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Empire of Self
- A Life of Gore Vidal
- De: Jay Parini
- Narrado por: John Lescault
- Duración: 16 h y 23 m
- Versión completa
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General4.5 out of 5 stars 104
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Narración:4.5 out of 5 stars 91
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Historia4.5 out of 5 stars 91
The product of 30 years of friendship and conversation, Jay Parini's Empire of Self probes behind the glittering surface of Gore Vidal's colorful life to reveal the complex emotional and sexual truth underlying his celebrity-strewn life. But there is plenty of glittering surface as well - a virtual who's who of the American Century, from Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart through the Kennedys, Princess Margaret, and the creme de la creme of Hollywood.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Well done!
- De Christopher en 03-22-16
- Empire of Self
- A Life of Gore Vidal
- De: Jay Parini
- Narrado por: John Lescault
Shaping a Monument
Revisado: 02-02-16
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I am from the Generation X period of Americanisms. Most of my fellow Gen-Xers are unfamiliar with Vidal's essays, books, plays, or even his epic life in the world of power players and Hollywood icons. There is a lot to learn and consider coming from Gore's insights, even when they are sometimes unpopular. The book is a semi descent introduction to Vidal, but I would mostly hope Gore's books of essays on America's political climate be their first stop in digesting the literary icon.Gore's prediction of the dismantling of America's Empire and the loss of the Republic is now coming to reality.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Vidal and his brilliant jester self.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The author does an almost cut and paste job of recanting Vidal's childhood, almost word for word from both of Gore's memoirs "Palimpsest" and "Point to Point Navigation" which I read prior to Parini's work. I am not sure if this is laziness on the author's part, failing to dig deeper into new stories of Gore's early upbringing. But it also may be that most of Gore's family and friends from his childhood years are deceased making it difficult to uncover new avenues to explore. Thankfully, that only accounts for 10% of the books content. What I did appreciate is Parini's critique and brief summary of most of Gore's novels and books. That feat in itself was a mountain to climb considering Vidal's long list of publications. Also, I appreciated Parnini's sharing of his own platonic relationship with Vidal, exposing a softer and more emotionally vulnerable side of Gore in his later years.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
NO, but mostly I felt engaged enough to listen for long periods of an hour or so.
Any additional comments?
The United States of Amnesia...wake up!!
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