Special Topics in Calamity Physics

By: Marisha Pessl

Narrated by: Emily Janice Card

Length: 21 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a darkly hilarious coming-of-age novel and a richly plotted suspense tale told through the distinctive voice of its heroine, Blue van Meer.

After a childhood spent moving from one academic outpost to another with her father (a man prone to aphorisms and meteoric affairs), Blue is clever, deadpan, and possessed of a vast lexicon of literary, political, philosophical, and scientific knowledge. And she is quite the cineaste to boot. In her final year of high school at the elite (and unusual) St. Gallway School in Stockton, North Carolina, Blue falls in with a charismatic group of friends and their captivating teacher, Hannah Schneider. But when the drowning of one of Hannah's friends and the shocking death of Hannah herself lead to a confluence of mysteries, Blue is left to make sense of it all with only her gimlet-eyed instincts and cultural references to guide - or misguide - her.

Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class, Pessl's debut novel is complex yet compelling, erudite yet accessible. It combines the suspense of Hitchcock, the self-parody of Dave Eggers, and the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt with a dazzling intelligence and wit entirely Pessl's own.

©2006 Marisha Pessl (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year, 2006

“Gripping and dark, funny and poignant . . . Pessl’s talent for verbal acrobatics keeps the pages flipping.” —USA Today

“A whirling, glittering, multifaceted marvel, delivered in an irrepressibly smart and flamboyant new voice. . . . Q: Is Special Topics in Calamity Physics required reading for devotees of inventive new fiction? A: Yes.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“The joys of this shrewdly playful narrative lie not only in the high-low darts and dives of Pessl’s tricky plotting, but in her prose, which floats and runs as if by instinct, unpremeditated and unerring. . . . This skylarking book will leave readers salivating for more.” —The New York Times Book Review

Spectacular

This book blew me away. It is a slow satisfying burn with great character development.

The main character, Blue, is very compelling. And her father's character is super engaging if not likable.

The book is formatted as a course curriculum and it really works. It is full of interesting, fun, and obscure citations and references-both fictitious and non.

The narration of this book is brilliant. Perhaps the best I've heard and I listen to several audiobooks a week. I think the narrator is both talented and superbly cast.

If you are looking for a fast paced and action packed listen, this isn't for you. But if you are looking for rich character development and a story that unfolds at a natural pace, give this a listen.

Masterful use of language

I listen to a couple of audiobooks a month and rarely find myself so caught up for so long as I have with this book. Written from the perspective of a (very gifted) college/teenage girl, there were several times when I stopped and considered her descriptive terms (bruised night sky ached overhead, for example).... may be too wordy for some but I found it entirely enjoyable (all 20+ hours of it) and it kept my interest throughout. The narrator was gifted - never fell "out of character" and seemed particularly well-suited for the part. I would definitely recommend this book to others. (All the footnotes, reminds me of school again - and an integral part of the character.) The experience got me to write my first review ever to be sure others can discover this unique and well crafted story.

Best book of 2006

In her debut novel, Marisha Pessl has constructed a superb literary work, blending a mystery with a contemporary socio-cultural novel. The voice of the protagonist, Blue Van Meer, skillfully captures the angst of the teenage daughter of an itinerant single parent who has never spent more than 1 year at the same school. The narration is excellent. I enjoyed it so much, I bought a hardback copy of the book, which is illustrated by the author. I appeal to Marisha Pessl to please sit down and write a second novel.

Want to go back and start it over!

This was beautifully captivating, with twists and turns that kept me guessing the entire time.

Several stories in one

Listening to this book was a strange experience. For the first third, I have to admit that I just tolerated it. Although the narrator had a wonderful voice when speaking from the perspective of the young girl, I found the portrayal/voice of her father somewhat grating. Throughout, I found that the 'footnotes,' referencing literary works, were distracting for an audiobook, even though I probably would have enjoyed them in written form. Nevertheless, by the second third of the book, I was drawn in to the main character and her quirky band of friends, really caring about all of them. Strangely, the last third of the book switches tone quite a bit, becoming almost a mystery, which the main character strives to solve.
Ultimately, very satisfying and engaging, but --if you find yourself, like me, somewhat disinterested at the beginning-- hang in there. It gets more engaging over time.

