The Broom of the System

A Novel

By: David Foster Wallace

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

The "dazzling, exhilarating" (San Francisco Chronicle) debut novel from the best-selling author of Infinite Jest, available for the first time as an audiobook.

At the center of The Broom of the System is the betwitching (and also bewildered) heroine, Lenore Stonecipher Beadsman. The year is 1990 and the place is a slightly altered Cleveland, Ohio, which sits on the edge of a suburban wasteland-the Great Ohio Desert. Lenore works as a switchboard attendant at a publishing firm, and in addition to her mind-numbing job, she has a few other problems. Her great-grandmother, a one-time student of Wittgenstein, has disappeared with twenty-five other inmates of the Shaker Heights Nursing Home. Her beau (and boss), editor-in-chief Rick Vigorous, is insanely jealous. And her cockatiel, Vlad the Impaler, has suddenly started spouting a mixture of psychobabble, Auden, and the King James Bible, which may propel him to stardom on a Christian fundamentalist television program.

Fiercely intelligent and entertaining, this debut novel from one of the most innovative writers of our generation explores the paradoxes of language, storytelling, and reality.

©2004 David Foster Wallace (P)2010 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Daring, hilarious... a zany picaresque adventure of contemporary America run amok." ( The New York Times)

"Wonderful... a cathartic experience with lots of laughs and lots of deeper meanings." ( The Washington Post Book World)

Too fast

It would be nice if the narrator would take a breath now and then to give the listener a moment to absorb what they are hearing. It is manic and not enjoyable at regular speed. Slowing it down to .75 makes him sound drunk. Amazon could fix the problem by giving their customers the ability to make finer adjustments to the speed, but I guess that is too much to ask for.

DFW Not To Be Missed!

A classic DFW story line with some of the BEST narration I've heard yet. It's not "DFW Lite", it's "not to be missed"!

Awk!

What made the experience of listening to The Broom of the System the most enjoyable?

Robert Petkoff did a spectacular job. I even liked the singing. Wonderful.

What did you like best about this story?

Listening.

Which scene was your favorite?

That it lingers like one big long scene in my mind.

If you could take any character from The Broom of the System out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The author, may he rest in peace.

dope as fffuuuccckkkkkkk

dope
dope
dope
dope
dope
dope
dope
dopedope
dope
dope
doep
doped
oeldkeld
doooooope so so so so so so so so so so so so fucking goo. good good ok good. real real gooooooooooouda gouda gouda

An amazing performance by Robert Petkoff 👏

The narrator understood/appreciated the book. a fantastic performance of the characters and dialogue. thank you

Evidence I WASTED my College years.

I sure wasted a lot of time in college is all I can say. All in all, not a bad PoMo novel from a undergraduate senior thesis. Some ideas didn't seem to be finished, or put away, but that also seems to be a familiar theme in DFW's work. Not my favorite DFW, but I'd still prefer most days to read mediocre DFW to good/great anyone else.

Wallace never disappointments

Genius - exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability

Genius is how I would describe the author David Foster Wallace. The novels and short stories I've read or listens to are smart and impactful (if thats even a word). You're drawn into an alternative reality, the characters diverse but relatable. I've yet to be disappointed.

Stupid intermission music!

Everything is good except the intermission music is the worst thing I have ever heard. That is all

A brilliant first novel - and a superb reading

If you could sum up The Broom of the System in three words, what would they be?

brilliant, satiric, manic

What did you like best about this story?

DFW's first novel, began when he was in graduate school, is a rocket-charged satire of sex, gender politics, and American culture, that manages to create emotional suspense and poignant moments despite its broad humor.

Have you listened to any of Robert Petkoff’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

My first time listening to Robert Petkoff, but this is for me the best reading of any of the Audible books I've bought so far.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes.

the music break throughs are awful!

pretty good book by David author Wallace but the story is interupted hourly with loud whimsical music.