Heft

By: Liz Moore

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne, Keith Szarabajka

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Literary Fiction, 2013

A heartwarming novel about larger-than-life characters and second chances....

Former academic Arthur Opp weighs 550 pounds and hasn’t left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away in Yonkers, seventeen-year-old Kel Keller navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on what seems like a promising baseball career - if he can untangle himself from his family drama. The link between this unlikely pair is Kel’s mother, Charlene, a former student of Arthur’s. After nearly two decades of silence, it is Charlene’s unexpected phone call to Arthur - a plea for help - that jostles them into action. Through Arthur and Kel’s own quirky and lovable voices, Heft tells the winning story of two improbable heroes whose sudden connection transforms both their lives. Like Elizabeth McCracken’s The Giant’s House, Heft is a novel about love and family found in the most unexpected places.

©2012 Liz Moore (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A suspenseful, restorative novel from one of our fine young voices.” (Colum McCann, National Book Award–winning author)

“In Heft, Liz Moore creates a cast of vulnerable, lonely misfits that will break your heart and then make it soar. What a terrific novel!” (Ann Hood, best-selling author of The Red Thread)

“This is the real deal, Liz Moore is the real deal - she’s written a novel that will stick with you long after you’ve finished it.” (Russell Banks, Pulitzer Prize finalist)

Must Read

Any additional comments?

This is definitely one of my favorites. The performance was top notch and the writing...oh so perfect.. I loved all the characters and will miss them very much. They became my friends.

very interesting

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It really kept me entertained, but the ending left me hanging. I couldn't believe that it was the end, when I heard, "The end"...

Huge entree, but no dessert

I enjoyed this story, the characters were mostly likeable and very human. Each one had their own problems; the protagonist battled loneliness and morbid obesity. Other characters battled the stuff life dishes out to all; death, sadness, disease, unexpected pregnancy, disappointment.

I did get fully involved in the storyline. The things we do to ourselves and the things that life does to us are sometimes hard to distinguish, and so it was for these people. I rooted for some, felt bad for others and some made bad choices or had bad luck.

When the somewhat happier denouement was imminent, the story just stopped. It is not that a reader cannot imagine the scenes following the abrupt ending, but a little more from the authoress would have been appreciated. The semi-tragic characters in this story both needed and deserved some happiness, they had earned it and I felt it was snatched from them (and me) at the last second.

One more chapter might have been in order here to leave readers feeling more hopeful that all really would be better for all the characters as their lives went on. The reader is left to wonder how it came out after a lot of time was spent setting up what could have and should have been a wonderful final scene. Lots of story entree, but no dessert in the form of a real ending, leaving me feeling vaguely dissatisfied. (Sometimes even a heavy meal can benefit from just a bite or two of something sweet at the end.) The lack of dessert docks one star from this book.

Performances were excellent and had much to do with allowing involvement with the characters. With two narrators there was never any doubt as to which point of view was being highlighted at any time. Both narrators were great.

Arthur Arthur Arthur

Where does Heft rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a good - straight forward story. The narration is WONDERFUL ! Keith Szarabajka , I could listen to your voice as Arthur - FOREVER.............I soooooo wanted all these story lines to come crashing into each other and overlap and be all messy.....but for the same reason I keep my potatoes, from touching my peas, from touching my chicken, to not touching the sides of the plate and then eating them in alphabetical order >>>>>> they did not..........

What did you like best about this story?

The complete human-ness and honesty in the words and feelings. There were not really any pedestals for the characters to stand on......they were REAL, HONEST, FALTERING people (just like all of us) and they admitted it.

Which character – as performed by Kirby Heyborne and Keith Szarabajka – was your favorite?

Keith Szarabajka TOTALLY- hands down. Kirby was great too but he had the narration of a 18 year old boy and only SO much can be done with that. The voice of Arthur however has so much depth and richness , I was mesmerized ! Loved that the "Bronx" charm was not lost when Yolanda spoke.......that was fabulous as well...........Arthur , I rally still for you and hope to see you in the park someday !

Any additional comments?

Worth the read/listen.

unusual read very entertaining

If you could sum up Heft in three words, what would they be?

Heft was an unexpected excellent read. A unique experience

What other book might you compare Heft to and why?

I have never read another book quite like this one.

Any additional comments?

I would read this again.

So pleased for this experience

When our mother passed away our family vicar said to us as we left her " Go gentle on yourselves and go gentle on others you meet for you don't know their life's journey" These are the thought s and emotions Liz Moore's words have evoked in me. This is what books are all about surely.

Inside a teen's head dealing with grief

What did you love best about Heft?

Learning how a teen deals with grief.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The teen due to his battles and conquests during the hard teen years.

Any additional comments?

I was pleasantly surprised when the first character's reading changed over to a teen boy's reading! It made the story more interesting rather than listening to an overweight adult moaning about his life. I am hopeful for a part two of "Heft."

Very moving story - loved it.

Heft is one of those books that stick with you, long after the final page. It explores the lives of two people, Arthur, an obese, ex-professor and Kel, a 17-year old high-school student with a troubled mother. The writer delves deep into the thoughts and emotions of the characters as they struggle with relationships. The narration was superb. Highly recommend.

Loved the story

I enjoyed every minute of this book. I did not like how abruptly it ended. There were so many unanswered questions.

Good story but ..

And maybe this is deliberate..it just ends. There is no real ending and many questions are left hanging.!i really wanted to hear about the big Dinner Party and who was Kel's dad after all?we never learn the million dollar question. We learn a lot about shut ins and loneliness which is likely the point. I loved Yolanda in the book who says what comes to mind. She is my favorite but even she is left pregnant....
Will there be a volumne 2 finishing. It ?