• Wake Up, Sir!

  • A Novel
  • By: Jonathan Ames
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Ames
  • Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
  • 3.4 out of 5 stars (106 ratings)

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Wake Up, Sir!  By  cover art

Wake Up, Sir!

By: Jonathan Ames
Narrated by: Jonathan Ames
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Publisher's summary

Alan Blair, the hero of Wake Up, Sir!, is a young, loony writer with numerous problems of the mental, emotional, sexual, spiritual, and physical variety. He's very good at problems. But luckily for Alan, he has a personal valet named Jeeves, who does his best to sort things out for his troubled master. And Alan does find trouble wherever he goes. He embarks on a perilous and bizarre road journey, his destination being an artists' colony in Saratoga Springs. There Alan encounters a gorgeous femme fatale who is in possession of the most spectacular nose in the history of noses. Such a nose can only lead to a wild disaster for someone like Alan, and Jeeves tries to help him, but...

Well, listen and find out!

©2004 Jonathan Ames (P)2006 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

  • A 2004 Notable Book of the Year (The New York Times Book Review)

"[An] inventive romp. (The New Yorker)
"Ames' tale zips along, brimming with comedy and wild details, proving him to be a winning storyteller and a consummate, albeit exceedingly eccentric, entertainer." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Wake Up, Sir!

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Difficult to listen to

I bought this audio some months ago. At the time, the lack of reviews here sent me to amazon.com, where I read some very favorable opinions. The flat tone in which it is narrated, makes it very difficult for one to concentrate on the story and to recognize it's literary value.
I have just finished listening to Bryce Courtanay's "The Potato Factory", narrated by Humphrey Bower: an example of fine narration, that made me aware of how important this feature is in audio books.
I haven't yet been able to listen to much more than 3 hours of "Wake Up, Sir", but I feel it could be very interesting to listen to, if narrated with quality.
Would I have bought this audio book, anyway, if I had known this much? No; but I would have probably bought the book.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Authors Shouldn't Narrate

If you can get past the dull narration by the author(sorry!), the book is actually quite good. A modern, American, take on Wodehouse. Very funny!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Definitely for a certain type of person...

I absolutely loved this book. That being said, I am that type of person. Jonathan Ames is a quirky, neurotic and brilliant writer but you kind of need an open mind to really appreciate him. The main characters of his fiction books are undeniably based on himself and I thought it was especially fascinating that this book seemed to be a continuation in the adventures of the main character from Ames other novel, The Extra Man. Therefore, if you want more context for what's going on in this novel you should probably read or listen to that one first.

Take all of the negative reviews with a grain of salt. If you are interested in this book but feel wary, look up J.Ames on the interwebs and maybe listen to an interview of him by Marc Maron to see if his personality will mesh with yours.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Too Dark for me!

While this book kept me listening, it was too dark for me. This is a story of a man without hope who learns nothing. As a consequence, the reader who invests time in this book must look for other reasons to stay with it.

I suppose if you were looking for someone more miserable than you might be at the time you are reading this review, this book will strike a chord. Otherwise, I would recommend something lighter.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The narration kills it

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, it was the first audiobook (in hundreds) that I couldn't bear to finish. The narration was simply that awful.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I love Wodehouse, and I really love the author's Bored to Death TV show, so I thought this book might be a perfect mix. It may well be, but not in audio format.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narration was monotone, but I've listened to other monotone narrations (Kramer's narration of the Butcher Boy series, for example) that were excellent. No, it's just that the narration was terrible. With professional narration, it might be an excellent audiobook.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I won't know until and if I read the book.

Any additional comments?

Apologies to Jonathan Ames for picking on his narration. His TV series Bored to Death is fantastic, and I know the man has a great deal of talent. But narration is definitely not one of them. I only wish I could have found out if writing a book is.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Really depressing

The worst book I listened to over the past three years. Guaranteed to worsen your mental condition especially if you are already feeling depressed. If you enjoy craving over the futility of life over a set of futile pages, this is something for you. "Read by the author" did not help. There should be a health warning on the package of this one.Make sure to hear a sample before you buy. The authors' voice, style and tone is totally in line with the content.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Read it, DON'T listen to it!

I think this is probably going to be a very entertaining book to read. It's a spot-on recreation of the style of P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves and Wooster" stories, set in modern day.

BUT... why do authors think it's a good idea to do their own audiobooks?? What a dreadful reading this is! Monotone, boring, no vocal characterisations, no inflections at all! Ames could be reading stock quotes, it's so tedious.

So my recommendation is, get a copy of the book, read it, and imagine Jonathan Cecil or Martin Jarvis narrating it. You'll have a much mroe enjoyable experience.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

not at all Wodehousian

To simply borrow a character as beloved as Reginald Jeeves is not enough.

there was no attempt at all to mimic the style or plot structure of PGW.
this book had fun moments, but it certainly is not N homage to my favorite author.

Go try Sebastián Faulks: he does a Jeeves story well.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very funny...

I liked the book, but didn't like the narrator's voice.His slow,nasal tone could put people to sleep.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

I usually don’t leave reviews, but I saw a negative headline and felt inclined to offer another perspective. I always find Ames’ work hilarious, and wake up, sir! is no exception. An entertaining story narrated by an alcoholic maniac.

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