Lush Life

A Novel

By: Richard Price

Narrated by: Bobby Cannavale

Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

What do you do?

Whenever people asked him, Eric Cash used to have a dozen answers: artist, actor, screenwriter....But now he's 35 years old and he's still living downtown, still in the restaurant business, working night shifts and serving the people he always wanted to be. What does Eric do? He manages. Not like Ike Marcus. Ike Marcus had what the Lower East Side wanted: he was young, good-looking, people liked him. Ask him what he did, and he wouldn't say "tend bar". He was going places, and he was going to live forever - until two street kids stepped up to him and Eric on Eldridge Street one night and pulled a gun. Ike's last words were "Not tonight, my man".

At least, that's Eric's version.

©2008 Richard Price (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Price writes with the slightly manic desperation of someone determined to tell the absolute truth....This heightened, anxious awareness of moral and psychological complexity is one of the great accomplishments of first-rate writing." ( The New York Times Book Review)

A Life Of Crime Is NOT for ME

Wow ! Can't wait to see the movie. Intellectual realism shows that the cops are our mindful thugs.
Don't lie to a cop. They have heard it all.
A livid case study showing how detectives lie to criminals to uncover the incriminating truth. Three swirling points of view; cop, criminal and witness.
How crimes are solved with a little luck and a lot of professional passion. Unsurpassed. Modern, frenetic "Crime and Punishment."

Bobby Cannavale's a great narrator!

Bobby Cannavale is a terrific voice actor in several different ways (doesn't exaggerate female voices in a demeaning way; captures accents and language decently). Price's descriptions of the Lower East Side and his specific points of view on change, history, men and women, race and class, and human behavior in general make this a good read; the book has some flaws in deeper character development and could have pushed the early experimentation of withholding of information through point of view more throughout. I recommend based on acting quality, description, point of view, politics, and street geography.

There are some problems with the audio production; the volume fades and amplifies significantly from chapter to chapter, section to section.

A wonderful listen

I read the review in the Times, which described the book as having terrific dialog. It seemed to me that such a book would be particularly good to listen to. For those of you that are withdrawing from The Wire -- this book will do it. It is gritty and realistic, and the narration is wonderful.

Rock solid dialogue

Would you listen to Lush Life again? Why?

The genius of Price's story is not the plot so much as the dialogue and sense of place. It works as an audiobook largely because of Cannavale's exceptional reading with convincing dialogue, no matter the background of the character. When reading from the narrator's POV, he strikes just the right tone. I rarely, if ever, got the feeling I was listening to somebody doing a character. A good book but an even better performance.

What did you like best about this story?

Its sense of place.

Which character – as performed by Bobby Cannavale – was your favorite?

Matty Clark

Excellent Book Read by Great Narrator!

This would be a great book under any circumstances but the reader really brought out both the drama of the story and the sense of place the story deserved. Great accents, great pacing--truly one of my audible favorites and highly recommended to anyone who loves New York.

Starts off great, loses steam

For the first 100 pp. I was enraptured. Richard Price is a master who paints a vivid picture of a New York neighborhood and its characters. Aided by a great performance by Bobby Cannavale, whose NYC stuffy-nosed accent is just right, you can really see and hear the scenes and conversations he creates.

For all that I felt my interest flagging a bit by p. 300 or so. The story is very episodic, so after a while you're just ready for it to wrap up.

Excellent Novel, Great Narrator

An excellent listen. Price's writing style and ability to tell a good story along with Bobby Cannevale's wonderful narrating skills make this a must listen. Highly recommended!

Best narrator

The story is great and is quite accurate with the back story of actual police officer’s problems dealing with police administration and victims. The narrator is really good too.

America's Balzac... but funny.

I was pleased with Price's latest foray into the Lower East Side, making me both want to visit the place and grateful I don't live there.

Huge fan of Price, but this is the first audiobook of his work I've purchased.

Initially skeptical because Price himself didn't narrate (I've heard him do readings a few times and his performances are great), but Cannavale did AWESOMELY.

Highly recommend - great prose and great performance.

Cheers.

Fantastic reading, very good book

Great book, love Richard Price for the parallel tracks he keeps going. Bobby Cannavale jumps from to Hispanic woman to juvenile wallflower to hard-boiled detective with a sense of cool and completely convinces you he's the voice of each. Get it, it's good.