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)

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.

Really enjoyed this book

I don't know why but I really enjoyed this book. It is a quirky story almost like someone said make up a story about Sept 11 that is different and compelling. Well...they did it!
Narration is excellent. Highly recommended listening if you are looking for something different, touching, full of interesting characters - all with a quest.

Very engaging story, perfectly performed.

The story - or rather, the interwoven stories - emerge, instead of being told. The intersections between the characters and the reader are moving and complex. I kept thinking about the book and its ideas when not reading it. I found it to be a well-grounded affirmation of life and love.

An American Fairytale

Great story. In 50 years I would call this an American fairytale.

The voice actors do a solid job. But sometimes you can clearly hear when a new recording starts.

Confusing

I listened to this book on audible because my 14-year-old son chose this book to read for a project at school. It was very confusing to listen to on audible as there are several characters and it isn’t clear who is speaking sometimes.