A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Essays and Arguments

By: David Foster Wallace

Narrated by: Paul Garcia

Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In this exuberantly praised book - a collection of seven pieces on subjects ranging from television to tennis, from the Illinois State Fair to the films of David Lynch, from postmodern literary theory to the supposed fun of traveling aboard a Caribbean luxury cruiseliner - David Foster Wallace brings to nonfiction the same curiosity, hilarity, and exhilarating verbal facility that has delighted readers of his fiction.

©1997 David Foster Wallace (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Wallace's style is highly personal - some might say eccentric - but his writing is always intelligent, witty, and engaging." ( Library Journal)

"Mr. Wallace's distinctive and infectious style, an acrobatic cart-wheeling between high intellectual discourse and vernacular insouciance, makes him tremendously entertaining to read, whatever his subject." ( The New York Times Book Review)

“these intelligent, funny essays are outstanding.” ( Booklist)

The title reflects expectations

Wallace's prose toes the line between measured and verbose. Garcia makes the humor absolutely pop.

Life Through David Foster Wallace's Eyes

I waited a little too long to write this review, but here we go: I'm from Indiana and grew up playing basketball, and I enjoyed Wallace describing his years travelling the Midwest and the dodgy style of gritty tennis he played. He relished the heat, the bugs, and the surprise gusts of wind while others complained of their foul luck. Memorable pieces on the IL state fair and a trip on a luxury cruise liner. Listened to this as I read Michael Martone's The Flatness and Other Landscapes. A good pair.

brilliant but dated material

this sounded like the narrator's first read; he did not know how to pronounce several words and proper names, and mis-read the emphasis in long sentences. as ever, Hachette is too lazy to align "chapters" with any meaningful divisions within the book, even in this, a collection of essays with titled sub-sections! so the chapter segments are typically meaningless and unhelpful.

A Collection of Clever Observations

Would you listen to A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again again? Why?

Yes. I would like to experience a few of the essay's topics then listen to these essays again.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The author's attention to details. He has a way of writing a mundane occurrence in a way that makes you feel like you too should be getting more out of how you view life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I really appreciated a theme mentioned in at two of the essays of how millions of people are being sold the concept of individualism.

Brilliant writer/pitch perfect narration

This is a excellent book of essays, narrated beautifully, bringing out all of David Foster Wallace's remarkable humor and irony. I am looking forward to more books narrated by Paul Garcia.

Terrible Reader

The guy reading this doesn’t understand what he’s reading and so can’t modulate his voice in a way that makes sense. Totally off-putting. Basically unlistenable.

Yes. Good listen.

Good audiobook. Reader was expressive and seemed to get DFW's sense of humor.

Good essays.

Started 2020 Right

A fantastic collection! Audible needs to organize the files by essay/story though, not randomly by chunks of 30-50 minutes.

Great Book

Wildly entertaining at best and kind of boring at worst. David Lynch Keeps His Head, the excerpt from E Unibus Pluram and Shipping Out are the highlights for me. What is to be said that has not been said already?

Supercilious narrator

I found myself distracted by the sort of precious, supercilious tone of the narrator, which did not enhance the experience for me. Learn from my mistake and listen to the sample before deciding to buy.