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)

Worth the wait

I first read this book in paperback 20 years ago and couldn't wait for the unabridged version to come to Audible.

I had forgotten many details of the story, but I knew that the key to enjoying this book would be in the narration. This book is such a swirling stew of outrageous characters, no mere mortal could attempt to commit it to the spoken word.

Barrett Whitener was up to the challenge.

As a son of the South, I have a keen ear for Northern or Midwestern interlopers who attempt the patterns of Southern speech. Adding to my suspicion was the unique brogue of New Orleans required to authentically portray these characters.

Mr. Whitener started slowly. His portrayal of the complex, bombastic Ignatius J. Reilly was sputtering and stilted in the first two chapters. But then he began to find his stride with Ignatius and soon began adding extra flavor to the many quirky, hillarious characters that make this book what it always has been - an American original.

I get it. I don't love it, but I get it.

It took me seven years and many, many false starts before I was able to get through this book, that so many people claim as their all-time favorite. Ultimately, it was worth the time. Really, I'm glad to have this one under my belt so that I know what all the fuss is about.

It took me a while to really "get" the novel, and I did get a measure of joy from all the talk about our protagonist's valve.

Ignatius is a fantastic character; one of the best in all of literature, maybe. But the world he inhabits in this book is boring. The plot did nothing for me, and the dialog alone was not funny enough to carry me through.

Such a fun time!

Best audiobook performance ever... + hilarious & intelligent story! Brilliantly woven story of intertwined lives. Jones is awesome! WooWhee!

The very best audiobook ever made!

What made the experience of listening to A Confederacy of Dunces the most enjoyable?

This book is essentially about New Orleans and its people and the narration brings every exquisite detail to life!

What did you like best about this story?

This novel is the most unique I have ever read. The main character is literally a huge personality that is both fascinating, horrifying and wonderfully entertaining. You will never encounter a group of characters like this.

What about Barrett Whitener’s performance did you like?

Having been an avid audiobook fan for 20 years I have to say this is by far my favorite narration. It reaches heights of perfection that I didn't think were possible. Each character is perfectly rendered and I have listened to this audiobook about 12 times and always find more reasons to consider it to be the pinnacle of audiobook narration.

Entertaining From Start to Finish

Outside of P.G. Wodehouse I haven't spent much time on comic novels. This time I am so glad I did. Well written and so well read. Bravo to Barrett Whitener. He hit the perfect note.He conjured up the character just as you might imagine him. Not only was it a great listen, I plan to listen again.

this book has always been a great favorite

ive loved this book for years & was delighted to get it on audible. i must say this, NO WHITE PEOPLE SHOULD DO A BLACK VOICE!!!! esp. this narrator. it was grinding & terribly offensive.in my mind, there is no hell where i could go & hear a black man say "whoa" like that. it has never happened in all the history of humanity, except for this unfortunate audio book. of all the books on earth to screw up, this one is a MOST unfortunate choice. may the insulted & debauched ghost of john kennedy toole haunt this narrator's dreams.

Genius!

Whitener’s interpretation is the best I’ve ever heard on Audible! “Dunces” is hugely entertaining. Thanks, Amazon!

100, 1,000, no ALL the stars! Genius wit!

The professional reviews I read are correct. I didn't expect to like the book and figured I'd give up on it quickly. But no, it just gets better and better. Some reviewers liked the book but with an exception - that it had no real point. But au contraire! I found many "points", a lot of original ideas and so many profound thoughts (for that time). I laughed, groaned and snorted out loud. I plan to read it many, many more times. P.S. The narrator was perfection. Yow! (You'll get it later.)

Better read than listened to

This is in my list of top 200 favorite books and I have read it numerous times. I have also given it to 6 or so friends who relished it as well. It is an eccentric farce, and a deeply enjoyable read. However, the reader, while he may be quite capable for other books, does not have the ability to reproduce the accents of the NOLA area, and this was a huge barrier for these characters coming to life as they would ordinarily do with a great reader.
There are some books where the dialogue itself or the locale aren't an essential component of the reader's experience, but this is not one of those books.

One word: Brilliant!

The combination of a storyteller extraordinaire and come-to-life narration warrants a one word conclusion and rating, absolutely BRILLIANT!