Tepper Isn't Going Out

By: Calvin Trillin

Narrated by: Calvin Trillin

Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Murray Tepper would say that he is an ordinary New Yorker who is simply trying to read the newspaper in peace. But he reads while sitting behind the wheel of his parked car, and his car always seems to be in a particularly desirable parking spot. Not surprisingly, he is regularly interrupted by drivers who want to know if he is going out.

Tepper isn't going out. Why not? His explanations tend to be rather literal: the indisputable fact, for instance, that he has 20 minutes left on the meter.

Tepper's behavior sometimes irritates the people who want his spot. ("Is that where you live? Is that car rent-controlled?") It also irritates the mayor - Frank Ducavelli, known in tabloid headlines as Il Duce - who sees Murray Tepper as a harbinger of what His Honor always calls "the forces of disorder."

But once New Yorkers become aware of Tepper, some of them begin to suspect that he knows something they don't know. And an ever-increasing number of them are willing to line up for the opportunity to sit in his car with him and find out.

Tepper Isn't Going Out is a wise and witty story of an ordinary man who, perhaps innocently, changes the world around him.

©2001 Calvin Trillin
(P)2001 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Trillin is a highly accomplished storyteller as well as a humorist and a memoirist, and this oddly titled novel is by far his funniest and sunniest yet." (Publishers Weekly)
"By dint of Trillin's fertile and humorous imagination, the book emerges as a refreshing and completely likable jape." (Library Journal)

Very funny but not the best reader

... Or I guess I should say "I've heard better." I am a big fan of Mr. Trillin's writing, and have read most of his non-fiction over the years. He's a funny man, and a good writer.

That being said, there are a couple of flaws that make me not so fond of the audiobook. The first is that his reading is rather bland, and does not do his prose justice. Most authors should leave reading to the professionals, and Mr. Trillin is unfortunately one of them. The second is that the prose itself suffers from that characteristic flaw of first-time novelists who have been writing for many years: Many of the jokes and themes have appeared many times in his earlier work. (If you've heard the phrase 'sabbath gasbag' before, you'll be in my boat.) This detracts somewhat from the enjoyment. Though it evokes the same nostalgia one feels for the city that the rest of the book does, it's not so pleasant in the ideas of the book as opposed to the milieu.

Calvin Trillin at His Best!

Charming and subtle story that provides insights into life in America's busiest city. A one-of-a- kind book with a surprising conclusion.

A truly NY Problem - Alternate Side Of The Street Parking

Calvin Trillin has captured the details & ramifications of owning a car in NYC but not a garage. Truly delightful narrative. He always captures life in NYC. Also loved “Family Man”.

An absolute classic.

I've read/listened to this book many times, and each time I discover something new; a small detail or nuance in the story line or dialogue that makes me glad I read it again. This book should be required reading for everyone!

kansas city meets new york city

what are the midwestern male virtues ?
stoicism / dependability / humility
being useful in the face of adversity

and the virtues of new york jewish males ?
shrewd / shrill / clever / read the fine print
unruffled in the face of adversity

who could possibly have a foot in both worlds ?
well his name is calvin " call me bud " trillin
he has written a small humble shrewd book to prove it

the main character lives life on this own terms
the world wants to press him into its' mold
he resists in a stubborn thoughtful way

the book is a parable for grown men
it is a primer on how to live an authentic life
trillin tells you the hard truth with a sly wink

Boring

I was very excited after reading other people's reviews and thought I was in for something great. That never happened - in fact I struggled through the first couple of hours and finally cut my losses and stopped listening. This book is boring and not funny.

Another author who should not have narrated

Listening to this book read by the author I was reminded of a couple of similar mistakes I made a few years ago. This was like a computer generated audio track. It was difficult to pick up the content of the story with this inflection-less reading.

Disappointed...

After reading all the reviews touting how humorous this book was, I must admit, I'm quite disappointed. I didn't "laugh out loud" or even giggle. I equate this book to reading a human interest story in the newspaper; you read it, for a moment think,"hmm okay interesting" then you move on. The ending left me wondering "that's it?" Though the descriptions of the city area are quite good and whisked me away to NYC, they do not make up for the weak storyline. Perhaps this is a book you should read only when you are circling the West Side looking for a parking spot.

Good Book - Lousy Listen

I thought I'd enjoy listening to the author reading his book - I've listened to him on Public Radio and enjoyed him immensely - read some of his other works and enjoyed those.

His voice is enjoyable for about 20 minutes and then I just could not listen to him anymore. His voice just can't keep me interested for longer than about 15 minutes.

I tried - I really tried, but I'm getting the book to read and keep my listening to Mr Trillin on the radio.

The reader can make a difference

Terribly read. The story is not that exciting and the reader made it even less interesting. Bored the whole way through