When You Finish Saving the World

By: Jesse Eisenberg

Narrated by: Kaitlyn Dever, Jesse Eisenberg, Finn Wolfhard

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

From playwright, author, and Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg, When You Finish Saving the World tells the moving and evocative story of three individuals working to understand each other and themselves: Nathan, a father learning to connect with his newborn son; Rachel, a young college student seeking to find her place in a relationship and in life, before marriage to Nathan; and Ziggy, their son, a teenager hoping to figure out where he came from, and where he’s headed. The shifts between time frames in these characters’ lives span more than a decade and eloquently capture the complexities of growing up, having children, and fitting in. 

Eisenberg - the star of The Social Network, The Squid and the Whale, and Zombieland - stars as Nathan; Kaitlin Dever, star of Booksmart and Unbelieveable, is the voice of Rachel; and Finn Wolfhard, star of Stranger Things, plays Ziggy, their son. 

©2019 Jesse Eisenberg (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Pretty good

This book was decent. Laced with profanity, but decent. I think I enjoyed Nathan‘s part the best. When Ziggy started talking, I really couldn’t get into his 2032 lingo and when Rachel started talking, there was just too much profanity for my taste. It was interesting hearing from all three characters and seeing how this whole story tied together.

world changing

this book. changed my view as a traveler, psychologist, and anthropologist. it means more to the evolutionary minds in school today than I thought by reading the description.

Real to the core

How real is it glimpsing into the mind of people struggling to understand themselves and the worlds in which they live. How their spheres grow and change. It's a touching tale of a family at different points in time at some of their toughest times and how they will change just by talking out the words in their hearts. Congrats Jesse Eisenberg this one touched me like Nathan when he saw his son in his future mind.

Part 3 Story + Narration Ruined a 5-Star Play

I was CRYING during Wolfhard's reading of Ziggy's conclusion so I was so disappointed.

The Rachel character already comes across as a quintessential over-privileged BLM-marching fake-woke basic Marsha from Parts 1 and 2, so I was excited for what was sure to be some huge reveal/twist that made her suddenly relatable and sympathetic. Dever's voice and reading made me VIOLENTLY ANGRY. Between the "like omg" intonation and the "I'm such a pumpkin-spice latte white girl" I actually couldn't sleep that night I was so pissed off. I had to fast forward to make it through, and only because I kept waiting for the reveal that made her not the most annoying person on earth.

But it never came.

I can't tell if Eisenberg can't write likeable female characters, or if it was Dever's pubescent portrayal of what should have been a university student (likely a combination), but it ruined what would have been an otherwise hilarious and nuanced piece.

Like reading someone else's diary

This came up in my free selections for the month of August. I was familiar with two of the actors and the title intrigued me. This rapidly became something that I couldn't put down, so to speak.

When You Finish Saving the World was an emotional joyride. I found myself relating to each of the characters for different reasons. It takes you to the present, the future, and the past through the lenses of the characters. Admittedly, Ziggy's slang grated on my last good nerve (more because I spent so much time looking for context clues to figure out what the hell he was saying as well as the fact that it felt like listening to my son talk and trying not to stare blankly).

I found myself annoyed with Rachel's vulnerability because it mirrored my own. I found myself mentally screaming at Nathan for not doing more, for not *saying* more. I found myself wanting to hug Ziggy, ask him if he'd eaten a vegetable today, and listen to him prattle on about his highs and sighs.

More than anything, I found myself wanting to hear more. I could easily have listened to this selection if it were fifteen hours rather than five. Even at five hours, I found myself mentally staging it in my head. Free selection or not, I can't recommend this enough.

Interesting and unique

The book tells the stories of 3 family members, a son, father, and mother. The timeline jumps around when you hear from a new character and you really have to listen closely and connect the dots between timelines and family member’s lives and perspectives. I enjoyed it and found it interesting, but in a way it almost felt like a big build up to a moment that never really came. When it ended I thought, “Dang, that’s it?”

Fantastic!

Hard to believe this was free! Fantastic listen. Intimate upclose engagement with the three main family during three separate eras. Sad that it ended. Satisfying ending but left me wanting more.

interesting

not a fan of the ending, too many loose ends. lay out was a little odd

Very, very good!!

I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed this program. The first two thirds were great and really pulled me in. The last third, with the voice of Rachel, kind of dragged for me a little bit and I found myself getting a little impatient for it to end. Overall, though, it is a really good listen. Leaves the listener with quite a bit to think about.

A couple of things really stood out for me: in the first part, Dad talks about his newborn son, Ziggy and the difficulties he is having trying to connect with the young infant. He also talks about his difficult issues with his wife, Rachel. All this through recorded tapes he sends to his therapist. A lot of interesting insights emerge during this portion.

I part two, we have Ziggy, now a teenager, in the year 2032. Ziggy also talks through tapes to a “therapist”, albeit a bot(!!!!). I loved the sequence of the listener now seeing baby Ziggy, in a future world, as a teenager. I loved Ziggy, and the actor who does the voice of Ziggy was great!

Rachel comes along in part 3 and we get a glimpse of her as a very young adult in college. Again the use of communicating through tapes is utilized, this time with Rachel sending tapes to her beloved boyfriend, Zack, who is serving in the hotbed of a war in the Middle East. This was my least favorite part. I thought Rachel to be an idealistic, overly dramatic young lady given to prolonged and intense histrionic episodes.

Overall, however, I thought this to be a very good listen and, for what it’s worth, would recommend it.....☺️

First part was Fantastic!

Jesse Eisenberg's part was absolutely AWESOME! The 2nd part w/Ziggy was a mishmash of rambling & teen angst that took 6 episodes (chapters) to get to the point & I found myself fast forwarding through. The 3rd part, Rachel, I have absolutely NO idea who she's supposed to be talking to because it's not her husband who started this book off & we get no resolution or conclusion about who he is or what happened, why she married who she did, or her feelings about her son at any point in his life - especially after making a huge stinck about him "not connecting with baby Ziggy. Just my personal feelings and please don't let it dissuade you from enjoying this book - as many people most certainly did! - Lady Anne (Jessica M. Kandal, PhD)