• Deliverance

  • By: James Dickey
  • Narrated by: Will Patton
  • Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (5,166 ratings)

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Deliverance  By  cover art

Deliverance

By: James Dickey
Narrated by: Will Patton
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Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

The smash-hit best seller that inspired the acclaimed 1972 film starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox is now available in unabridged audio for the very first time.

The setting is the Georgia wilderness, where the state's most remote white-water river awaits. In the thundering froth of that river, in its echoing stone canyons, four men on a canoe trip discover a freedom and exhilaration beyond compare. And then, in a moment of horror, the adventure turns into a struggle for survival as one man becomes a human hunter who is offered his own harrowing deliverance.

This classic tale is vividly read by movie and TV star and Audie Award-winning narrator Will Patton.

©1970 James Dickey (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

100 Best Novels ( The Modern Library)
All-Time 100 Novels ( Time)
"Will Patton's narration is nothing short of haunting. His Southern tone steadily declines from that of a man pondering all that is possible in the world to that of a shattered soul." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Deliverance

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"A river runs through it..."

A gazillion years ago, a friend and I were lurking and prowling in used book stores in San Diego. We separated, then when we met up again, my friend asked, 'Did you find anything good?' "A few things," I said. "But I was looking for a copy of 'Deliverance' and didn't find it." "You're not missing anything," he replied.

Among everything that's happened in my life since, that remark still stands out as one of the most seriously mistaken. Based on his advice, I sort of stopped looking for it, but when the paper copy and I finally did connect, I was astonished. "Deliverance" is an unqualified masterpiece. Now, I've read it about three times and just finished listening for the first time -- and I tell ya, the audio version is even better than the printed version. I normally listen to audiobooks when I'm doing some sort of mindless task, and many times during "Deliverance" I found that I'd just stopped what I was doing and just stood there, listening. It's totally captivating and consuming.

I suppose my friend's mistaken opinion of "Deliverance" was based on the film -- which I've now seen, too. Once. Indeed, the film is brutal and harsh -- scary, in the vicious savagery it depicts. The book stands in stark contrast -- tense? Yes. In fact, I'd be surprised if this book weren't used in writing classes, to demonstrate the proper way to build tension until it becomes almost unbearable. In the first few chapters especially, you just know something awful is going to happen -- you're just waiting for something to explode. And it does, of course -- but in the book, those terrible scenes we remember from the film take up just a few pages. By today's standards, in the book, it's not even especially violent.

What does linger in the mind is the poetry of the whole thing -- a river runs through the whole story, with Dickey's marvelous commentary on its almost ethereal beauty, its symbolism as a life force, for good or bad, and the danger it can represent.

It's also time for me to issue an apology to narrator Will Patton. The truth is, since listening -- trying to listen -- to several of the James Lee Burke books Patton has narrated, I've avoided any other books listing him as narrator. The Burke books are -- my opinion -- annoying, in that Patton sounds as though he's either drunk or half asleep or maybe both. For me, it's not a pleasant thing to listen to. But here? Oh, my. He's perfect -- none of that drugged-out sort of talk, nothing like that. Not only do I have no complaints, but I have nothing but the highest praise for his work here. Sorry 'bout that, Mr. Patton. Now I'm going to see what other books -- other than the Dave Robicheaux series -- he's narrated. Maybe that half-asleep silliness was just an affectation for those books alone.

Bottom line: if you haven't read "Deliverance" yet, you've got a treat in store for you. Forget the movie. Listen to the audio version -- marvelous, just marvelous.

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261 people found this helpful

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very good

I must have seen the movie two or three decades ago. It seemed a testosterone driven story. So I wasn't sure. A good novel transends genre, though. I enjoyed the story very much. I was pleased that the story continues after they get off the river finally and gives you an idea of how this horrific experience has affected their lives thereafter. Very well written. Interesting and compelling enough that I stayed with it and finished in one day. I actually liked the slower portions of the book as it gave you insight into the central character. I thought the pacing of the story varied nicely.

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66 people found this helpful

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excruciatingly vivid, marvelously written and read

This story moves with all the force of the furious river at its center! We know from the first paragraph that nothing good will happen to these weekend warriors - but the ultimate sequence of events is beyond imagining. Having seen the movie long ago I knew it would be intense, but as usual, the book that spawns a great movie is a real masterpiece. Will Patton is my favorite narrator and this book is perfectly suited to his voice.

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60 people found this helpful

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  • 9S
  • 05-01-12

Kill or be killed!

