The Washington Story

by Adam Langer

Chicago high-school sweethearts Jill and Muley, their families, and their friends share triumphs and despair over the course of five years that are marked by such events as the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, and the return of Halley's comet. By the author of Crossing California. 50,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Adam Langer is am editor, journalist, author, playwright, filmmaker and podcast producer.

He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Crossing California years ago and loved it. Don't know why it took me so long to read this sequel. Wonderful book. In Crossing, The relationship between the main characters Muly and Jill ends on a cliffhanger. Both clearly drawn to each other but never making the final connection. Washington resolves their complex relationship. Washington is about growth. The pre-teens in California grow into adults in Washington experiencing love, loss and redemption that leave each character stronger, more interesting and complete. I particularly enjoyed Michelle's path from snarky, femme fatale to confident though still snarky businesswomen. Also loved the impeccable characterization of East Roger's Park. As a long time resident of the Chicago area, I can attest to the authenticity of Mr. Langer's ethic Chicago. Highly recommended.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The span of time covered by "The Washington Story" is longer than in "Crossing California" (1982-87, vs. 1979-81), but in all other ways, the book's scope is narrowed. Gone are most of the plots around grown-ups, and I have my opinion of why that is. Langer is interested in people in transition, people going through big changes in life, and big changes, historically, come less and less frequently as we grow up. The Rovners, Michael and Ellen, solidify their divorce and move their separate ways. Charlie Wasserstrom and Gail Schiffler move into the Funny House to raise their newborn child, Rachel. Deirdre Wills focuses her time on teaching. They have found their paths, and thus Langer's follow-up has no more use for them, except to occasionally offer a crash pad for their transition-prone progeny. Mel Coleman and Carl Silverman, who have made the big jump of breaking into the movie industry together, are the only grown-ups with extended stretches in the book.

Unlike "Crossing California," with its multiple-perspective narrative and huge canvas, "The Washington Story" works essentially as four novellas and a short story, following mostly the younger characters as they start to work their way out of West Rogers Park and into their own futures. The narrator is omniscient this time, not flitting from brain to brain, but observing from above, letting us view from a distance. Each sub-book within the novel concerns a pair of people (Jill and Muley, Mel and Michelle, Jill and her dead mother Becky, Muley and the previously minor character Hillel Levy, and Jill and Rachel) with the other characters circling their orbits like Halley's Comet, which is also a recurring character in the book.

Several of the stories are quite affecting, and Langer does the work of adding emotional resonance rather than structural density in expanding his world. Muley's previous golden child status has expanded slightly into an obsessive personality that explains his hugely innovative film projects later in the book. And Jill flowers into the compelling protagonist Langer has been grooming her to be. The story between Mel and Michelle is handled with a fair hand if not a lot of panache. Jill's attempt to connect with her mother's family contains some really lovely nuggets of insight about certain contrary personality types (i.e. her long-estranged grandmother in Poughkeepsie).

That said, some of the tics Langer had in the first book are twice as apparent here, namely taking big liberties with motivations and personalities in the service of some pretty corny jokes, and that world-building habit of making every person in the story be connected to every other person constantly -- even in other cities and states, all these characters are just missing each other at bus stations, bumping into each other at remote colleges, and re-connecting with long-lost acquaintances during short visits home. Langer puts so much great work into establishing realism of character and gesture that when he has them get involved in larger-than-life and unlikely scenarios (thinking of the "Larry Eliot" side-plot here), it's just too much frosting on the eight-layered wedding cake, making for a goopy mess.

The framing device of the election of Chicago Mayor Harold Washington (hence the title) was less pervasive, sadly, than the Iran hostage crisis and election of Ronald Reagan in "Crossing California." This also fits with the theme of the book; it's not just about change, but involvement in one's own interests while shutting out the outside world as time goes on. Apart from Jill (and minor character Wes), most of the characters are apolitical, preferring to work on their life's goals: movies, acting, production, or bedding Michelle Wasserstrom. Both the precise, compressed world of West Rogers Park and the political events of the time period made "Crossing California" so memorable. "Washington" is a bit unmoored by comparison, just like its characters, always on the move to their next opportunity. Because of this, we mourn the insularity of the first book, even as we curse our own stability, wishing that our own story expanded like the subtitle of book four: "A story about West Rogers Park, Chicago, America, and the Milky Way Galaxy." As I rounded up "California" to 4.5 stars, this is a solid 3.5. It's a sweet, sad goodbye to characters I've gotten too attached to and hate to see go. I wish them all the best on their beautiful, fictional lives.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would give this book a half-star if it were possible. I was so excited to read it after I finished (and gave five stars to) "Crossing California." But it was just awful -- it made me wonder if I were totally crazy for loving its prequel. The characters had started to wear on me by the end of the "Crossing California," and I found them unbearably annoying from page one of "The Washington Story." I bought the book because the library didn't have it, and I never finished it. Ugh.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really enjoyable, but I did not like it nearly as much as Crossing California. Much of the spark, the innocence, was gone.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun follow-up to Crossing California. It’s a sprawling novel. At times it felt great to catch up with everyone from the first book, and at times I wished the editor had reined in some of the details or subplots. But it’s funny and smart and makes your heart swell for many of the main characters. Based on the title, I’d hoped to learn more about the politics of the Harold Washington years, but I’ll have to supplement by watching a documentary, as it doesn’t incorporate as much politics as I thought it would. It does a nice job of contextualizing the Washington years with other things that were going on in the country at the same time, though, as seen through the perspectives of some really interesting teens.

