• The Voyeur's Motel

  • By: Gay Talese
  • Narrated by: Joe Barrett
  • Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (289 ratings)

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The Voyeur's Motel  By  cover art

The Voyeur's Motel

By: Gay Talese
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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Publisher's summary

On January 7, 1980, in the run-up to the publication of his landmark best seller Thy Neighbor's Wife, Gay Talese received an anonymous letter from a man in Colorado. "Since learning of your long-awaited study of coast-to-coast sex in America," the letter began, "I feel I have important information that I could contribute to its contents or to contents of a future book." The man went on to tell Talese an astonishing secret: that he had bought a motel to satisfy his voyeuristic desires. He had built an attic "observation platform", fitted with vents, through which he could peer down on his unwitting guests.

Unsure what to make of this confession, Talese traveled to Colorado where he met the man - Gerald Foos - verified his story in person, and read some of his extensive journals, a secret record of America's changing social and sexual mores. But because Foos insisted on remaining anonymous, Talese filed his reporting away, assuming the story would remain untold. Now, after 35 years, he's ready to go public, and Talese can finally tell his story.

The Voyeur's Motel is an extraordinary work of narrative journalism and one of the most talked about books of the year.

©Gay Gay Talese. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. "I Can't Stop Loving You," words and music by Don Gibson. Copyright 1958 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. Copyright Renewed. All Rights Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard Corporation. (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Voyeur's Motel

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Strangely captivating

This was an odd book. Most times it was difficult to tell if it truly was fact or just longing of an voyeur. Regardless, it was fascinating to listen to. I enjoyed every minute of the book, even though it made me feel like a voyeur myself by just listening to this powerful and compelling story.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Reads like a movie...a delusional pervert whose narcissism justifies all

I have always been fan of the writing style of Gay Talese and New Journalism. The blending of raw facts with a rich and deep anthropological vantage point results in an enlargement of my structure of judgement of people and their thoughts and resulting actions.
Mr. Talese's voice is alway in the reporter mode, no judgements, that's up to the reader. He writes with a smooth almost silky style which compliments the rawness of the characters.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Author says his source is not credible

After writing The Voyeur's Motel, based on motel-owner Gerald Foos' journals, Gay Talese has since distanced himself from the book saying he has come to realize Mr. Foos is not a credible person. Before I knew that, I pre-ordered the book because it sounded intriguing. But after listening, some of the stories are obviously fake; they just don't ring true. For example, an electrician and his wife go to the hotel and as they're relaxing, the husband notices the vent in the ceiling (through which Mr. Foos watches his guests.) Supposedly the husband says, "I'm an electrician so I should know, that's not a real vent." If this man is talking with his wife, he's not going to say, "I'm an electrician." He knows that his wife already knows his career. He wouldn't need to state that out loud to her as though it's new information. As a work of fiction, it's a little creepy. As non-fiction, it's worthless.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Live through the eyes of a voyeyor!

This book let's us takes a brief look into a voyeyor's mind but at the same a peep into human behaviour and sexual behavior when nobody is supposed to be watching.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Blah

Watch the Netflix version. Don't waste your money on the book. Definite waste of money.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

fascinating

A strange story of times gone by combined with questionable behaviours. I found it facinacting and disturbing at times.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Bad writing from a weird liar.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It just turns out to be horribly written erotic fantasy. I assume some of this happened but for the most part the voyeur lied to Gay and Gay was too wrapped up in the idea of the story than the story itself.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Despicable main subject

Book is typically well written by Talese

But....

The main subject of the book, Gerald Foos, the "Voyeur," is simply such a creep it is hard to listen to his story.

He can self aggrandize and justify his actions all he wants but in the end Foos is just a pervert.

When you're done listening you just want to take a shower to wash off the stench of Gerald Foos

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Explicit

Interesting book, never really thought about a topic such as this one but it’s a little on soft porn side just my opinion.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Ambivalent with the narrator.

The tone the narrator uses for his impression of the voyeur gives the book a special feeling of listening to some kind of pervert, buy it makes it pretty difficult for listening above 1.75x speed. Altogether I think he could have been more clear with his narration.

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