London Is the Best City in America | Laura Dave | Talks at Google | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Emmy returns home for her brother's wedding and uncovers a secret that could change everything, exploring themes of decision-making and relationships.

Key Insights

• 😨 Laura found inspiration from personal experiences and the struggles of people she cared about when writing the book.
• 🥺 The book explores the challenges of decision-making, especially in one's 20s and 30s when choices feel like they are leading to one set life.
• 🛟 The title of the book serves as a metaphor for making choices within the options given, rather than creating unrealistic alternatives.
• 🤙 Laura writes daily, mostly at a coffee shop called 71 Irving, and also has office space at a writer's collective called the Writer's Room.
• 📔 The book has been translated into Italian and may be translated into other languages in the future.
• 🤯 Laura listens to specific songs on repeat while writing to help maintain the same frame of mind and rhythm throughout the writing process.
• ⌛ Laura rewrote the book multiple times, often revisiting and reconsidering different aspects of the plot to ensure a cohesive and engaging story.

Transcript

Laura is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and received her MFA from the University of Virginia her excellent writing has led to her receipt of numerous Awards including a Henry H's Fellowship a Tennessee Williams scholarship and an awp intro award in short fiction this week she's also a guest blogger at powells.com which is a pretty coo... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What inspired Laura to write "London is the Best City in America"?

Laura started working on the book during grad school, inspired by watching someone make a big decision and exploring the idea of choices and their consequences.

Q: How did Laura come up with the title for the book?

The title comes from the protagonist's childhood desire to visit London, which becomes a metaphor for making the choices presented to her rather than creating her own options.

Q: Is the story autobiographical?

While there are elements of Laura's own experiences and struggles with decision-making, the plot and characters are mostly fictionalized.

Q: How did Laura handle the publishing and film rights process?

After selling the publishing rights, Laura's literary agent partnered with a film agent who secured interest from various studios. Reese Witherspoon eventually signed on to produce and star in the film adaptation.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Emmy returns home after leaving her fiance, and attends her brother's wedding, where she begins to question her choices and the meaning of happiness.

• While watching fireworks, Emmy's brother confesses to her that he may be making a mistake by getting married, leading Emmy to question her own decisions.

• The book explores the complexities of decision-making and the impact it has on relationships and one's sense of self.