Keep listening it's worth it

For the first few hours, I thought this book was going to be one of the ones that I listened to without really listening. Then I started to notice t things and to pay more attention. By the last few hours, I couldn't stop listening and caring about the main character. In retrospect, the first few hours were slow yet necessary for the context and how the plot develops. It's not quite a 5 star, but almost. An extraordinary book.

Blue and Gareth - Best Father/Daughter Duo Ever!!!

If you were or knew an extremely gifted teenager during your highschool years, you will connect with this story. If you enjoy Nabokov or Donna Tartt, you will see familiar themes in this book.

Blue van Meer is the kind of girl that recites Keates in her head in order to remain calm and appear self-possessed. Her equally gifted and enigmatic father, Gareth, a college professor of political science, drags her across the country in his crusade to enlighten the students of small town colleges with his arresting and illuminating lectures. Consequently she is always beginning at a new school, and always enduring long road trips with her father in which they discuss obscure literature to pass the time. Blue describes the people and places she sees during this 10 year period with razor sharp wit and hammers it home with myriad references to books, plays, films and famous quotes, just in case you didn’t get her point. These references add a weight and hilarity to the story that is supremely entertaining.

Gareth and Blue make their final stop in North Carolina, so that Blue can finish out her senior year at the Galloway school and subsequently apply to Harvard. Enter the mysterious and beautiful teacher Hannah Schneider, an Ava Gardner look-alike, who makes a deep impression upon Blue when she sees her at a grocery store. Hannah enters into Blue’s life and everything changes. A complex mystery unfolds that causes the reader to question whether Blue is ignoring the obvious, or making connections where there are none. Back and forth you will go between believing that all is harmless and normal, to believing that there is a sinister conspiracy beneath everything that Blue has known and that all events of the story are tied. The tension that Marisha Pessl has created is delicious!

I will leave you with my favorite quote from the book, when Blue describes the Latin gardener for whom she harbors a feverish crush. She sees him from behind at Walmart but recognizes him, of course, because of his sense of "Tahiti".

"Instantly I recognized the showy sigh, the slouch, that slow underwater movement, his overall sense of Tahiti. No matter what time of day or amount of work to be done, someone with Tahiti could close his eyes and the reality of moody lawn mowers, scruffy lawns, threats of termination of employment, would recede and in seconds he'd simply be in.. Tahiti. Stark naked and drinking from a coconut."

Excellent

I really enjoyed this book. The narrator was great, the story kept me interested and wanting to hear more. I found my self taking the long way home fromm work or staying an extra 10 minutes on the elipitical at the gym.

I loved Blue van Meer and what a delightful twisty-twist at the end! I wanted to strangle the Blue Bloods by the end of the book and felt Blue's heartbreak when Milton turns against her after their time at Hanna's house.

I recommend this book!

Give it a Chance...It's a Great Listen

For the first two hours, I didn't think I was going to make it. I almost stopped listening. But once the narrative proper got going, I became more and more interested. By the time Blue (the first person narrator) starts interacting with people beyond her father, it gets much more interesting. And I found the mystery part of the book just great.

I'm a little confused by some of the criticisms of the narrator. I thought she did a fabulous job. Likewise, I'm not sure why people are so disappointed by the end. In my experience, most fiction ends in a less than satisfying fashion. I don't know what a perfect end to this story would have been, but I thought this fit just fine.

Also, for quite a while, I was less than engaged by the high school clique centricity of the story. But once the interaction between teenagers and adults progresses, I think this is a great listen for just about anyone.

Simply excellent

Witty, intelligent with plenty of twists. Pessl tells a good story in a very interesting way. I think this is really well written. Not like anything I have ever read.