The narration makes it golden. Fun stories, super narration and Jon Ronson...what more can a person want!

Unique in itself

All

No, I savor it over time

This book makes you happy.

Querky delightfully entrtaining

All the characters were so different. Each fascinating. A look into the fringes of our human family. And yet they might not be so fringe. One must ask oneself, what part of them is in me.

Ron's matter of fact voicing of the book was perfect. He reads the story without imposing any hint of sarcasm, judgment, or humor. Only irony is left.

I looked forward to each chapter to see what new weird situation and people Jon would introduce me to. I found it fascinating to look into a multiplicity of realities and people.

Jon is fearless in going for the story even when it was dangerous. He's a dispassionate observer and invites us to tag along. Loved it.

I love his unique perspective and read!

Fun and thought-provoking.

This audio book DELIGHTED me. Thank you, John Ronson! I look forward to more!

My dad used to tell me, "The truth is stranger than fiction, Ange. You couldn't make this stuff up!"

My dad would love Jon Ronson.

Ronson is known for ferreting out strange people with strange beliefs or behaviors and exposing them to the world. He does it again in "Lost at Sea," a wonderful collection of tales about his odd encounters. Ronson makes himself a central character in all of his stories. He plays the good-natured skeptic who kind of wants to believe - the very role we imagine for ourselves in Ronson's place. His openness helps us empathize with his bizarre cast of characters. In the end, we, like Ronson, are a little bit better for having learned what they have to teach.

Perhaps the best part of this book is that Ronson himself narrates, and no one could do it better. Each emotion is clearly expressed through his lilting accent, which is at times quite hilarious. I've said it in previous reviews and I will say it again, you will want to talk like Jon Ronson for days after listening to his work because everything sounds funnier when you say it like Jon Ronson.

If you love the strange and bizarre, you will love this book. If you are a Ronson fan, you will not be disappointed by this latest installment of the strange and weird.

ADDED BONUS:

My top three picks:
1) Doesn't everyone have a solar? (Ronson interviews high functioning robots.)

2) Who killed Richard Cullen? (Ronson invents alteregos with various personality traits to see who is most likely to be solicited by ads for credit cards and bank loans.)

3) Is she for real? (Ronson signs up for a cruise featuring "grumpy" psychic Sylvian Brown.)

Enjoy!

I love Jon Ronson. There is nothing he finds interesting that doesn't also interest me as well. Hearing him read the book is so soothing, and also riveting. It's like sitting with him as he tells you the most fascinating stories. The Psychopath Test was great, but this is almost more fun, as each chapter is a new story. So fun, compelling, and you just can't turn it off!!

Wow, the story about the Disney employee who fell overboard is just riveting. Also, the story about the chapter about real life super heroes. I also really love the story about his trying to live out the adventures of James Bond. Dang it . . . I love them all.

I love hearing him recount the stories himself. They are so personal and the conversations so interesting, and it is wonderful to imagine the inflection and emphasis of everyone's voice must have happened exactly as he reads it.

I think Jon Ronson is a fantastic reporter and has lived an extraordinary life. I would love to meet him at a dinner party. That being said, I thought every sentence sounded the same. The inflection, pitch, timber, and timing were all on the same length for almost every sentence. Very robotic read. I had to skip some of the chapters that were less interesting because his voice couldn't keep me engaged.

Why spoil it all by reading it yourself, Jon? I have read a few books by Jon Ronson and loved them. I watched Men who stare at goats (based on his novel), and was actually surprised by its peculiar take on ESP. But this audio book was a complete disappointment because Jon Ronson decided (or was invited) to read it himself. And he has the most monotonous, slumber-inducing voice I have ever heard. I had to give up, after a few attempts. I think I'll go back and read the paper version. Or try again when this book will be recorded with a different, professional narrator, who can really give credit to the surprising stories told here.

Just another blimey, blabbering Brit eschewing on everything from mindless reality television, game show contestants and other droll topics of whimsical fancy. I profess to the difficulties of writers conjuring up novels filled with such imaginative storytelling and playful prose, enough that is to warrant a book deal and being lauded by the great Audible.com. Sadly, Mr. Ronson will not be on my holiday stocking stuffer to give or get lists this year...BLAH HUMBUG!!!

Nothing. This was awful. I could not get beyond 30 minutes of it. There should be a ZERO rating option for it. That being said, the content was BORING. The first "chapter" was a tedious narrative about a game show/reality show in England that was completely unremarkable. It seemed to go downhill from there.

Something that I check out more carefully.

Hard to say, since content-wise, the book was not enjoyable for me. The narrator is the author -- not a disqualifier by any means, but this particular author does not have a particularly expressive, pleasant, or interesting voice.

Total boredom.

This is tied with one other book as the worst audio book I ever purchased. It underscores the advantage of print -- if I had browsed a few pages I would never have bought it. From now on, I will "research" unfamiliar authors on Amazon or at my local bookstore.