The Confessions of Max Tivoli

By: Andrew Sean Greer

Narrated by: Brian Keeler

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

From critically acclaimed, award-winning author Andrew Sean Greer comes a story like no other. The Confessions of Max Tivoli is an ambitious and imaginative novel that leaves an indelible impression on readers.

Max Tivoli is uniquely cursed. His mind ages normally, but he is born with the withered body of a 70-year-old man, and his body ages in reverse. Despite this torment, Max manages three times to cross paths with Alice, the woman who captures his heart. Because he appears to be a different person each time they meet, Max has three chances for true love.

A story of self-discovery and sacrifice, set against momentous historical events, including the Great San Francisco Earthquake and World War I, The Confessions of Max Tivoli is a spellbinding masterpiece.

©2004 Andrew Sean Greer (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Greer's second novel plumbs the agonies of misdirected love and the pleasures of nostalgia with gratifying richness....Greer writes marvelously nuanced prose; with its turn-of-the-century lilt and poetic flashes, it is the perfect medium for this weird, mesmerizing and heartbreaking tale." (Publishers Weekly)
Greer pinpoints the 'tiny hidden madnesses in ordinary people' with unerring accuracy, and, in prose littered with sparks, makes palpable the longing for the celestial." (The New Yorker)
"Greer is a writer to watch." (Boston Globe)

Amazing Max, Amazing Reading!

This is a wonderful, big hearted book, which includes detailed and evocative descriptions of life in San Francisco before, during and after the earthquake of 1906. Filled with rich characters and a written narrator of questionable ethics but deep reflections, it is a pleasure to hear. And the audio narration takes an already delicious book and makes it unmissable. The subtly of the reading, the clarity of the character voices placed me in the story and Max Tivoli in my memory for ever. Don't miss this great story, superbly read!

Weird story, pathetic guy, alright book

When I started to read this, I didn't care for it...I got somewhat engrossed in the story however as time went on...or uh..backwards...It's not a happy book at all and the main character is insanely obsessed with a woman and should be committed. If you are looking for an upbeat book with a happy ending, this isn't it.

odd premise, but it works!

I usually have a hard time with premises that are unbelievable. But the combination of a great story and wonderful narration make this a must-hear book. Greer covers love, aging, relationships, and more in a unique turn-of-the-century story. The narrator's style definitely added to the emotion of the experience.

Preposterous Premise, Captivating Tale

I am absolutely captivated by "The Confessions of Max Tivoli." Its premise is preposterous, but after one employs willing suspension of disbelief, it makes for a great story. Max Tivoli is born with a 70-year old body which, as he gets older, gets younger. His "confession" is made when he's 60, but his body appears to be that of an 11-year-old. In it he reveals that he had encounters with the same woman--with whom he is madly in love--three different times in his life. She thought he was three different people. It says much about the underrated thing that is the love a man can have for a woman, and its steadfastness. It has its flaws--too many coincidences, and I typically guessed every surprise before it was revealed--but I still am enjoying it greatly. And nobody could say that this isn't a highly original plot line.

Tastefully yours,
Tom Fitzmorris

More Drama/Tragedy than Sci-Fi

This book was not at all what I was expecting, having ordered it from the Sci-Fi category. It was depressing from beginning to end, and more than a little bit ridiculous. I don't mean to say that it was a bad book. It was well written and well narrated and the story line was an interesting concept, though I didn't care for the way it was handled. I wouldn't recommend it if you are looking for Sci-Fi, but if you enjoy drama and tragedy and don't mind if the main character gets more pathetic with each chapter, you may enjoy it.

Brad Pitt's movie???

I listen to this book last fall. Now I see that Brad Pitt has a new movie coming out that has the same storyline but a different name. ("The Curious Case of Benjimen Button") I wonder if it credits this book?? I just saw a quick preview at the movies and it drove me crazy trying to remember why the storyline sounded so familiar.

My favorite audio book this year!!

I have just finished listening to The Confessions of Max Tivoli for the second time. This book is wonderfully performed. It is both a sad and triumphant story with twists and turns that make you keep coming back for more.

Possibly the saddest book ever written

This book was so sad that it really challenged me to finish it. It was too well-written not to continue with, however. I ended up listening to it in ten minute snatches, so that it took me well over a month to listen to.

What sounds like whinyness on the part of the main character turns out to be something far different - guilt that is only fully understood in the last chapter or so. I could not possibly imagine myself reading this book, but having stumbled onto it, I feel changed for having read it.

Sad, but changed.

Intriguing, but Sad.

There are numerous morals to this story. Don't judge a book by its cover. We always want what we can't have. If I knew then what I know now. ... I could go on.

Max is largely sympathetic, particularly in his youth (looking like an old man). He becomes less so as his lifelong obsession with Alice, or rather with possessing Alice, morphs into a crazed self-centeredness. While he starts out looking like a "monster," as he puts it, Max nearly becomes one by the end.

I am not sure I enjoyed this book save the passage where Max meets his son Sammy, age 12. There I laughed out loud. However, the book was intriguing if not incredibly heart-breaking. In the end, this is a love story, but not simply the one that's advertised.

I liked the treatment -- present day mixed with flashbacks. And, the narrator was quite good at the most of the voices (especially the young boys) though I could hear him swallow at times, which drives me crazy. It's not enough to ruin the experience, but I sometimes wish the producers would take care to edit that out.

If you are interested in twists on the human drama, this one will probably work for you.

A new take on Benjamin Button

It is an original retelling of an old story, beautifully done. It's more poignant and a little less humorous than Benjamin Button. I recommend it highly.