Under the Volcano

A Novel

By: Malcolm Lowry

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

On the Day of the Dead, in 1938, Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic and ruined man, is fatefully living out his last day, drowning himself in mescal while his former wife and half-brother look on, powerless to help him. The events of this one day unfold against a backdrop unforgettable for its evocation of a Mexico at once magical and diabolical.

©1947 Peter Matson (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The book obviously belongs with the most original and creative novels of our time." (Alfred Kazin)
"One of the towering novels of [the twentieth] century." ( New York Times)
"[Lowry's] masterpiece...has a claim to being regarded as one of the ten most consequential works of fiction produced in this century...." ( Los Angeles Times)

There sure is a lot of symbolism

I don't know if there's any way to express my disappointment with this book that doesn't involve spoilers, so I'll start with what I liked about it. Lowry does an awesome job of delineating his characters. Their attitudes and feelings are completely understandable and realistic. Lowry's use of imagery, motifs, and symbolism are masterful. He builds his story layer by layer with rising intensity right up to the end. The story that he tells--of a man bent on destroying himself--is compelling in an existential sort of way. So why, when all is said and done, do I feel less than satisfied with the book as a whole? That is a question I suppose I will be pondering for a long time.

Beautiful Prose, jarring accent

God forbids John Lee ever read Spanish (and naybe French) again. I don't even speak Spanish yet his accent gave me the cringest experience I ever had in listening audiobooks. I mean, no one would speak Spanish with that... posh intonation.

To the publisher: please consider have a new reader... the story is so beautiful and it's a pity to have it butchered by some weird accent.

Mehhhhhhhh

I can't say I was really enamored with this novel. While the prose certainly has its charms and it's eloquently and beautifully written, much of it seems to me to hold little semblance of a narrative or a coherent story.

In that regard the book fails to do much for me. I can appreciate nice words as well as anyone, but I prefer my novels to tell me good stories, or at least pepper in some entertainment along with the philosophical meanderings of the mind.

Stream of consciousness like this doesn't hold much to make it worthy of my attention or praise.

Desperate aching plot. LOVED THE NARRATOR

Struggled with this novel. Difficult, distant time in history. I love historical fiction but I could not make sense of this. I stayed until end because I LOVED the narrator!
For me, a desperate depressing novel. Wonder why it was so lauded in history?

Difficult novel, rewarding

Difficult novel, a painful evocation of suffering, alcoholism, self-destruction, and demise, but such beautiful and unforgettable prose, it certainly deserves its fame. The narrator on the audio edition is excellent. Reading the text while listening is recommended.

Excellent...but not for everyone

I loved this story of a day-long drunken binge told from 3 different viewpoints, but I know that not everyone liked it (ask my book club)...but I thought it was classic. It gets tough in some places, but I found Under the Volcano to be a wonderful tale in a vast desert of somewhat underwhelming books. 5 stars for writing and 5 stars for narration.

Get a Different Edition

For the first time in my life I couldn't finish a book. To say that the performance by John Lee is unlistenable is, in my opinion, giving the performance too much credit. For a story that utilizes as much Spanish you'd think that the performer would be able to put together more than a slurred Italian interpretation. I'd rather listen to Brad Pitt read Cormac McCarthy.

Well...

I have to say before anything, that this is an absolutely remarkable novel, and possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever read. On the other hand, it is extremely hard to follow(it's supposed to be like this), which makes it a difficult read. The symbolism is intense. But in the end it's just such a beautiful book, just wow, it really brings out the human condition. Don't read if you expect something happy, it's gloomy (I enjoy books like this myself but if you're not into depressing books don't read it).

challenged narrator . . .

Many books contain passages in more than one language. John Lee, a reader I have liked before now, should restrict himself to narrating books written entirely in English. His Spanish pronunciation is . . . excecrable. Malcolm Lowry's text deserves better.

Deep for an audiobook

I'm a lover of audiobooks but acknowledge some books are better digested in the printed format. This book will require more reading on my part. If you are looking for escapist reading this is not the best choice. It requires further exploration of the symbolism and allusions.
I was quite happy with is narration and the narrators Spanish pronunciation.
It has been called one of the twenty best books of the last century. The audiobook is a good introduction.