Summary

The first part of Chapter 7 occurs in scene at a reading of one of Nate’s acquaintances, set first in a bookstore in lower Manhattan and then at a nearby bar. To summarize the gist of the scene, Nate is starting to realize that he is fond of Hannah and regrets cancelling their next date when he finds the women at the book launch un-interesting by comparison.

Nate chats with a girl he finds attractive at the bar named Cara, a Stanford graduate who earned a writing degree from John Hopkins. She is clearly smart, but Nate finds her boring. What irritates him about her is that she does not attempt to be witty or engaging. Nate's friend Mark says that he thinks Cara is interested in him and basically asks Nate’s permission to make a move. Of course, because Nate is bored...