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Title: The Myth of Jake

Author: Kristine Rudolph

Narrator: Kristine Rudolph

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-02-16

Publisher: Scribl

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When Southern golden boy and heir-apparent to a multigenerational legacy Jake Goodloe dies tragically, his best friend Maggie Carlton does what she always does in the face of pain - she writes. But Maggie's effort to define Jake's past has unintended consequences that force Maggie to re-evaluate their friendship as well as her most closely held values.

Jake and Maggie have been best friends their whole lives and lovers from time-to-time. Growing up in the small town of Tempelton, Tennessee, they recognize in one another an inquisitiveness most of their fellow Tempeltonians seem to lack. Jake, the golden boy heir-apparent to an upstanding family's legacy, struggles to reconcile his family and social demands with his innate curiosity and desire to leave the small town he finds so stifling. His friendship with Maggie offers a respite and provides an opportunity for honesty his everyday life does not. Though firmly plot-driven, The Myth of Jake is highly thematic and engages the listener in explorations of loss, religion, commitment, honesty, and authenticity.

Members Reviews:

new Southern writer

The Myth of Jake is one of the best first novels I have ever encountered. Kristine Rudolph shows great talent as a writer with an authentic voice. Her characters are very real - as any good Southerner will readily see - and Maggie, her heroine, is smart, funny, honest, and endearing. The story draws a reader in quickly, and there is enough suspense in the plot to keep you reading. I did not want to stop reading.... read it all in one day... and look forward to future work by this author.

New Southern Voice

The Myth of Jake explores identity - the constant quest to be true to ourselves while also shaking off the baggage of our upbringing, whether that's our family name, the small Southern town we grew up in, or the events in our life that shape our experiences and relationships. The heroine of the story, Maggie, although confident in her true self, still struggles with the pull of her small Southern town, despite her best attempts to create a life for herself outside of it. She also carries with her the imprint of losing her father at a young age. Both color her reaction to the death of her best friend and her attempts at moving past it in both her professional and personal worlds. Her journey is subtle and rocky at the same time as she moves through situations that test her views on authenticity in general and her own self-definition.

The story itself is full of unique characters, including the character of Templeton, TN, the setting for much of the story's big events. Rudolph nails the complexity of people and the interplay of their relationships in a small Southern town. Where some Southern characters can be stereotypical, Maggie and her friends and family are nuanced, confused and ultimately sincere.

Add in a plot twist and you'll find The Myth of Jake a satisfying first novel from a new Southern voice.

A must read

A rich story that explores being authentic and the sacrifices and choices one has to make to be true to yourself. The characters are intricate and relatable as they navigate how to be real within social expectations, family obligations and commitments they have made. I could not put the book down and was completely invested in this suspenseful story about honesty, loyalty and staying true to yourself.