A Confederacy of Dunces

By: John Kennedy Toole

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

“A masterwork . . . the novel astonishes with its inventiveness . . . it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue.”—The New York Times Book Review

A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs.

So enters one of the most memorable characters in recent American fiction.

The hero of John Kennedy Toole's incomparable, Pultizer Prize–winning comic classic is one Ignatius J. Reilly, an obese, self-absorbed, hapless Don Quixote of the French Quarter, whose half-hearted attempts at employment lead to a series of wacky adventures among the lower denizens of New Orleans. This book has become an American comic masterpiece.

©1980 Thelma D. Toole (P)1997 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Barrett Whitener strikes just the right note." (AudioFile)
"A Confederacy of Dunces has been reviewed almost everywhere, and every reviewer has loved it. For once, everyone is right." (Rolling Stone)
"What a delight, what a roaring, rollicking, footstomping wonder this book is! I laughed until my sides ached, and then I laughed on." (Chicago Sun-Times)

get a local to read this book

the reader did not pronounce the words like a native from New Orleans would. maybe hire John Goodman. he's not a native, but he did marry one and he understands the local culture and dialects

All time favorite

Would you listen to A Confederacy of Dunces again? Why?

I read it in the early 80's and still read it over

Any additional comments?

This is a fun listen. Sadly the author died after writing this. The main character is so well fleshed out I thought it was based on the author. I looked up the author and he is nothing like his character. For years my father and I debated who would play Ignatious. Not just famous actors but stranger too. ...."he would make a good Ignacious".

A little dated, but still funny

I've read the print version of this book about 7 times, but it's been about 15 years since my last read. I wondered if the book, with it's Crusade of Moorish Dignity and stereotypical depiction of gay men would still seem funny. It took me a little while to get into the story, but the Levi Pants Factory is still a very funny place, containing a kind but incompetent manager, a senile old secretary who sometimes neglects to change out of her nightgown before coming to work, a henpecked owner and the unappreciated (but apparently not overworked) factory employees. Ignatius' mother is voiced well, and the narrator does an excellent job with Jones, whose colloquial speech and "Wee-ooo" never sound stupid or subservient, but reveal him to be apparently the smartest man in New Orleans. Just as the last seven times I finished this book, I was sorry it was over.

Stunning Masterpiece

This book is truly amazing. The narrator makes it worth listening to every word. Ignatius is a gem.

Disappointed

Dialog and dialect are key in this book and the reader carries neither off effectively. However, even this can't kill the savage funnies.

What a difference 30 years make....

CB and I read ACOD in our early 20's and we loved it! The story and its characters were often funny. A little knowledge of New Orleans helped a lot. I loved the main characters, and the bird and its dancers were friends, too. Ignatius seemed a lovable eccentric with a good classical education.
At 55, I listened to the book and wondered why I had thought it funny previously. The main characters had become sad, frustrated, and lonely. Ignatius was a lazy, dirty, and perverted pig with yellow sheets and an obsession with self-importance and masturbation. -(I only object to the masturbation because its ejaculatory fluids are meant to be cleaned up by his mother!)-

The narrator was the only part of the story that made me laugh this time around. "OOO weee!" was super funny, but when I laughed, I felt like I was laughing at rather than laughing with.

I don't think the story is that dated, particularly with the way the pro-trumpers are trying to bring back blue laws and force the rest of us into their blue attitudes. I guess it is me that is dated. Goodbye, my favorite book of my youth.
SDS

Highly Intelligent, equally offensive, super funny

Which of us sometimes doesn’t feel like they’re drowning in a sea of idiots? Imagine that you are, but you’re an idiot too. That’s this novel. Pure comedy, but also feels. The writing is intelligent and the end is astounding. You will add this to your “Read Again” list.

The reading brings the characters to life

It's a great novel with a brilliant readying performance. I've listened to this more times than I wish to admit. Quickly, hilarious and well written.

Absolutely HILARIOUS! One of the BEST EVER!

Within the first few minutes I was already laughing out loud, and continued to do so all the way until the end - even when out in public by myself. What a shame the author didn't live long enough to see his incredible novel published - he was a brilliant writer, way before his time. You'll never forget these characters! Especially the way the narrator brought them all to life! What an incredible job by Barrett Whitener! He deserves an award for this one, no doubt! Well, except for the small part of trying to sound Hispanic and having it sound more like a Chinese. But other than that, I can't imagine any other narrator doing a more spectacular job and nailing each and every character with just the right tones and nuances to make them as real and 3-Dimensional as can be. John Kennedy Toole would have been proud! THIS ONE'S A WINNER - ALL AROUND!

superb

This was an exceptional listen. The story line was sufficiently twisted and filled with hilarious stomach grabbing scenes. The narration was excellent, capturing both the subtle irony of the story line and the bombastic nature of the main character. My only regret is that this is likely to be the author’s first and last novel (having been published posthumously)