Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

By: Jonathan Safran Foer

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman, Barbara Caruso, Richard Ferrone

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Jonathan Safran Foer's best-selling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated, wowed critics on its way to winning several literary prizes, including Book of the Year honors from the Los Angeles Times. It has been published in 24 countries and will soon be a major motion picture. Foer's talent continues to shine in this sometimes hilarious and always heartfelt follow-up.

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is a precocious Francophile who idolizes Stephen Hawking and plays the tambourine extremely well. He's also a boy struggling to come to terms with his father's death in the World Trade Center attacks. As he searches New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key his father left behind, Oskar discovers much more than he could have imagined.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a masterfully imagined novel from an author Time hails as "a certified wunderkind".

©2005 Jonathan Safran Foer (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Multi-Voiced Performance

"Piercing and so funny." (The Bookseller)
"[Oskar's] first-person narration of his journey is arrestingly beautiful, and readers won't soon forget him." (Booklist)
"Jonathan Safran Foer's second novel is everything one hoped it would be: ambitious, pyrotechnic, riddling, and above all...extremely moving. An exceptional achievement." (Salman Rushdie)
"Brilliant....Unafraid to show his traumatized characters' constant groping for emotional catharsis, Foer demonstrates once again that he is one of the few contemporary writers willing to risk sentimentalism in order to address great questions of truth, love, and beauty." (Publishers Weekly)

good

so good! loved every minute, oscars journey was compelling. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find where all the characters ended up!

I WISH I HAD A FRIEND LIKE THE FATHER

What made the experience of listening to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close the most enjoyable?

SEEING THE DIFFERENT WAYS PEOPLE LEARN.

What did you like best about this story?

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

THE FATHER

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES

Any additional comments?

THIS BOOK SHOULD BE READ BEFORE CHILDREN ARE BORN.
TEACHES REASON TO BE GRATEFUL FOR EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW LOVE AND APPRECIATION.

terrific journey

I loved this book
it was a journey of emotions and heartbreak and family love

Heartbreaking and Humorous

Where does Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best! The narration of this book is simply STELLAR! I felt like I was listening to a movie with top notch actors. Really and truly this was one of the best narrated books I've ever heard.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?

When the grandmother describes seeing the "worst day ever" play out on TV. Her repetition of the words "...and the planes" brought me to tears.

Which scene was your favorite?

Every scene was my favorite. This story was an incredible tapestry of stories from three generations woven expertly in to a beautiful work of art.

If you could rename Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, what would you call it?

"Jose!" or "Heavy Boots"

Any additional comments?

It's been a while since I've heard a book that was so heartbreaking and amusing at the same time. The main character is a genius of a kid but all so human that you forget that his voice is that of a child trying to make sense of the senseless. The weaving of stories in and out of the main character's story was flawless and poignant. All of the feelings, the thoughts, and the fear when one loses someone so dear to them come through extremely loud and hit incredibly close to home.

As it turns out, I picked this book up last month and finished it 2 days after the anniversary of the worst day ever. I think the timeliness of it made the story even more touching. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to read the book but I am so glad that I chose to read it when I did.

Roller Coaster of Emotions

Would you consider the audio edition of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to be better than the print version?

I never saw the print version, but I was told there were some pictures and letters that were missed by listening to the story verses reading the book.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was not one dimensional. I did not realize where the story was going, so it was a treat to listen to. I also felt the characters to be complex, so throughout the story I was rooting for some, and then annoyed with them a chapter later.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

I thought the performance was just OK. I understand how the book was written and cannot think of away around this. But I did not like the sudden voice changes for the grandmother/grandfather chapters.

If you could take any character from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The father! He seemed like such a knowledgeable character. I think that dinner would go by really fast.

Any additional comments?

The book was a gift from a friend, because I said I would not see the movie, before reading the story. I have yet to watch the movie.. but I am very interested in seeing how it was done. Although it took some emotions (cried, laughed,was angered, etc.) by the end, I was satisfied.

Better than the movie, makes the book fun

What made the experience of listening to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close the most enjoyable?

I had seen the movie, so I thought I knew what to expect...Whoohooo was I wrong. The book is so much better!
I loved listening to it. The multiple reading voices just makes the story come to life so much better than the visual images found in the movie.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I have a hard time answering this question. I find all of the characters so human, so natural, and so realistic that I like all of them... and I dislike all of them too.

Which scene was your favorite?

The bedroom in upstairs Mr. Black's apartment. The magnetized bed! What an awesome tribute of love.

If you could take any character from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I'd love to take the Grandfather out to dinner. He has so much to say, and because he doesn't speak, he's so much more eloquent than many people.

Any additional comments?

The only thing I wish were different: I wish the narrator had had a younger sounding voice.

Heart wrenching and funny

A moving story about a family impacted by world events. Performance was excellent. Dark and light at once.

Hours of dysfunction before solace and hope

I love love loved listening to the gifted little boy's part; other reviews I read made it sound like it was the voices of the other readers that brought down people's reviews, but I thought their readings were well done -- it was the characters themselves who needed help. Oh, so much help. I was very pleased to stick it out to the end, but I cried too much on the way there.
A side note -- this is the only book I've come across that's made the Dresden bombings real enough for me to understand.

amusing and heartbreaking

If you could sum up Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in three words, what would they be?

quirky, emotional, memorable

What other book might you compare Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to and why?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - they both follow the adventures of a socialy impaired male child in a way that is both highly amusing and heartbreaking.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators caught the pace and tone of the book very well. I enjoyed all three voices.

If You Enjoy Poetry Instead of a Story.....

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

During the first half, I enjoyed the fact that this book was quirky and different. Then it got bogged down with too much reflection on everything and not enough forward movement of a story.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something I bought from Audible. Duh!

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrator put a lot of personality in the characters.

Do you think Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

If there is a crowd who wants a follow up, sure, there should be a follow up!

Any additional comments?

I think the author is talented. I'm not a good target audience though because I get impatient with so much belly button gazing and not enough story.