[Robert Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a sequel to " crossing California " but it just doesn't measure up ! I wish I could think of something good to say about the book.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started slowly then really picked up. Not quite as good as Crossing California, only laughed out loud twice, but still a good book.

[Erin Hegarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took a while to read but I loved all of it, especially the sections focused on Jill and especially how true it stayed to Chicago geography and history.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In “The Washington Story,” Adam Langer has given us a world full of characters to cheer for-- to achieve their stated goals and dreams, to avoid pain and sorrow; and simultaneously he also presents them as hugely capable of frustrating us with actions that at first seem out of character, designed to drive them away from what we think will be their destiny, but slowly over the course of this novel, these situations turn out to reveal depths--in both senses--that only get hinted at early on.

It’s quite a job that Adam does in having us experience the development of the main characters in the story--Jill, Michelle, Muley, Mel--and witness while they do both the gradual and dramatic and sudden turns their lives take. At the same time, there are myriad characters who when they first appear, a thought arrives that they can’t be that important to the story--perhaps they are comic relief, or red herring, but one of the gifts that Adam Langer possesses is to take a seemingly ancillary character, and have them grow on the page into something essential to the telling of the truest story.

Through a deftly controlled, multi-layered series of interactions and divergences, we wind up caring--deeply--for what happens to these people--joyful at their successes, sorrowful at their setbacks, and wanting very much, as happens with all great works of fiction--to know what happens to them next. Adam Langer beautifully mixes humor, high and low, a natural ability to weave real history into his fictional world without overemphasizing it, and a knack for getting at the heart and essence of his characters with apparent ease, to create a world worth visiting and revisiting.

[David]

I loved CROSSING CALIFORNIA because it described the lives of Jewish kids in West Rogers Park (where I grew up) with such charm. It was a great character study that revolved around Jewish teens and adolescents. Langer intimately and honestly brought the reader into a very specific place and ethnic group by describing relationships and lives without any sense of generalizing. Langer allowed situations and people to unfold in a very well defined setting. I was totally absorbed because I know this area so well, loved the nostalgia, and appreciated the description of everyday people growing up.

The sequel totally recaptured me. Again brought me to a place I know very well and back to characters that I wanted to hear more about. This time the transition is going from high school to college or college out into the big wide world. This time I loved the sense that these characters orbit around West Rogers Park as they try to explore the greater world. Some move on to New York and others move to another neighborhood in Chicago but West Rogers Park is the touchstone.

I just moved to Rogers Park and living so far north in Chicago does make it a universe of its own and this book expresses this neighborhood size universe through the lives of characters trying to explode out of it.

[Agathafrye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a book. This was the follow-up to "Crossing California," which I suspect was a contributing factor to getting me my first job as a librarian. I was reading it at the time of my interview, and one of the panel questions was, "What are you currently reading, and would you recommend it to others?" If I remember correctly, I went on a rambling yet enthusiastic rant about how glorious a book it was. Author Langer's journalistic career made him an astute observer of human behavior. His characters are so alive in all of their glorious neuroses and imperfections that you wish you could meet them for lunch. They are also so hilarious that I think I scared the woman sitting next to me on the plane last night with my outbursts. I'm not going to even try describing the many intricate plotlines, because I won't do them justice. I will say that I can't imagine anyone reading these two novels without experiencing the regret one feels after turning past the final page of a great book.
Langer's website (you can get plotlines there...): http://www.adamlanger.com/

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm gobsmacked by Langer's ability to create interesting believable characters. The way he keeps them spinning around each other, only occasionally really connecting, so often missing that connection because of misunderstandings, is dead on. Just when you think you have a Michelle Wasserstrom or a Larry Rovner pegged, Langer will give them an extra wrinkle of depth.

I also love the way he captures the atmosphere of the 80s. I'm not from a big city, but I relate to Jill Wasserstrom and her outsider politics during the Reagan era. I love the music and film references.

I almost gave this five stars, because I think this is a special writer who more readers should discover, but a few of the sections were a little less powerful to me than others. The last bit where Wes reappears seems like an attempt to get just a little more closure in a story that doesn't seem done to me. I for one would like to see where life takes Jill, Michelle, Larry, and Muley. I hope at some point Langer will revisit them.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel to Crossing California features the same charming characters but now just a bit more grown up. Michelle Wasserstrom is a riot, and I imagine Muley just like all the other Art Institute and Columbia College grads who lived and smoked outside my front door a few years back.

As a Chicagoan, I missed a bit of Chicago as character, but I'm not a North Sider so that might be why. What was more important is that Langer hits the nail on the head in his development and consistency in the characters.

