• The Memory of Running

  • By: Ron McLarty
  • Narrated by: Ron McLarty
  • Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (3,519 ratings)

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The Memory of Running

By: Ron McLarty
Narrated by: Ron McLarty
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Publisher's summary

Award-winning actor and playwright Ron McLarty is well known for his audiobook performances. What fewer people realize is that he's also an accomplished author. In this wonderfully quirky novel, available exclusively as an audiobook, McLarty takes readers on a quest to find hope and redemption with an unlikely hero.

Smithson Ide is 43 years old and weighs 279 pounds when his parents die in an accident. Lost in memories of childhood, Smithson uncovers his old Raleigh bicycle in the garage and begins a cross-country journey to find his beautiful, but tragically psychotic sister. Keenly aware of how ridiculous he must appear, Smithson nonetheless perseveres through a journey that is hilarious and horrifying. It is a trip, he soon realizes, that might provide his last chance to become the person he has always wanted to be.

In late 2003, in his column in Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King called The Memory of Running "the best novel you won't read this year." This glowing endorsement of the audiobook resulted in Ron McLarty receiving a $2 million two-book deal from Viking Penguin. Also, Warner Brothers has shelled out big bucks for the movie rights to The Memory of Running, for which McLarty will write the script.
©2002 Ron McLarty (P)2002 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Ron McLarty's The Memory of Running is the best novel you won't read this year. But you can experience it, and I'm all but positive that you'll thank me for the tip if you do....What I hope is that you'll order a copy and experience it for yourself....It's bighearted and as satisfying as one of your mom's home-cooked Sunday dinners." (Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly)

What listeners say about The Memory of Running

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,536
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
    258
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    74

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

This was a tedious book and I would not recommend it for the reader who expects the author to 'get to the point.' The story might have been good except for the endless ramblings of seemingly inconsequential information.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Couldn't Do It

This is the first audiobook that I abandoned midway through. I tried ... I really did. But I could not empathize with the main character, did not find him funny, and could not see his "travels" leading anywhere. A self-proclaimed loser, he came across as ridiculous. I just couldn't stand to hear him go on and on and on.

I rated this book with 2 stars, only because the actual writing was done well.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • S.
  • 10-17-04

Good memories of this book

At first I wondered where this story could go, but was intrigued and couldn't 'put it down'. Little by little I was drawn into Smithy's story. At first I though the narrator's voice was a little ordinary and unemotional, but soon I realized it was perfect for Smithy! I have passed this on to other Audible readers in the family, and continue to think about it after finishing. I recommend it, definitely. It ranks pretty high for me for this year, so far!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

more!

If they were all like this, Audible would get my entire paycheck. The story had a good pace. Ron's voice got a little petulant at the end, but this well modulated reading had me searching for other performances by him. There were so many laugh-out-loud gags and heartwarming moments that I didn't mind the crude language and transparent plot. The interview at the end made me understand how much editing went into the crafting of such a fine audio. Bravo and encore!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Interesting story- foul language was too much

The premise for this book was very interesting, unfortunately the foul language was excessive and I found totally unnecessary. Why people feel they need to fill a book with every filthy word they can think of and to describe in minute detail the thoughts going through a man's mind during a sexual encounter is beyond me. Listening to this makes all of this too difficult to finish. At least when I read it I can skip over it. Even then it is tough. I couldn't finish it because I caught myself thinking about all the crudeness day and night. I really get into books and become part of the story mentally. Unfortunately in this book I felt like I was being verbally abused. Not everyone wants sex and awful language. Rewrite it without all that and I would highly recommend the book.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

BLAH!

As Smithy has said many times throughout this awful book "Why am I so stupid". I felt the same way having listened to the whole thing. Don't waste your time.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

satisfying

I loved this story of this humble man, especially as the pieces slowly came together that suggested why his life was in a holding pattern (based on my limited knowledge of early trauma and family dynamics). The character reminded me a little bit of the main character in The Shipping News. Hats off to Audible for pointing out the genious of McLarty. He's an author with a deft yet subtle, retrained hand. And an excellent reader of his own work.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Don't Bother

It occurred to me that the overwhelming enthusiasm for this book is much like the story of the Emperor with No Clothes. Actually, a reviewer already mentioned that, but I swear I had thought of that analogy before reading that review. I can’t see anything that this book has going for it.

It is unbelievable that there are so many people that swear that this book has so much to offer. A plot does not exist. The characters are not fleshed out or developed, possibly because the main character/narrator is completely uninteresting and uninsightful. The language that the main character uses is completely shallow, unsophisticated, dull, and repetitive. There’s too much description, and most of the time it is meaningless, dry and doesn’t help develop the story. Time and again I wanted to know more about the characters, but the story never seemed to go there. It was completely flat. When tragedy occurred (and it occurred a lot in this story) I wasn’t moved probably because I didn’t care about the characters.

Now a little disclaimer: I only got through ½ the novel. That’s because I never read or listened to a novel where the first half was bad and the last half was great. I just gave up on it. But maybe there are some redeeming qualities later on. My gut feeling is that if you don’t like the novel after the first 2-3 hours of listening, you might want to cut your losses and check out something else. It’s up to you.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Why is this rated so high???

BORING!!! That Stephen King thought this was the greatest book never published surprises me. The characters were sappy, I could have cared less about what happened to them. The only reason I finished the book was I kept waiting for something to happen that would justify everyone else's lofty opinion of this stinker. Save your time and listen to something else.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A great

If you are down on yourself, this book may change your perspective. I especially like the way the various episodes are broken up and intermingled with each other. Experience shows that books narrated by the author are usually a good bet, and this audiobook is no exception. Ron McLarty puts all of himself into the rendition. A great story and Highly recommended.

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7 people found this helpful