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

“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)

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

“Witty and exuberant ... Pessl’s pyrotechnics place her alongside young, eclectic talents like Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Zadie Smith.” (Vogue)

eagerly awaiting ms. pessl's next book!

a smart and twisty story tightly woven and brought to life by ms. card's voice.

Great Book, Fun Listen

The book itself is very well written, amusing, and fascinating.
I didn't give it a five star rating since it does include a childish side to it, which doesn't harm the read/listen itself, but might make it a bit less memorable.

To my taste, the reference part wasn't a pretensious gimmick as i might have expected. The references were edgy and enjoyable.

Moreover, without spoiling - theres a good story under the twists in the main plot , which provides the extra required by book lovers.

I would recommend however, on getting the printed book in addition to the audiobooks, i enjoyed following the printed words occassionaly (despite the excellent narration), and the drawings make it a worth purchase.

Mind blowing!

From beginning to end, this story had me guessing, trying to keep the facts in order, only to come across another set of facts and omissions that drove me to the end. Loved it!

Over 21 Hours of Bliss...

It's hard to believe that after over 21 hours of listening to this story, I didn't want it to end. The prologue threw me at first. It's a bit confusing and wordy, but once you get into the first chapter you'll be hooked. It was at times hilariously funny and other times deeply poignant, and as I stated above... I didn't want it to end. Blue van Meer is an all-time original and one of those fictional characters that will stay with me for the rest of my life. The book is an amazing piece of work, and I cannot praise or recommend it enough.

Good book but for young women

This is fine book, but would be more interesting for young women than for old men (like me). This would have made a really great short story, although a little unbelievable. The voice of Blue is, by far, the best part of this story. The character was wonderful. The story itself, the literary reference structure, and particularly the ending, I found weak. I think the author has lots of potential. I found the narration excellent.

Slow Burn

I loved this book, but I understand the criticisms in other reviews. It's written in the first person, and the narrator, a 17 year old show off, takes a bit of getting used to. Ms. Card's treatment of the text is pitch perfect and goes a long way toward making the very stylized prose manageable.

I suspect this is a book you have to listen to twice. The first two thirds of the book feel like pure atmosphere, until you hit the last straightaway and suddenly everything that went before becomes critical to the most minute detail. If you give up before things start making sense, you're not going to like it.

Sparkles

This is engaging writing. It's complex, full of amusing references all kinds of literary and pop culture allusions and clever metaphors. I didn't find the plot or the characters predictable. But, after feeling so involved in the story, I found the ending unsatisfying, like a helium balloon the day after.

some good, some bad

This was certainly an original book - I mean that in a good way. I did not like the narrator. She was very self-conscious and kept pulling my attention away from the story to criticize her reading. I also got very tired of all the footnotes - which would have been fine as footnotes, but got extremely annoying as part of the narration. Also I thought the book would never get going. If you can make it through the first couple of hours, it does become much more interesting. The ending, I liked. It was startling, then fitting. All in all, I thought it was worthwhile.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

I never review books listen to and very rarely do I recommend them to anyone. This book, however, was an exception! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be thoroughly entertained by every descriptive word the author has penned. Truly a work of art! I have never been so engrossed by a book that I couldn't wait to get in my car in the morning for my hour commute. I look forward to any other book written by this author. She has a true gift for writing and making you a part of her work.

I'll look forward to the next book by this author

I enjoyed this book very much. 21 hours long and the time flew by. As well crafted as it was, I felt that the author struggled with the ending. The ending was a little unsatisfying. However, it was thought provolking. I recommend the book.