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Galapagos
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
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Publisher's summary
Galapagos takes the listener back one million years to AD 1986. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galapagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave, new, totally different human race.
Kurt Vonnegut, America's master satirist, looks at our world and shows us all that is sadly, madly awry - and all that is worth saving.
As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Kurt Vonnegut's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews Gay Talese about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.
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Not a place to start.
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Fates Worse Than Death
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Overall
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Performance
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Kurt Vonnegut presents in Fates Worse than Death a veritable cornucopia of his thoughts on what could perhaps best be summed up as "anti-theology", a manifesto for atheism that details Vonnegut's drift from conventional religion, even a tract evidencing belief in the divine held within each individual self--the deity within each individual person present in a universe that otherwise lacks any real order.
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Vonnegut is profound
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In the 17 wide-ranging essays collected for the first time in Love and Other Ways of Dying, he brings his full literary powers to bear, pondering happiness and grief, memory and the redemptive power of human connection. In the remote Ukranian countryside, Paterniti picks apples (and faces mortality) with a real-life giant; in Nanjing, China, he confronts a distraught jumper on a suicide bridge.
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Incredibly intimate voice for humanity
- By Ed Hodges on 01-02-16
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Learning to Die in Miami
- Confessions of a Refugee Boy
- By: Carlos Eire
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Carlos Eire's story of a boyhood uprooted by the Cuban Revolution quickly lures us in, as eleven-year-old Carlos and his older brother Tony touch down in the sun-dappled Miami of 1962 - a place of daunting abundance where his old Cuban self must die to make way for a new, American self waiting to be born. In this enchanting new work, narrated in Eire's inimitable and lyrical voice, young Carlos adjusts to life in his new country.
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Excellent memoir of a forgotten time in history
- By BRB on 03-23-15
By: Carlos Eire
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The Schooldays of Jesus
- By: J. M. Coetzee
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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David is the small boy who is always asking questions. Simon and Ines take care of him in their new town, Estrella. He is learning the language; he has begun to make friends. He has the big dog, Bolivar, to watch over him. But he'll be seven soon, and he should be at school. And so, with the guidance of the three sisters who own the farm where Simon and Ines work, David is enrolled in the Academy of Dance. It's here, in his new golden dancing slippers, that he learns how to call down the numbers from the sky.
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SEXUAL PERVERSION PRESENTED AS BRILLIANT
- By Amazon Customer on 09-29-18
By: J. M. Coetzee
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Freddy and Fredericka
- By: Mark Helprin
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling, critically acclaimed author Mark Helprin's work has drawn favorable comparisons to an elite group of literary legends, including James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Edgar Allan Poe, and Thomas Mann. Helprin's sheer comic brilliance shines in this ingenious farce.
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Can't rate it high enough (and I'm a tough grader)
- By Annette on 09-06-05
By: Mark Helprin
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The Immigrants
- By: Howard Fast
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a love story of great beauty and great tenderness, the kind of love story that entangles the listener in the lives of the characters, so that after the story is over, one continues to live with those characters. And fortunately, the listener will not have to say farewell to these characters, since it is the first in a series that will tell the story of three Californian families over the course of the 20th century.
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Narration style kills the story.
- By Glynis on 11-27-14
By: Howard Fast
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Driving on the Rim
- By: Thomas McGuane
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The unforgettable voyager of this dark picaresque is I. B. "Berl" Pickett, M.D., whose die was probably cast the moment his mother thought to name him after Irving Berlin. Other insults piled on apace thereafter: the spasms of Pentecostal Sunday worship; the social debilitation of following his parents' itinerant rug-shampooing business; the erotic initiation at the hands of his aunt. It's hard to imagine what would have become of him had he not gone to medical school.
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Delightful
- By Roy on 01-05-11
By: Thomas McGuane
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Fifth Business
- The Deptford Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Robertson Davies
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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This first novel in The Deptford Trilogy introduces Ramsay, a man who returns from World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross but who is destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As we hear Ramsey tell his story, we begin to realize that, from childhood, he has influenced those around him in a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious way.
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Been waiting for this
- By Vinity on 12-10-11
By: Robertson Davies
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Arias only make hopeless situations worse
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Incredible
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Player Piano
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Kurt Vonnegut's first novel spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines. Paul's rebellion is vintage Vonnegut – wildly funny, deadly serious, and terrifyingly close to reality.
