My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan

On Episode 77 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I spoke with Julia Whelan about her book, My Oxford Year. The title kind of makes it sound like a memoir, and Julia did spend a year studying at Oxford, but it's actually a novel. It tells the story of Ella, who goes to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, but has two rather major, life-changing events happen almost immediately, both of which have the potential to alter her future in ways she wasn't expecting.

Source

American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.

When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.

Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for. (Source)

Ella is focused, knows what she wants, and is something of an overachiever (i.e. helping to run a political campaign while simultaneously doing a year of study at Oxford). Throw in a casual relationship that takes a turn toward serious, and Ella's definitely got a lot on her plate. This description might make her sound hard to relate to in some ways, but Ella is actually very human, with flaws and foibles and quirks. We see her loving and loyal side when it comes to the friends she makes at Oxford. We also see some of the complexity of her character portrayed in the relationship she has with her mother and the reasons behind why that relationship is complicated.

Genres:

• Romance
• Contemporary
• Literary Fiction

What I enjoyed:

• The setting. I probably have a romanticized notion of studying abroad, especially someplace like Oxford, but I just loved seeing everything through Ella's eyes. I actually kept googling things I was reading about to make sure I was visualizing them correctly, and I know I asked too many strange questions in the interview about Julia's own Oxford experience.
• All of the literary references. I love literary fiction, even when it references things I haven't read, because it shows the author's love of literature. It also exposes me to something I maybe haven't read much of before. This time it's poetry from the very specific period that Ella is studying.
• Ella's circle of friends at Oxford. They are eclectic and goofy and awesome.
• Julia's writing. It is intelligent without feeling academic (which would be easy to slip into since this is a book that takes place at Oxford and does involve academic conversations and discussions), but it's also engaging, poignant, and funny.
• The relationship between Jamie and Ella, which was simultaneously everything and nothing like I expected.

Quotes:

• "Every year, America sends thirty-two of its most over-achieving, über-competitive, social-climbing, do-gooder nerds to Oxford. It's mostly associated with geniuses, power players, global leaders. Let me demystify this: to get a Rhodes, you have to be slightly unhinged."
• It's as if this city belongs to everyone. If you're here, you belong her. It's like a timeless, ramshackle, International Space Station."
• "I haven't had afternoon tea since Ashley Carmichael's obsession with Alice in Wonderland forced me to spend her eighth birthday sipping pink tea out of tiny plastic cups, wearing a stupid hat, and being creeped out by a middle-aged guy in a dirty White Rabbit costume. This is better."

Where you can find Julia online:

Website: http://www.jmwhelan.com/

Facebook: @justjuliawhalen

Twitter: @justjuliawhalen

Instagram: justjuliawhalen

Amazon Author Page: Julia Whelan

GoodReads: Julia Whelan

Author Bio:

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Julia Whelan is an actor, writer, and audiobook narrator. She is perhaps most well known for her acting work on ABC’s Once and Again and her award-winning narration of over 200 audiobooks (including Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl).

Graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University, Whelan is now a screenwriter and author. Her academic work on the Victorian appropriation of the Arthurian legends earned her The Henry B. Prickett Prize for Outstanding Scholarship and, while at Oxford, she wrote for The Cherwell, penning an eight-part column on the cultural mishaps of an American abroad. My Oxford Year is her debut. She is currently working on her second novel and an original screenplay. (Source)

Does My Oxford Year sound like your cup of tea? That's perfect, because I have 3 copies from Julia to give away! All you have to do is go to either our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages and comment on the post with Julia's interview. It's as simple as that: just comment on Episode 77 on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and you'll automatically be entered to win My Oxford Year! The last day to enter is May 5th and winners will be announced on May 7th.

To listen to the interview with Julia please click here.