quest for friendship and belonging. Often the most vulnerable among us are those most victtimized: which comes first? I found the philosophical quotations and discussions that weave through this book in increasing frequency to be an integral part of the exploration of the initiation into adulthood.

[gwendolyndawson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An unflinching view of the life of an obsessive college student describing her run-in with sorority life and her compulsive love for a black philosophy graduate student. Remarkable prose. Piercing and haunting.

[thioviolight · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Here is another beautifully written story by Joyce Carol Oates. She perfectly captures the emotions and obsessions of the young protagonist, so that she is scarily easy to relate to. I see pieces of myself in "Anellia," and reading her experiences, I could empathize with her. Oates is a master in weaving stories!