Ragtime

By: E. L. Doctorow

Narrated by: E. L. Doctorow

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Ragtime, a classic work of historical fiction first published in 1975, details the lives of three families in early 20th-century New York. The novel interweaves fictional characters with actual historic events and figures.

The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, New York, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. Almost magically, the line between fantasy and historical fact, between real and imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J. P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud, and Emiliano Zapata slip in and out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family and other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler and a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.

A rich tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in a unique historic context.

Time magazine included the novel in its Time 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923-2005.

©1997 E. L. Doctorow (P)1997 E. L. Doctorow

Critic reviews

"Doctorow does a fairly nice job reading his justly celebrated portrait of 1906 America. He has a sandy, pleasant, lightly accented voice and a fine sense of the dramatic." ( AudioFile)

Beyond fabulous!

The best selling book of my birth year. A random find that I will treasure always.

Great epic story

This is an amazing novel with historical figures woven seamlessly and believably in with fictional characters. In the beginning it felt like a stream of consciousness breakdown of the historical figures but once the story of the fictional characters started to develop and grow it really becomes quite amazing. E.L. Doctorow does have kind of a creepy old man vibe around descriptions of sex, and of women, especially young girls. So there's that. That's actually why I didn't give it 5 stars. Why do talented men write women so gross? (rhetorical question)

Worst narration ever

Truly the worst. So bad that thateveryone should read this book not listen to it on audible. EL Doctorow was obviously a gifted writer but such an abysmal reader that his performance actually took much away from the story— which, once it “popped” was impossible not to listen to even with the tremendous shortcomings of the reader may he Rest In Peace.

From Harry Houdini to Emma Goldman

Featuring a kaleidoscope of characters from early 20th century America--from Eleanor Nesbit to Emma Goldman to Harry Houdini--but main characters who are always at a remove and indeed, never even given names. . The narrator is solid but I never felt emotionally invested in anyone until we meet Coalhouse Walker, which is pretty late in the game.

Not like the play.

Interesting book, but not much help or similar to the production we saw. I was glad to be able to compare.

Real history in the fiction

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. There was enough historical detail to send me into research mode and down several rabbit hole learning details I never knew about well-known figures and events. I’m impressed that a tale pinned to a specific era could be so timeless.

Syncopated, tight, urgent historical novel

So my first book of 2014 isn't even on my to-read list. Must be good. Yes, in fact it is the killer historical novel of the Ragtime era. It is the big uncle to late 90s Philip Roth ('I Married a Communist', 'American Pastoral') , Don DeLillo ('Libra', 'Underworld'), Gore Vidal ('Empire, Hollywood') & Norman Mailer* (Executioner's Song & Harlot's Ghost) novels which seem to all bend a little to the wind that blew out of this syncopated, tight, urgent historical novel. Doctorow captures a swift and direct channel of New York's energy, contradiction, growth, insecurity, isolation as America transformed between the late 1800s and early 1900s. It captured the race, immigrant, monied, and cultural changes that griped New York as cars were beginning to roll down the streets and planes and Houdini were both beginning to float, briefly, in the air.

* Doctorow actually edited Norman Mailer's 'An American Dream' so it might seem odd to call Doctorow a literary uncle to Mailer since 'Ragitme' was originally published in 1974, but as most large families invariably find some nephews ARE actually older than their biological uncles. But I still hold that 'Ragtime' was influential on Mailer's later historical novels and even nonfiction. OK, so, perhaps Mailer and Doctorow are more like kissing cousins. Fine. I'll call them cousins.

Disillusionment

No matter how far you've come it's never far enough. Coldham was cultured and educated and a musician . I thought Houdini was married.

Beautifully rendered

Beautifully written book intertwining historical and fictional characters. The language is lyrical and the story moving and profound.

Powerful Story

A moving tale about the lives of people in a fast and quickly evolving world.