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)

Hilarious!

This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever listened to. The protagonist is not likable but very entertaining. The narrator is incredibly gifted. I look forward to more readings from him.

Great book, worthy performance

John Kennedy Toole this was a genius. it's too bad he never got confirmation of that fact during his life. This was a long book, but the time flew by. I wish there was a sequel on the Ignatius Riley story.

a laugh out loud adventure.

the first book in a long time to make me seriously lol. what a great read, with contexts still relevant to today's society and its plights, along with an honest portrayal of southern city living.

Fantastic performance.

I don’t know anything so simultaneously funny and tragic as this book. This was my second reading and it is brilliant and I laughed aloud more times than i can count.

Well worth a credit on every level!

I had been meaning to read this book for years - it’s on a bookshelf somewhere in my house - but I’m glad I listened instead. The story is hilarious, beautifully written and memorable. The narration is excellent and brings to life accents that are meaningful to the story but that I don’t know and so this book (at least by me) is better heard than read.

So glad I gave this a listen

Even when I had had enough of the lunatic characters, I wished for more. The ending came way too soon. Like the relationships we build with crazy annoying family members, having them around often is just too much. But losing them from your lives is impossibly sad.

It does come together in the end

At the beginning it feels meandering- a clever absurdist snapshot of its time and place. But it builds into a delightfully absurd coherence and comes together to an excellent conclusion. It works as a story on its own, but if I might force it into the mold of a metaphor, it is one of the best satires I have come across exploring the tragic sideswipes that occur when academics attempt to influence their subjects, which are generally found in the real world, a place where they do not belong.

Timeless

Several groups of unlikely associates loosely interact causing some very funny outcomes. Amazon is making me type this as they say my review is too short.

Exceptional reading of a classic

I listened to this audio edition over 30 years after reading the book. The narrator brought out the voices and character of the characters, and the book is full of true characters. Toole created a rich masterpiece.

Exceptional satire

Hilarious and brilliant. A scathing take down of the faux intelligence, and spoiled youth of America. I loved it!