The Chalk Artist

A Novel

By: Allegra Goodman

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy

A tender affair and the redemptive power of art are at the core of this compelling novel from National Book Award finalist Allegra Goodman, “a romantic realist who dazzles with wit [and] compassion” (The Wall Street Journal).

Collin James is young, creative, and unhappy. A college dropout, he waits tables and spends his free time beautifying the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his medium of choice: chalk. Collin’s art captivates passersby with its vibrant colors and intricate lines—until the moment he wipes it all away. Nothing in Collin’s life is meant to last. Then he meets Nina. . . .

The daughter of a tech mogul who is revolutionizing virtual reality, Nina Lazare is trying to give back as a high school teacher—but her students won’t listen to her. When Collin enters her world, he inspires her to think bigger. Nina wants to return the favor—even if it means losing him.

Against this poignant backdrop, Allegra Goodman paints a tableau of students, neighbors, and colleagues: Diana, a teenage girl trying to make herself invisible; her twin brother, Aidan, who’s addicted to the games produced by Nina’s father; and Daphne, a viral-marketing trickster who unites them all, for better or worse.

Wise, warm, and enchanting, The Chalk Artist is both a finely rendered portrait of modern love and a celebration of all the realms we inhabit: real and imagined, visual and virtual, seemingly independent yet hopelessly tangled.

Praise for The Chalk Artist

“The virtual world Goodman conjures is as feverishly vivid as it is mysterious and alluring. Not since I pushed my way through C. S. Lewis’s fusty mothballed wardrobe and stepped out into the frozen, pine-scented forests of Narnia can I remember being so effectively transported into a viscerally, sometimes terrifyingly plausible alternate universe. . . . This is a novel full of wit and spark. . . . Irresistible and arresting.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Enjoyably sharp dialogue and convincing portraits of multiple mindsets and terrains . . . One can’t help but marvel at how Goodman has captured the atmosphere of this virtual fantasy land so effectively in words.”—NPR

“Mesmerizing depictions of virtual-reality landscapes of ‘Neverwhen’ and ‘Underworld’ make the games’ dangerous power over one of Nina’s students very real.”—People

“Goodman’s latest combines fantastical flourishes (an imagined video game called ‘Underworld’) and realistic Cambridge details . . . in a narrative about art and ambition.”—The Boston Globe

“Allegra Goodman creates suspense where you might least expect to find it.”—The Atlantic

another great novel from a really fine writer

What about Orlagh Cassidy’s performance did you like?

Very good narration -- nice job with the different characters.

Any additional comments?

Goodman is a really terrific writer and I have been following her for years. This book has a very well constructed story with interwoven plots involving a teacher, her boyfriend/artist, a virtual reality game, and a high school student addicted to the game. It was a page turner and raises interesting ideas about the forging of relationships both real and imagined, as well as passion, obsession and art.

Great concept

I enjoyed the book very much and loved the idea of a chalk artist. I admit to having fast forwarded through much of the gory detail about the video games and their creation. Lots of believable characters.

Could not get into this book!

Narrator good but story could not compel me to keep listening. I Cut my losses and returned it.

Mediocre

The concept of the chalk artist was charming, but the rest of this book was a mediocre dive into teenage gaming culture.