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A Genuine 5-Stars
- By R.A. on 06-07-19
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The Sirens of Titan
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The richest, most depraved man on Earth, Malachi Constant, is offered a chance to take a space journey to distant worlds with a beautiful woman at his side. Of course, there's a catch to the invitation....
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Absolutely Outstanding
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By: Kurt Vonnegut
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Cat's Cradle
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KV at his best.
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The Galápagos
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Galapagos were once known to the sailors and pirates who encountered them as Las Encantadas: the enchanted islands, home to exotic creatures and dramatic volcanic scenery. In The Galapagos, science writer Henry Nicholls offers a lively natural and human history of the archipelago, charting its evolution from deserted wilderness to scientific resource (made famous by Charles Darwin) and global ecotourism hot spot.
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Thought-Provoking
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With cutting wit, fierce conviction, and surprising empathy, Vonnegut explores a diverse range of topics including society, politics, sex, literature, and mortality. Fans who believe they've read all of Vonnegut's work will be delighted to find the author speaking frankly about timely and relevant new topics - with an amusing yet insightful style that's instantly recognizable.
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Vonnegut At His Best
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Breakfast of Champions (1973) provides frantic, scattershot satire and a collage of Vonnegut's obsessions. His recurring cast of characters and American landscape was perhaps the most controversial of his canon; it was felt by many at the time to be a disappointing successor to Slaughterhouse-Five, which had made Vonnegut's literary reputation.
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Kurt Was Right to Grade This a C
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American Howard W. Campbell, Jr., a spy during World War II, is now on trial in Israel as a Nazi war criminal. But is he really guilty? In this brilliant book rife with true gallows humor, Kurt Vonnegut turns black and white into a chilling shade of grey with a verdict that will haunt us all. Mother Night is a daring challenge to our moral sense.
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“We are what we pretend to be”
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Look at the Birdie
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- Unabridged
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American literary icon Kurt Vonnegut enjoys immense popularity - and an equally immense amount of critical praise - for such works as his absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five. A must-have for readers everywhere, Look at the Birdie adds further insight into the author's body of work with a riveting collection of his previously unpublished short fiction.
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Great stories and performances to match
- By Jeff Lacy on 05-30-17
By: Kurt Vonnegut
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A Man Without a Country
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the greatest minds in American writing, Kurt Vonnegut shares his often hilarious and always insightful reflections on America, art, politics and life in general. No matter the subject, Vonnegut will have you considering perspectives you may never have regarded. On the creative process: "If you want to really hurt your parents...the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding."
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Good but uneven collection of essays
- By J. S. Koehler on 01-28-06
By: Kurt Vonnegut
What listeners say about Galapagos
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gilmore D. Stone
- 08-05-22
Narrator doesn’t seem to understand satire
This narrator has a very earnest delivery and makes the whole story sound sad and serious. If he is correct in his tone, then I don’t like Vonnegut very much. If I am right in the way I read Vonnegut, then he’s my favorite author. In my head he sounds sweet and not too serious and just kind of befuddled and charmed by the world. This narrator made me want to drive off of a cliff.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mark
- 04-26-21
Engaging and prophetic beyond explanation
Vonnegut was ahead of his time, as a novelist, and possessed a vision of bad things that would come to, pass, and have. Provided that one accepts the origin of species as fact, they will be glad to have read this.
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- thomas
- 09-23-13
The Last Great Vonnegut Novel
What made the experience of listening to Galapagos the most enjoyable?
I think the narrator did a superb job in letting the story unfold.He didn't get in the way of the material and read it without irony; which I think is tough to do given the material. I enjoyed every minute of it.
What other book might you compare Galapagos to and why?
I think Vonnegut is a very unique writer. He doesn't "over write" or get lost in his own exposition.Yet he takes you down roads that don't add up until the very end, making it important to pay attention. The only other book I think you can can compare this to are others he has written, and I would say Breakfast of Champions comes the closest. If you enjoyed that story and approach, you will enjoy Galapagos. Many characters return from that story as well, making it somewhat interlocking like other Vonnegut stories.
Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have not but I think he did a great job. I find it such an interesting occupation being a narrator, in many ways the best ones are unnoticed because they let the story be the star. Jonathan does that with this reading, and that is a compliment. Very well done.
Who was the most memorable character of Galapagos and why?
I would say a tie between Kilgore Trout and his son. Trout looms large int eh Vonnegut universe and he takes on even more mythic proportions in this story. Fascinating use of character development.
Any additional comments?
In my opinion this is the last great Vonnegut novel.His later work is very different from his early work in tone and pace.If you are a fan of his early work, I think you will enjoy it very much. I recommend it highly. I would suggest listening to his right after Breakfast of Champions since it occupies a similar section of the Vonnegut universe. A critical book in the legacy of a great American writer. Audible gives it the production value and care it richly deserves.
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7 people found this helpful
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- JamesW
- 01-05-24
Imagination,satire,Darwinism
Funny and sad at the same time. Interesting naturalist pictures of wildlife of Galápagos Islands along with and embedded in the story, that I appreciated because of my upcoming trip to Galapagos. Very good reader.
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- SeeWhy
- 07-02-22
Wittily Kurt V but dull storyline of human devolution
I loved Breakfast of the Champions and Slaughterhouse Five, and was lucky enough to visit the Galapagos a few years ago, so thought this would be a must-read. KV’s dry wit and sarcasm transpires, but since the plot twist happens early on in the story to a bunch of misfits, the backstories of each misfit is quite dull to work through. It’s hard to care about human characters with little intrigue. KV’s descriptions of the wildlife, natural selection and human devolution carries the story. The narrator was great with voicing all the different characters, and I appreciated the interview recording after the novel for context and on KV and peer writers’ lives.
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- Alexandra
- 02-25-22
Interesting Cast of Characters
I think this was an overall good listen. I enjoyed learning about each character, and non-linear story line was refreshing. Also, kudos to the voice actor, he did a great job at portraying both male and female characters. His voice was very nice on the ears. I haven't read or listened to much Kurt Vonnegut, but this has definitely wet my appetite for reading more.
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- William E. Smith
- 09-08-24
Vonnegut.
Quirky, wonderful science fiction. As poignant in 2024 as when it was written.
Started Gravity’s Rainbow before Galapagos. Different, sure, but similarly epic in spots. Both transport you in similar ways. Rainbow: too long. Galapagos: too short. Which is the best compliment, I think, of a favorite book: too damned short.
Also, the reading was perfect. Acting and intonation added to the flow, never took me out of the narrative.
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- k/b_c
- 06-10-15
Daunting and Enlightening
Where does Galapagos rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Number two, right after The Alchemist.
Who was your favorite character and why?
My favorite character would have to be The Captain because for all his faults, vanity and ignorance he seemed the most real.
Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No. But I loved his voice and he, like Jeremy Irons, seems to embody each and every character as though they existed inside him.
Who was the most memorable character of Galapagos and why?
Most memorable character...hmmm. Ok, I'd said it is Mary. She is consistent and steadfast in her faith of humanity. Right up to the end she risks it all to save what she believes will improve the minds of future generations...but thanks to Vonnegut's wry sense of humor...I won't be a spoiler.
Any additional comments?
Vonnegut's style is both depressing and playful but more than anything he cuts through to the truth many have not and will not face.
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8 people found this helpful
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- G. Berger
- 10-24-18
An odd tale written by a wondefully odd man.
This is not my favorite Vonnegut title, mostly because it feels like he is still finding his voice here. He tells the story from an unusual perspective and deals in very non-linear time. If you know KV's work, you'll know that's not uncommon, but here it is a little more messy than in other books. I do really love the story, the characters and the commentary, but the way the story is told doesn't really allow me to grow terribly attached to any of it. This may very well have been the whole point, but from a personal experience perspective, it makes it a tough read. The narrator also does a very lack-luster job of telling this tale. He has a strange monotony to his speech patterns that makes me want to give up on the book... and life. His actual voice is nice, smooth and easy to listen to, but he's reading the book like a student reading an essay for an oral presentation. It's hard to properly explain. All-in-all I'm glad to have this book in my brain, but I know Vonnegut has made much better.
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Overall
- George
- 01-04-09
Always different
You've got to love him or you won't like it.
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