Ariel

Classic Ballard, Great Performance

Revisado: 07-25-23

I have read most of Ballard's books and even assigned Running Wild, Crash, and some of the short stories in my English Literature classes back in the 90s. I knew this book was good before I downloaded it, but I had no idea that the performance would be pitch perfect.

Ballard had a penchant for procedural narratives that could at times veer into technical / medical observations that read like the notes of a researcher gone over the edge. See, for example, The Atrocity Exhibition, and particularly "Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan," a short text which was reportedly taken by Republican Convention attendees during Reagan's Presidential campaign to be the work of some unknown think tank.

Running Wild has similar elements, albeit much more restrained, which proves to be extremely effective. The narrator is a doctor ( not Ballard's first doctor narrator ) who has somewhat implausibly been asked to investigate the scene of a mass murder after the bodies have all been removed and give his assessment even though the police are highly skeptical when he does tell them what he thinks has occurred--an odd situation that Ballard doesn't really need to explain.

The brilliance of this novella is its procedural structure combined with various technological clues that the doctor uses to solidify his theory about what transpired on the morning of the mass murder of more than 30 adults in what appeared to be a utopia. The doctor's dry comments, such as his observation that even a leaf blowing in the wind looks too free in this wealthy enclave, provoke a shock of recognition that has only become more relevant since the novella was published.

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Great author but outdated novel

Revisado: 01-07-23

This is Woolrich at his most melodramatic. He excels at precise description and plots that hinge on devious mechanisms that sometimes backfire spectacularly. His short stories, including the tale on which Hitchcock's Rear Window was based, are a masterclass in suspense writing. He also deserves credit for telling some of his stories from the perspective of a woman, and his female characters are not a single type. For contrast, consider other noir writers' reliance on a very specific type: the femme fatale.

Unfortunately, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes contains many overwrought pages. Precise and fresh desciptions of the physical world and physical actions are still evident, but sometimes lose their purpose in this longer form. Perhaps this novel was written for adaptation to the screen. One of Woolrich's novels, The Blue Angel, became a huge cinematic hit in the 1940s.

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Wonderful book and performance

Revisado: 12-09-21

Well-known actors read the Russian stories, but most of the recording is Saunders reading his own words on the art of storytelling, and it's absolutely wonderful. As anyone who has attended an academic conference can attest, writers don't necessarily sound natural when reading their own writing, but here George Saunders seems to be speaking to us across a dining table as the daylight dwindles.

I have also read the book, and all I miss when listening is the opportunity to dwell on certain sentences that strike a chord and maybe jot down some notes. If you're coming to this book as a writer seeking to absorb Saunders' guidance, you may want to buy the hard copy and then listen to it. It's that good.

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Amazing book, poor performance

Revisado: 05-12-21

Sebald was extraordinary, and I'm thankful to have read The Emigrants a few times before encountering this audio version. Mel Foster's performance here is, sadly, tone deaf. Sebald's voice is melancholy, patiently observant, enigmatic, and at times quietly yet deeply unnerving. Sebald's self-effacing act of witnessing the experiences of individuals who more-or-less directly experienced the Holocaust is transfomed by Foster's rendering into a string of tales told by a jaunty, world-travelling raconteur. I grant that this was a difficult project since Sebald's voice slides more deeply into the subjectivity of his subjects as the book proceeds. I only wish that this audio version had been undertaken with more empathy for its subjects and a deeper understanding of Sebald's work.

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Wonderful book but flawed performance

Revisado: 07-13-20

The Secret World is full of fascinating historical characters and amusing anecdotes. It's also erudite. The bibliography alone is more than 250 pages long in the hardcover edition. Sadly, though, I can't recommend this audiobook. Clive Chafer reads in a quick monotone that flattens the material. Christopher Andrew's humor is lost, and this deadening makes this well-written book more difficult to comprehend and appreciate. I recommend the physical book over this audio version.

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