michael joseph

Won me at the end

Revisado: 06-11-23

A big bodied story, but emotionally lean until the end. AT’s reflections on sentience are profound and well-worth the reader’s time. I share his progressive view that inclusiveness is the only defensible position on the question of who is valuable, who is full-status, so I welcomed those conversations. And I deeply enjoyed the idea of a “whole is greater than the sum if its parts” self-aware, Gaia-like intelligence. It sure beats the dualistic belief at the cold heart of Western philosophy, and this conclusion oddly enough bears a resemblance to Woody Allen ‘s a midsummer sex comedy (see for yourself!). I got lost more than once in the first half and had to keep rehearing chapters, but that always helped. (The reader, by the way, is wonderful.) Even though I *sort of* anticipated the ending, it still got me. Theoretically, Children of Memory is the most original and acrobatic of the trilogy, and I can’t wait to listen to it again next year.

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Listen!

Revisado: 01-30-12

If you could sum up The Living End in three words, what would they be?

poetic, original, profound

What other book might you compare The Living End to and why?

The Book of Job. The Conventional Wisdom runs over some of the same track, asking how one could reconcile the existence of a Good God with the manifest unfairness of life; but it also demonstrates that the religious values we profess are absurdly at odds with our basic belief in how to lead a good, principled, moral life. The later chapters of The Living End abandon this project for the deeper pleasure of creating stories that ought to be impossible to tell & then telling them beautifully.

Which character ??? as performed by George Guidall ??? was your favorite?

Ellerbee

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Ellerbee's prayer

Any additional comments?

Elkin remains an important, under-appreciated 20th century American novelist with a large oeuvre that should be made available on Audible.

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Mrs. Ted Bliss a Smash

Revisado: 12-21-11

Would you consider the audio edition of Mrs. Ted Bliss to be better than the print version?
George Guidall's deft touch brilliantly renders Stanley Elkin's final novel. Although Elkin is generally acclaimed for his verbal pyrotechnics, and dark humor, which are brilliantly on display in Mrs. Ted Bliss, Guidall's recreation of Dorothy Bliss demonstrates Elkin's extraordinary empathy and gift for emotional nuance. Having also read The Conventional Wisdom--and clearly having listened to Elkin's recording of it--Guidall is able to draw attention to the complex similarities between the two works, which are both available on the audible and ought to be part of the audio collection of every serious listener.

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