The Things They Carried

By: Tim O'Brien

Narrated by: Bryan Cranston

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

This modern classic and New York Times best seller was a finalist for both the 1990 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award and has become a staple of American classrooms. Hailed by The New York Times as "a marvel of storytelling", The Things They Carried’s portrayal of the boots-on-the-ground experience of soldiers in the Vietnam War is a landmark in war writing. Now, three-time Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston, star of the hit TV series Breaking Bad, delivers an electrifying performance that walks the book’s hallucinatory line between reality and fiction and highlights the emotional power of the spoken word.

The soldiers in this collection of stories carried M-16 rifles, M-60 machine guns, and M-79 grenade launchers. They carried plastic explosives, hand grenades, flak jackets, and landmines. But they also carried letters from home, illustrated Bibles, and pictures of their loved ones. Some of them carried extra food or comic books or drugs. Every man carried what he needed to survive, and those who did carried their shattering stories away from the jungle and back to a nation that would never understand.

This audiobook also includes an exclusive recording “The Vietnam in Me,” a recount of the author’s trip back to Vietnam in 1994, revisiting his experience there as a soldier 25 years before, read by Tim O’Brien himself.

The Things They Carried was produced by Audible Studios in partnership with Playtone, the celebrated film and television production company founded by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and producer of the award-winning series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change.

For more from Audible and Playtone, click here.

©1990 Tim O'Brien (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Cranston may be the most charismatic embodiment of moral ambiguity we currently possess. There was always something comforting as well as menacing in Walter White's voice, and Cranston attacks O'Brien's sober, sinewy prose with slightly scary authority.... [I]f you were a binge-watcher of Breaking Bad it will be no big deal to spend six hours in his company here." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"Structurally the novel gestures to William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, while Ryan's sensitive observations on Irish life seem responsive to the work of his compatriot Patrick McCabe. That Ryan does not look out of place in such literary company is a measure of his achievement." ( The Financial Times)

"The best of these stories--and none is written with less than the sharp edge of honed vision--are memory and prophecy. These tell us not where we were but where we are, and perhaps where we will be. . . . It is an ultimate, indelible image of war in our time, and in time to come." ( Los Angeles Times)

"O'Brien's haunting collection of connected stories about the Vietnam War is more alive than ever in this narration. Bryan Cranston's resonant, sometimes formal, performance often leaves the listener reeling. Cranston's voice is deep and patient, laying back to let the characters' collective pain take the fore. Memorable scenes include a man's receipt of his draft notice in "On the Rainy River," battle scenes in "The Man I Killed," and aspects of the war's aftermath in "Speaking of Courage." In all the works, Cranston offers a measured, compassionate voice. O'Brien's stories emphasize the importance of telling the truth of war stories, and Cranston's respect for his intent is clear and comforting. At times, his sonorous tone is hypnotic, but this is more an asset than a liability. All the better to make the listener feel." ( AudioFile)

Interesting

I really enjoyed the writing style of this author. Great book, very realistic account of life and combat in Vietnam. He doesn’t glorify war, nor does he embellish his experiences. It’s an accurate and honest assessment of the myriad of emotions that one must have to deal with when experiencing life in a combat zone at such a young age. Thank you to those who served and sacrificed so much!

Couldn’t get through it

Trigger warning: if you are especially sensitive about animals, probably not a great choice for you. I got to the killing of the baby water buffalo and had to quit.

The Story is Fantastic, the Performance is Better

There is a reason The Things They Carried is beloved and considered the best Vietnam war story ever written by many readers, but my god, throw Bryan Cranston's voice on top of it and it's beyond amazing! The characters are believable, with a decent amount of variation. The prose is intelligent, yet accessible. All in all, fantastic.

perfect voice and text combination,

insanely powerful material. listen, and be ready to be moved, devastated, uplifted, turned and churned inside out. would give more than five stars if I could.

A very moving, personal set of stories

I loved this book about the author's experiences and tough decisions he had to make.

And the things we should ALL carry

This should be required reading as prerequisite for responsible citizenry. Before you hoo-rah military superiority and project a certain brand of patriotism, take a few moments to reflect on The Things They Carried. Thank you, Mr. O'Brien, for the things you carried and still do. And for telling stories that help us all develop a deeper understanding of our human condition.

Great book

The story was beautifully told and the narrator breathed life into the characters. Glad I bought it.

Fantastic! Emotional! Devastating! Well read!

This is an excellent story to immerse you in the Vietnam War. It is on a list of 100 books everyone should read. I agree it should be on the list.

Decent story. Excellent Narration...

Okay story about Vietnam and the what happens after. What really elevated this book was excellent narration by Bryan Cranston. The guy could read the dictionary and I'd like it.

A powerful and dark message

This work should be consulted by everyone before considering war as a means to an end. On completion, there should be self reflection and that important question "is this what we want to subject our citizens to".

An interesting collection of stories, I was never really certain if all of them were real or not, bu,t as the author points out, they are all real on some level. The net effect is an stunning and dark portrayal of conflict post WWII.

This book takes it's place among other great stories, such as All Quiet on the Western Front, and, on reflection, it's interesting to note how war has changed over the past 100 years. If the brutality described in this book is true, then I would have to say that modern war has taken a turn for the worse, if that is even possible. Having recently read "Generation Kill", it certainly seems that this trend of brutality continues.

Read this book. Struggle through it if you must. As a citizen of a democracy, whether British, American, Canadian, etc., it is your responsibility to be educated as to the impact of war before routinely accepting the political and media hype surrounding key issues of conflict. If only for that, this is a must read.