Lullaby

By: Chuck Palahniuk

Narrated by: Richard Poe

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author of Fight Club, which was adapted into a major motion picture, Chuck Palahniuk offers a haunting tale. Winner of the Northwest Booksellers Association Award, Palahniuk is one of the rare literary geniuses who has been able to bridge the gap between a cult following and commercial success.

Carl Streator, a 40-something widower and newspaper reporter, has lived a reclusive life since the death of his wife. His latest assignment is to write a series of articles on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In doing so, he discovers that there is an underlying commonality in the deaths. A children's book, Poems and Rhymes Around the World, containing an African Death chant, is found at the scene of the cases he investigates. Having read the chant aloud, he quickly realizes the lethal power of the words. As he fights against its powerful grip, which has turned him into a serial killer, he enlists the aid of some eccentric compatriots who vow to rid every library and bookstore of the deadly text before further lives are jeopardized. But what begins as a crusade to save lives soon becomes the ultimate game of cat and mouse, as they uncover the truth about the rhyme and are hunted by the force holding Streator captive.

Newsday hails Palahniuk as "one of the freshest, most intriguing voices to appear in a long time." Richard Poe's powerful narration expertly captures every tormented detail of this paranormal thriller.

©2002 Chuck Palahniuk (P)2002 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Hilarious satire." (Publishers Weekly)
"Outrageous, darkly comic fun of the sort you'd expect from Palahniuk." (Kirkus Reviews)
"In his last novel, Choke, Palahniuk proved he could write a best seller without sacrificing his trademark biting satire. And in Lullaby, he manages an even more impressive feat by showing himself capable of tenderness as well as outrage." (Booklist)
"This is vintage Palahniuk: weird, creepy, twisted, upsetting, and ultimately a great read for anyone who wants to be scared for pleasure." (Library Journal)

Phenomenal read, full of excitment

I loved this book and finished it so fast simply because I couldn't stop listening. The way Chuck balances realism and the normal world with just a dash of magic and fantasy is perfect. Lullaby is another thoughtful Palahniuk book riddled with questions you'll be begging for the answers to!

Insanity!

How does one rate this book? It is not really a fantasy, though the premise is fantastic (as in "ridiculous", not as in "terrific"). If I had to pick one word to describe this story it would be "insane". The book is a spoof/satire of modern life and has very little grounding in reality so you really have to suspend your belief from the start or you'll never make it through the story.

The reader does a terrific job. So that's worth a star.

There were several points I was about to give up listening because, well, the story is ridiculous, but then there are some parts that are absolutely hilarious. I don't recall any other audiobook that caused me to waffle between laughing out loud (naked wiccan meeting anyone?) and turning the book off. How does this help those who are trying to decide whether to buy this or not? I gave it a star for the laughter.

It is certainly a book you'll either like or really really REALLY dislike. The author goes off on long tirades of made up words (noiseoholics, silenceophobes, etc) which gets rather irritating after awhile. So that takes a star away.

I have never heard or read this author before and have no idea what else he has written. I will probably not buy another of his books though - the long winded tirades were just too, well, tiring to listen to and while there are good parts, the over all story is just too crazy.

I'd give it a 3.5 stars in total but have to choose between 3 or 4 in this rating system. I choose 4 because if you like this kind of insane mockery of reality, it's quite good and very well read, and if you don't like it, you'll HATE this book.

Scary Lullaby

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

Unexpected Romance Horror

What other book might you compare Lullaby to and why?

Stephen King Books?

What does Richard Poe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The nonchalant normalcy of the voice describing a horrific event of scene.

Who was the most memorable character of Lullaby and why?

The The female realestate agent/witch (for me). There was a man equally memorable and then 2 more characters just as memorable, but not having as much space as the primary couple.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this. I totally didn't expect what I got from the description OR from the first chapter even! Loved it and pleasantly surprised!!!

Curiously Addictive

This is one crazy book. I loved it. From start to finish, the author provides us with a rich and compelling storyline. Odd and mystical and fun and soulful and sad and confusing and brilliant. Loved the characters and all the “class action lawsuit” flimflams along the way. The story is so unique and fascinating, I couldn’t help but love it. You will too.

Classic Palahnuik!

Maybe this is a love story. Maybe not.

Lullaby is classic Palahnuik. Funny, inappropriate, dark, disturbing and sarcastic. Just what I was hoping for. Nicely done.

I think the excellent narration really elevated an already great novel. Richard and Chuck nailed it..

wow...

my first book by the author-omg, the concept is mind blowing. I love the way this guy thinks! (not sure what that says about me -Lol). the narration was spot on! loved it!

Fun Listen

I enjoyed the story. It is a darker type of humor and definitely not for everyone. The narration is wonderful.

A dark and beautiful love story

Mr. Poe does a wonderful job narrating this fun and captivating story. Overall, I enjoyed the composition of the story and the twists and turns throughout. I didn't want to turn the story off as I was anxious to hear what would happen next.

Love Chuck P., but this one, not my favorite

As always, Mr. Palahnuik delivers thought provoking work. Unfortunately, this one made me lose interest a few times during the read. if it's your first by him, aim for something else he's written, because there is no doubt he's a fantastic artist.

Won't put you to sleep

First, let me say that Richard Poe's narration of the book is superb. He does an excellent job bringing across the rage and pain and frustration Mr. Streator feels, and since this is his story, it brings the story to life.
This is my first Chuck Palahniuk story (other than Fight Club which I've only experienced as a movie thus far) so I didn't really know what to expect. It turns out to be a supernatural thriller. The story is tightly written, though it was a little hard to follow at first. However, it all soon becomes clear and I for one was glad that I stuck it out and listened to the whole book. It is an excellent story regarding death, magic, anger, fear, and even love. I understand Mr. Palahniuk wrote it while trying to decide how to deal with his father's murderer. This book contains a lot of pain and anger as a result of that.
This may have been my first Chuck Palahniuk story, but it will not be the last.