We Were the Mulvaneys

By: Joyce Carol Oates

Narrated by: Scott Shina

Length: 22 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Author of 27 novels, Joyce Carol Oates has won a National Book Award and the PEN/Malamud Award. She has been nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Readers around the world marvel at her ability to trace the subtle dynamics at work in the modern American family.

Judd is the youngest of the four Mulvaney children - three boys and a girl - on their parents’ lush farm in upstate New York. In his childhood, Judd is swept along by the sheer energy of the Mulvaneys and their wealth of beloved family stories. But now, 30 years old, Judd looks back through his memories to tell the secrets that eventually ripped apart the fabric of his storybook family.

Reminiscent of the works of Jane Smiley and Anne Tyler, Oates’ novel tells a tale that could be tragic, but is, instead, a ringing affirmation. Narrator Scott Shina’s performance perfectly captures the complex relationships within the Mulvaney clan.

©1996 The Ontario Review, Inc. (P)2001 Recorded Books, LLC

We Were the Mulvaneys

Well written and extremely well read. This story follows the spiraling descent of the Mulvaney family. The Mulvaney's move from a normal prosperous life, to their fall from community graces and the eventual moving on with their lives.

Tedious

I had already seen the movie and was looking for more information about why Mary Anne was sent away. I figured it got edited out of the movie. WRONG. Instead I found this a tedious account of a superficial family that disintegrated and blamed it all on a horrible rape. the actions of the family were still unfathomable in the book as in the movie. thankfully my iphone has the ability to speed up the book so I listened to the last half at 1.5 and 2 times normal. It was the only way through it. I'm glad Oprah liked this book but I sure didn't.

Slow decay of family; dad creating own catch 22s

Would you listen to We Were the Mulvaneys again? Why?

Yes, instills the value of solid values, consistency, clear pragmatic thinking.

What did you like best about this story?

Redundant answer to redundant question. Instills the value of solid values, consistency, clear pragmatic thinking.

Any additional comments?

Its a bit hard watching (listening for the pedantic) the family decay due to typical but silly values and aspects of personality.

Could Have Been a Classic but Isn't

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

If this story had ended half way through the book it would have been a classic. Unfortunately, it went on and on. It's a sad story of how a family reacts to a young girl's rape and how the family is torn apart from the rape due to selfishness and inability to understand that a child should be helped more than an adult who chooses to drink his life away.

Would you be willing to try another book from Joyce Carol Oates? Why or why not?

Not for a while. Just don't want to listen to a book that keeps going when it should have ended.

Have you listened to any of Scott Shina’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Scott Shina's performances before but thought he did very well with this book.

Did We Were the Mulvaneys inspire you to do anything?

No, should it have?

Average

This isn't Oates best book, but not her worst either. I've read other reviews complaining about the narration and, while I didn't find it so jarring that I couldn't continue listening, it did annoy me that the narrator felt the need to give the Mulvaneys southern accents. Why is "country" and/or "rural" thought of to be exclusive to the American south? It's so cliche! The book actually mentions that the parents are originally from the Pittsburgh and Central NY area and, as a resident of Central NY myself, I can certainly attest that no one born here (or in Pittsburgh for that matter) has a southern accent.

Please read! It will touch your heart and give you insight into the tragedies, changes and simply growing up.

Please read! It will touch your heart and give you insight into how tragedies effect families.
It takes the reader deep into their memory of changes and the inevitable pain of growing up and leaving the golden years of family and childhood behind. As well as remind us to come full circle with our family of creation, or the people we come to call family as adults.

Another outstanding book ruined by the narrator

Joyce Carol Oates is a brilliant writer, and this book doesn't disappoint. But the narrator is juvenile, inept, and a bit patronizing in his reading, to the point where I frankly can't imagine getting through the audio. The story of this family might be engrossing and heartbreaking to many listeners; I am resentful on the author's behalf that this twit's rendition of it may drive them away.

Her "A Widow's Story," on the other hand, was exquisitely read.

Life...

What did you love best about We Were the Mulvaneys?

The truth of everyday life. A fictional story so real I couldn't help but relate to every character. I found myself questioning how I would have reacted to the rape and the actions of every person affected. Life often has no reason, people don't know why they do what they do. This book follows each member of the family without trying to find out "why", we simply are challenged to accept what is. So often in life we never get the answer to the why, yet we live and react, and keep going. That is what made this book so real to me. We didn't delve into the psyche of each character; they were our neighbors, an acquaintance, a distant relative. We stood on the outside and wept for them, raged for them, laughed for them, and ultimately cheered for them. Why? Because they survived.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several moments when I wanted to shout at Marianne, you are smart, you are beautiful, you do deserve the praise you are given. So broken she was by her family's actions, real honest actions, that I could empathise with her doubts.

Engrossing story

I enjoyed the story which I have read before.

The only thing that was pretty annoying about it was that although the reader does a good job in many ways he seems to be totally unaware of how people speak in New York. He did the accents more like people from the deep South - maybe Texas.

The narrator is terrible

What is with the horrible southern accent?!?!? I love southern novels, but this is set in New York! I was raised by New Yorkers and can not even listen to the ridiculous southern accent given to the characters living in Upstate New York. This is an audiobook! We pay to listen to it, more care should be put into picking a narrator who can represent the characters the author was writing about. The southern accent given to these characters wouldn't even sound good to me if I were listening to a book set in the south, let alone one set in New York. A giant disappointment, save your money and your credit, skip this one, the narrator ruins it!