The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

By: Walter Mosley

Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A masterful, moving novel about age, memory, and family from one of the literary icons of our time.

Coming in March 2022 from Apple Plus, a six-part series starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Ptolemy Grey is 91 years old and has been all but forgotten - by his family, his friends, even himself - as he sinks into a lonely dementia. His grand-nephew, Ptolemy's only connection to the outside world, was recently killed in a drive-by shooting, and Ptolemy is too suspicious of anyone else to allow them into his life. Until he meets Robyn, his niece's 17-year-old lodger and the only one willing to take care of an old man at his grandnephew's funeral.

But Robyn will not tolerate Ptolemy's hermitlike existence. She challenges him to interact more with the world around him, and he grasps more firmly onto his disappearing consciousness. However, this new activity pushes Ptolemy into the fold of a doctor touting an experimental drug that guarantees Ptolemy won't live to see age 92 but that he'll spend his last days in feverish vigor and clarity. With his mind clear, what Ptolemy finds-in his own past, in his own apartment, and in the circumstances surrounding his grand-nephew's death-is shocking enough to spur an old man to action, and to ensure a legacy that no one will forget.

In The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, Mosley captures the compromised state of his protagonist's mind with profound sensitivity and insight, and creates an unforgettable pair of characters at the center of a novel that is sure to become a true contemporary classic.

©2010 Penguin Audio; 2010 Walter Mosley

Critic reviews

"Mosley's depiction of the indignities of old age is heartbreaking, and Ptolemy's grace and decency make for a wonderful character and a moving novel." ( Publishers Weekly)

Wonderful Beyond Words

This is a sad, beautiful story ~ an amazing snapshot of a mind lost and found again ~ of a long forgotten mission and an urgent new one ~ of lovers and friends and family, in all their forms. Be patient as the story builds in its earliest pages. Bear with the befuddled old man and marvel at the sensitive, realistic, compelling portrait of his mind. And then soar with him through remembrance and love and adventure and ...

Easily one of the finest offerings in the Audible catalog.

Reggie???

watching the series on Apple TV helped the story and the characters come to life. I enjoyed this audio book.

This guy can really bring you into his world.

Where does The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top ten percent. Great story, characters you can really root for and streets where you can hear the gravel under your feet.

What other book might you compare The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey to and why?

Not so much the subject matter, but Walter Mosley's talent. His other, non detective novel "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned", in my opinion, was even greater than this..... And that is saying something. Or, at least typing something.

What does Dominic Hoffman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Yes, he has a way of taking you inside the characters. If they are senile, you are senile, if they are surprised, you are surprised. Don't know what craft he employs to achieve this more than other authors to a point where I would bring it up, but lets not dissect it, ok?

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Rich baritone, emotional, characters, PERFECT!

Any additional comments?

"Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned", only has fair reviews on Audible but if you like this you will love it.

What a wonderful story

What a beautiful written story of old age, love and Alzheimer. It was a wonderful listen

A man giving a opportunity love,give and remember

I love this story. The show on Apple TV was good but not as good as the story in this book. The show left out a lot of details on Robyn’s relationship with Mr Grey and it also didn’t showcase the type of love that they had. Wish the show was exactly like this book

Marvelous book

Very well done, can't wait till 3/11/22 when this movie is on apple tv. This was a great story!

A moving study of an old man

A drug that somehow restores an old man’s memory allowing him to make peace with his past and to remember his boyhood.
The idea that the Sun and stars rotate around the earth is named after Ptolemy, an ancient Egyptian. This story is centered on Ptolemy Grey. Perhaps that explains his name or perhaps Mosley had something else in mind but he does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life while telling an engaging story.

One last deed

Twice widowed 91 year old Ptomoley Gray lives alone with only his fractured memories and routine for company. When his great grand nephew suddenly passes unexpectedly (or rather is murdered) it is both the worse and best thing that he has happen to him. Ptomoley, named after the late Egyptian Queen Cleopatra's father, doesn't know much outside of his own name and the lessons his childhood friend taught him, but when a young 17 year old who's staying with his grand niece, Robin, takes an interest in him, his world gets a whole lot clearer. Join Ptomoley Gray as a man with one last mission to uncover buried treasure, repair his long forgotten memories, and solve the murder of his too soon passed great grand nephew before his last breath is drawn. This is one of the few books that you will remember and hold dear long after you read it. For any person who doesn't at first appear themselves. For every person with an aging loved one. For any bit of doubt that you too might become a prisoner in your mind and/or body. I hope we all find one good person that cares enough to stay with us through the end.

wonderful

After listening, I wished I had read it in print and gave it as a gift to several folks. A wonderful tale in audio, or print.

Love it!

Great book! I hadn't heard of it prior to the limited series on Apple TV. I didn't want either to end!