Everything That Rises Must Converge

By: Flannery O’Connor

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot, Karen White, Mark Bramhall, Lorna Raver

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

This collection of nine short stories by Flannery O'Connor was published posthumously in 1965. The flawed characters of each story are fully revealed in apocalyptic moments of conflict and violence that are presented with comic detachment.

The title story is a tragicomedy about social pride, racial bigotry, generational conflict, false liberalism, and filial dependence. The protagonist, Julian Chestny, is hypocritically disdainful of his mother's prejudices, but his smug selfishness is replaced with childish fear when she suffers a fatal stroke after being struck by a black woman she has insulted out of oblivious ignorance rather than malice.

Similarly, “The Comforts of Home” is about an intellectual son with an Oedipus complex. Driven by the voice of his dead father, the son accidentally kills his sentimental mother in an attempt to murder a harlot.

The other stories are “A View of the Woods”, “Parker's Back”, “The Enduring Chill”, “Greenleaf”, “The Lame Shall Enter First”, “Revelation”, and “Judgment Day”.

Flannery O'Connor was working on Everything That Rises Must Converge at the time of her death. This collection is an exquisite legacy from a genius of the American short story, in which she scrutinizes territory familiar to her readers: race, faith, and morality. The stories encompass the comic and the tragic, the beautiful and the grotesque; each carries her highly individual stamp and could have been written by no one else.

©1956 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965; renewed 1993 by the Estate of Mary Flannery O’Connor (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The current volume of posthumous stories is the work of a master, a writer's writer—but a reader's too—an incomparable craftsman who wrote, let it be said, some of the finest stories in our language." ( Newsweek)

“All in all they comprise the best collection of shorter fiction to have been published in America during the past twenty years.” ( Book Week)

“When I read Flannery O'Connor, I do not think of Hemingway, or Katherine Anne Porter, or Sartre, but rather of someone like Sophocles. What more can you say for a writer? I write her name with honor, for all the truth and all the craft with which she shows man's fall and his dishonor.” (Thomas Merton)

Must Have!

What made the experience of listening to Everything That Rises Must Converge the most enjoyable?

Listening to a Flannery O'Connor story is as enjoyable as reading one.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Mother. She was strong-willed in her determination, even if her view of society was wrong and outdated.

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

When the mother had her stroke, totally unpredictable and shocking.

Well done

The various voices for the different stories were spot on! It added to the listening experience and help the stories to not only come alive but, stick with me long after the audio ended.

Bringing Life to the Grotesque in Southern Goth

I bought and read Flanner O'Connor's complete works a long time ago and really enjoyed reading the books. I really enjoyed the audio version of "Everything that Rises Must Converge" even more than the books themselves. Somehow the narration in this series really made the stories come to life in a way that did not happen when I was reading the books. The incantation, the accents, the play in the different voices it all came together perfectly. Somehow, as the stories were being read to me on my walks, I was hit with even deeper understanding of the stories than I had before. I highly recommend this recording to those who are interested in the work of Flannery O'Connor. You will not be disappointed.
Flannery O'Connor was a devout Christian, and her stories reflect her faith in one way or another, in some stories it is more blatant than in others, but all the stories are wonderful for their grotesque characters struggling through everyday life. Most of them deal with the social upheaval in the Mid Twentieth Century South. And with that backdrop she begins in Southern Goth style to lampoon popular notions of Christianity, the notions held by many Christians themselves, but then she also effectively lampoons positions that are seen as intellectually superior to Christianity too. Really quite a masterful work of fiction.

Grim stories, not for the faint of heart!

I can't say I "enjoyed" these stories, but they certainly are both honest and strangely witty.

The readings were well done, on the whole.

wow

Would you listen to Everything That Rises Must Converge again? Why?

Absolutely. This is some of the most brilliantly cutting fiction that's ever been written.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked about Flannery's stories is exactly what I don't like about them. They're painful. She exposes the arrogance of progressive/liberal thinking and the shallowness of conservative niceness. Wherever you find yourself landing, she's got a scathing revelation awaiting you. But that's exactly why I keep coming back to her stories. She exposes both my arrogance and my shallowness.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

These very well chosen narrators bring local color and life to the characters that I simply wouldn't have provided if I were reading the stories silently in my head. The biting tone of some and the simpering of others. So well done.

If you could take any character from Everything That Rises Must Converge out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Absolutely none of them. They are all dreadful!

Great book. Bad narration.

Would you consider the audio edition of Everything That Rises Must Converge to be better than the print version?

The print version is better. The narration is really bad, especially when conveying dialogue. The male voice actors are annoying, even offensive when they attempt southern accents.

How could the performance have been better?

I think the voice actors are great when reading most things. Their attempts at conveying the dialect of these characters fell way short. My recommendation for a better performance would be to have someone with more compassion for Southern characters read O'Connor's work.

spoiler alert

Would you listen to Everything That Rises Must Converge again? Why?

yes I would, although these stories were very relevent at the time There is also underlying truths that are relevant today. this is why Flannery O connor is one of the greatest authors of all time.

What other book might you compare Everything That Rises Must Converge to and why?

It is a collection of Flannery O connor stories there is no comparison

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

To be honest I did not like any of the characters. That is what is so great about the story telling. If we're honest though we di not like these people we all can relate some how.

If you could take any character from Everything That Rises Must Converge out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Like I said I did't like any of these characters.

Any additional comments?

Is it just me or do they all die in the end.Which I guess is also timeless and universal, no one makes it out alive.

First Flannery O'Connor book.

The stories were all dark. but excellently written and the reading and character voices were incredible - like live theatre! Made me stop to reflect on life (particularly in the southern United States), relationships and people's concepts of God, good and evil. Would recommend for a deeper read. Not for those looking for light fiction.

A real treat for O'Connor fans

I just love these stories, and they are very well performed. I enjoy the variety of voices. These stories just take your breath away, no one writes an ending like Flannery O'Connor. That said, I have one wee criticism, and that is about the way too short a time between the end of one story and the beginning of another. For pity's sake, you don't even have time to take a full breath before you are launched into the next one. It's jarring. So, editors, if you are reading this- how about a tiny pause? 5 seconds? Even a little musical break of ten seconds even? That way one can hit the pause button if you need to digest what you just heard.

good readers

I got a paperback but I didn't remember Revelation...maybe it was the good reader set it apart for me