Randall

Based on the reviews I was excited to start and listen to these stories. I was very disappointed. There is not one single passage or character that moved me or made me sit up and pay attention. I don't know who these stories do appeal to but they do not appeal to me. I did listen to the end but I don't know why.

Abstract and narrated in a dialect I couldn't understand that reminded me of all of the bad computer help desk voices. This book just did NOT work for me. I didn't like it on any level. A total waste of time.

I liked this book. The story was compelling and the reader was excellent. I would recommend this book.

This book has classic - must read status. I don't believe it deserves this distinction. Clearly it was controversial subject matter when it was written. And the premise of the book is interesting. But mostly it's just boring and a big waste of time. But I'm not an academic or a scholar so I could be completely wrong. I had to struggle to listen to this book to the end. I read the SparkNotes for the story and tried to get into it and to understand the characters and the story. It just didn't work for me.

My wife read this book and suggested it to me. I tried to read it in written book format and just could not get through it. So I downloaded it on Audible.com and listened to it while I read along in the book. I enjoyed the narration and thought that was quite good. I could never really get into this book. I found several parts of the story quite good - specifically the authors ideas about how zoos are not really such bad places for animals - he makes a compelling argument. And some of the philosophical aspects were interesting. But toward the end of the book I just wanted it to end. And that's never a good sign. Interesting idea - good narration - but it was just too abstract and too long for me.

This is a coming of age/alienation book similar to The Catcher in the Rye or the movies Easy Rider or Rebel Without a Cause. Kerouac is credited with helping to start the beatnik generation and also is said to have influened the hippie movement. After listening this book I can see why. I liked the book but it seemed a bit too long. I enjoyed the narrator and thought he did a masterful job. He seemed to use a different "voice" for each character. He also seemed to capture the essence of each character as well and that came through in his narration. The characters in the book are quite amusing and just odd enough to be interesting. An easy listen.