Yes, I have seen the movie a couple of times. Why I waited 25 years to read(listen) to the book is a mystery. At it's core this is a tale of the extremes of life. Ed Gentry owns and operates an ad agency and is bored to tears. He takes a trip with his friends hoping to burn away the cobwebs that have appeared in his life. The real reason he goes, however, is simply to pacify his pal Lewis Medlock, who is a survivalist and outdoor nut. Ed even hopes that some last minute emergency can stop the trip. It does not. And readers are propelled faster and faster to the horror of Ed's moment of truth, when he thinks he must kill another man. And it is not a quick decision, at least not what might be thought of as instantaneous. Ed has plenty of time to track his prey, notice what the other man is wearing. He also realizes the other man is tracking him, and that is the actual moment of decision. Ed must decide in a fraction of a second what to do.

Author James Dickey writes with a poet's mastery of language. Descriptions of the hill people, the forest, mountains and the river are lyrically connected. A reader feels as if he is watching everything unfold. The two most enduring scenes from the movie involve rape and dueling banjos. As important and captivating as those two moments are there are many other episodes that will hold the listener(reader) enthralled. This is a true tale of survival.

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55 people found this helpful

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Such a great story!

It sure didn't take long to get into this book and then not be able to let go of it. I just love a book that I cannot put down, or in this case, turn off! I found my shoulders continually hunched up and my knuckles white throughout most of it. What a great adventure story! When I started it, I was afraid it would be besought with swearing, given that it's a guy thing, but although there was a little, it was mostly just good writing and a great story. Thank you James Dickey! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The performance by Will Patton was spot-on. I felt like I was living this nightmare right along with the characters, and when it was over, I missed them.

The worst thing about finishing a story like this is picking out the next one and then being disappointed when it is not as good.

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When Master Author Meets Master Narrator

I've listened to half a dozen Will Patton narrations - he is my absolute favorite narrator ever. He always brings such commitment, artistry, and most of all - INTELLIGENCE - to his readings. But what you are looking at here is pure gold, my friends. This is the meeting of masters. James Dickey's novel Deliverance is more than a book linked to a well-known movie. It is the most well written and intelligent American thriller of the last century. I'm not just blowing smoke: this book is literature - one of the Time 100 and voted 42 on Modern Library's list of greatest novels of the 20th century. So don't buy this thinking you're getting you're usual paint-by-numbers pulp -- no. This requires intent listening. But my goodness, this book will pay off tenfold. Will Patton is so good here, I am simply in awe. I envy you who are about to read this for the first time.

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Normal is Boring

This book can be described in one word, INTENSE. Even though it was very well written and a great story and narrated by the best in the field, Will Patton, I could not wait for it to get over, so that I could get this pressure off of my heart. So I could breath again. There are parts in this book where you will stop breathing and have to remind yourself to do so.

Dickey was a poet foremost and that comes out in his writing. It was a little slow to start. He spends time describing a bow like it is a naked woman. He goes into great detail describing vomit after a night of drinking. Yet once those canoes hit the water it is non-stop action. This is a thrill ride which will stay with you long after the audio is over.

Will Patton gets my vote for best narrator. I also loved him reading Alas, Babylon.

If you really like this book, you may want to get Winter's Bone. It is very poetic and about people in the backwoods.

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Wow this book is amazing.

It is not hyperbole for me to say that James Dickey should be spoken of in the same breath as ANY classic american author. He's a poet and genius. This book was done an injustice by the movie being made. I think more people would have read it if it could have been appreciated for the beautiful piece of literature that it is.
The fact that Will Patton reads it only makes it more perfect. Expectations cannot be too high when starting this book.

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Nice escape!

I was a little hesitant about listening to the book since I have seen the movie several times. However, the fact that Will Patton is the narrator won me over. I'm very glad too! The movie followed the book very closely, but the book gave so much more insight into who the men are, what they are doing on the river, and why they each had such different reactions. The story is captivating--in spite of the fact that I knew the ending! Will Patton is a perfect narrator for the story. It was fun!

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Hits like a stick of dynamite!

I remember reading this book when I was a young lad and enjoying every turned page. I remember the movie both engaging me and holding me in suspense. Without a doubt Will Patton is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. His voice is as enthralling as it is mesmerizing. I always loved him as an actor, now I love him even more as a narrator of excellent audiobooks. He first grabbed me when I listened to the abridged edition of Gone South by Robert McCammon (a two cassette edition done years and years ago, my favorite author--three of his books are in my top five favorites of all time--Boy's Life, Swan Song, and The Wolf's Hour, by the way).

The story is as strong as a raging river which cannot be denied its sacrifices. The reading greatly matches Dickey's superb storytelling!

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