I must say, though, I find completely pompous the fact that he includes a glossary at the back of the book filled with such unnecessary entries as "a-ha: 1980s band, perhaps best known for the lavishly animated video of the 1985 hit single 'Take On Me'" and "Pez: Pastel-colored small candies most noteworthy for their amusing dispensers." Give me a break. He is not Dave Eggers.

[Jazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

i enjoyed reading "crossing California", so i was glad to come across the sequel in my local library. i read the book slowly at first but found myself thinking about the characters in book during my day. i soon sat down and read the book and finished it.


i enjoyed how thoroughly the author detailed the book. the characters have such a depth, even when there is so many of them. i didn't tire of reading it, because i loved all the characters in the first place and the new ones that come up are just as good. the ending is heartfelt and believable. jill and michelle and muley mature into adults and having read them and seeing how they turned out in the book, made me feel like a proud grandparent when i finished it.

[Elysabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike Crossing California, which I loved, I have mixed feelings about The Washington Story. I still love Langer's rambling style, without dialogue, except for certain situations. I loved being reconnected with Muley and Jill, and Michelle and Larry. (I also loved the new quirky characters--Bibi and Hillel...) I liked moving past Chicago and into the greater world.

I just did NOT love the length of the book. It went on. And on. And on! There were times that I felt so frustrated by the book that I wanted to give up, but being the good English major that I am (well, that I was), I perservered. I wasn't disappointed in the end, but I was truly exhausted.

[suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing Crossing California at the end of 2008, I immediately went out and bought this sequel. Langer fills up each and every page with the same punchy characters and pizzaz. The second helping of his formula wasn't better than the first book, but just as good. Plain and simple: these characters are fantastic! For me, the best part was the focus on the relationship between a grandma and her granddaughter as I learned that I am not the only person in the (fictional) world that has a hard time in feeling understood. I could elaborate more about that, but this is a public forum.

ps- I read this book while recovering from my widsom teeth removal

[Serena.. Sery-ously? · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho amato tantissimo (anni e anni fa) "I giorni felici di California Avenue" che avevo lasciato con un po' di amaro in bocca.. quando ho scoperto che esisteva un sequel, ho fatto carte false per averlo, poi è subentrato il timore de "Non so se è all'altezza del primo e se se sono pronta a rimanere delusa da Langer" e.. Una volta trovato il coraggio di affrontarlo, ho confermato le mie paure.
Non ho trovato l'atmosfera e la particolarità che mi avevano conquistato nel primo volume, non ho riconosciuto i personaggi che avevo amato e la lettura è stata lenta e difficoltosa.. Peccato :(

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea Langer had written a sequel to Crossing California, so I was thrilled to come across this on Amazon. Definitely not as good as its predecessor (I think mostly because the main characters have all aged and left Chicago), I am giving it 4 stars because I really did enjoy finding out what happened to Jill, Muley, Michelle, et al. Langer's wit is still present, as was my interest in these characters.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book got my attention because of how close to home it hit, literally and figuratively. Langer evokes the brick walk-ups and Praie style houses with their snow-frosted lawns of Rogers Park vividly. Even his more aware '80s references are appropriate and funny. Langer has a talent for painting his characters' foibles and insecurities through use of humor. Like others have said, this book needs some major paring-down. It is 100 pages too long!

[Deb Oestreicher]

Engaging, compulsively readable sequel to Crossing California. Full of nostalgia for those of us who started college in the early 80s. Langer beautifully manages a very large cast of characters, particularly those in the process of coming of age. In a way, Crossing California was about this too, I realize. The Washington Story reminds you that for many of us the journey to becoming "adult" never ends.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have mentioned, this wasn't nearly as entertaining as Crossing California but a fun read anyway. If you've ever finished a great book and wondered what happened to the characters next, this is your chance to do just that. My only disappointment with this one is that it didn't quite seem to capture the character of Chicago as well as California did.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Crossing California. If you ever owned a piece of clothing emblazoned with "I [fill in witty action here] at [fill in name of kid]'s bar mitzvah," you'll especially enjoy snickering at Adam Langer's characters and re-entering the universe in which even the stoners are still named Hillel.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be so disappointing. I enjoyed the first book in this series, Crossing California. This book however was slow moving, difficult to get into. I actually never finished it, which if you knew me at all, is really amazing.

[Sarah left GR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this on impulse at the Book Cellar a few months ago. Didn't realize it was a sequel at the time, so I waited until I read
Crossing California.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't a big fan of Crossing California; however, this sequel is much more enjoyable. Although the characters were much better developed this time, I'm not sure people who haven't lived in Chicago will enjoy this.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first, but it's still fun to dive back in and see how the characters turn out during the 1980s. I am still hoping he goes for the trilogy.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not normally so into sequels, but seeing as I didn't want Crossing California to end, this book was more than welcome.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a follow-up to "Crossing California", about high-school/college age kids in the Jewish West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago in the mid to late 1970's.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't grow up in Rogers Park, but I love these books. (And I'm starting to notice a "coming of age" theme in my 5-star fiction. Hmm.)

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Crossing California,which, I have not read yet. I was somehow able to comprehend everything in this book even though I like to do things bassackwards.