Oil!

By: Upton Sinclair

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 19 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

As he did so masterfully in The Jungle, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Upton Sinclair interweaves social criticism with human tragedy to create an unforgettable portrait of Southern California's early oil industry.

Enraged by the oil scandals of the Harding administration in the 1920s, Sinclair tells a gripping tale of avarice, corruption, and class warfare, featuring a cavalcade of characters, including senators, oil magnates, Hollywood film starlets, and a crusading evangelist. Sinclair's glorious 1927 epic endures as one of our most powerful American novels of social injustice.

©1954 David Sinclair (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Sinclair's 1927 novel did for California's oil industry what The Jungle did for Chicago's meat-packing factories." ( Library Journal)

Shows us how we got here into Trump's America

Good story, depressing how the workers of the world are still expendable. Not Trump 2020

Some things just don't change

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It is hopelessly dystoptian. It would be nice to have one uplifting moment somewhere in the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Oil!?

The section describing Paul's experiences in Russia after WW I. I assume it is based in fact, and I was not aware of US involvement at that time.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was excellent

Did Oil! inspire you to do anything?

It made me look at the current world oil industry in a more comprehensive light

Any additional comments?

Don't expect anyone in the novel to resolve anything in this parade of dismal events in any way that approaches optimism

excellent all the way around.

interesting mix of technical descriptions and social descriptions. Very much enjoyed the narrator's voice, style, and cadence. I will
actually search for other books narrated by him. Thanks so much.

Overhyped due to movie tie-in?

Having married a California girl I thought this book would answer some of the mysteries as to the remaining oil derricks located in oddly and sometimes secluded places in Southern California. The book starts off intriguingly headed in that direction and then meanders wildly off course. we end up in Paris? why what does that have to do with the California oil rush? For audible to charge for this book but not the Upton Sinclair book ‘coal’ which I thought was better is a sure indication that Audible was looking to cash in on the movie tie in called ‘there will be blood’. How unfortunate. this book was mostly a stinker but I burned one of my monthly credits on it. lesson learned.

Adapted but not the film for better or worse up to you

Relevant to today by quite a lot. It’s a slice of life story that reads remarkably close to how the 2020’s have come to pass. Worth reading to bring context to that time period and some to today.

Very different from movie, but really good story either way!!

I loved the movie “There will be blood” so I exited the book to have the same story. It’s a very different story with many of the same characters. I really enjoyed hearing about what life and politics was like back in the 20s when this book was written/takes place

an outstanding book

this book, long out-of-print, has suddenly appeared back in print due to the critical popularity of the movie "there will be blood" -- that this book "needed" a loosely adapted screenplay to re-enter the american consciousness is an irony of Sinclarian proportions... this is a majestic book, filled with the type of realism that makes Sinclair's best works so effective; what in a lesser author's hands would have resulted in didactic diatribe, Sinclair never loses -- and never lets the reader lose -- sympathy with his characters, both positive and negative, due to the realism with which their inner and outer lives are portrayed... the narration is excellent, bringing unobtrusively to the fore, Sinclair's sense of humor, irony, and insightful social criticism... "Oil!" is that rarity amongst books -- a book that is itself a highly satisfying work, but one which -- like Samuel Butler's "Edward Pontifex, or The Way of All Flesh" -- leaves the reader wishing that the book were longer, so well drawn are the book's characters and situations... as a life-long devoted reader of Upton Sinclair, who had not previously had the opportunity to read "Oil!", i would unhesitatingly rank it as amongst Sinclair's very best works, which like so many of Sinclair's novels, leave the reader hungry for more...

Outstanding!

If you could sum up Oil! in three words, what would they be?

A controversial jewel.

Who was your favorite character and why?

James Arnold Ross aka Dad, who was a shrewd and determined self-made millionaire. The author set out so precisely Dad's tenderness in guiding his child, who was driven by humanitarian idea, through an unfriendly environment.

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

Mr. Gardener brought all the characters to life-- everyone of them. He was fabulous.

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

I am particularly drawn to this era of time. That period, and this book, illustrates with distinction the "have's" and "have not's." Here, when Dad learned a worker had lost his life on a rig, I initially was angered he did not provide a stipend for the widow. I mean, he was making money hand over fist so he wouldn't have missed it. It took just a few minutes to realize that even though Dad did not do that-- did not even consider it as a matter of fact, he had acted as a responsible employer by providing insurance that paid her $5,000. (Pennies compared to his millions but responsible according to economics of the period.)

Any additional comments?

I want to point out that the book and the movie aren't akin. I thought the movie was tacky and portrayed Dad in a horrible light. This book places Dad in a more realistic perspective, i.e. business man vs. family man. It's a good read.

Not the "Daniel Plainview" I'd hoped for.

Daniel Day Lewis did an excellent job of presenting this epic tale on the big screen but the book, the story of how the oil boom in Southern California actually came about was far less interesting.

I often find myself enthralled with stories involving some financial mastermind. Just as I rooted for Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life", I saw Daniel Plainview as a person not to be damned but rather to marvel at. Their wit and wisdom in creating monopolies in their fields have something to show each one of us. Just as Rockefeller, and Ford (both excellent listens on Audible), people like this are one in a million, and are far, far above people like Zuckerberg and Gates. But as this book unfolded, the long, long read it took to do so, I found them and the characters in "There will be Blood" to be nicer, and more adept at getting along with society which is refreshing to a degree, but also detracts from the story.

In this read, you'll learn allot about many parts in the movie which seem unanswered but also leave you wondering how he actually got to where he is, which, without the movie you'd hardly know.

You won't be bored with Grover Gardner doing the reading, as often find myself searching for the books he narrates. He does an excellent job to say the least. I just wish he could've told the story in half the time because at times, it seems to drag on.

Nonetheless, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject, or anyone who enjoys Grover Gardner. It's worth it in the long, long run.

Utopia doesn't exist.

This book would be considerably better if "Utopian Socialism" worked. Bunny is naive to the point of stupidity. Also, I can't see where anyone could turn this into There Will Be Blood, with the exception of 2 or 3 names they have nothing at all in common.