The Spectacular Now

By: Tim Tharp

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

"So, my beautiful fat girlfriend, Cassidy, is threatening to kick me to the curb again, my best friend suddenly wants to put the brakes on our lives of fabulous fun, my mom and big sister are plotting a future in which I turn into an atomic vampire, and my dad, well, my dad is a big fat question mark that I'm not sure I want the answer to.

"Some people would let a senior year like this get them down. Not me. I'm Sutter Keely, master of the party. I'm your man when it comes to cranking the wild times. But don't mistake a midnight philosopher like me for nothing more than a shallow party boy.

"Just ask Aimee, the new girl in my life. She saw the depth of the Sutterman from that first moment when she found me passed out on the front lawn. Okay, so she's a social disaster; but that's where I come in. Isn't it my duty to show her a splendiferous time, and then let her go forth and prosper?

Y"es, life is weird, but I embrace the weird. Let everyone else go marching off into their great shining futures if they want. Me, I've always been more than content to tip my whiskey bottle and take a ride straight into the heart of the spectacular now."

©2008 Tim Tharp (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Lulled into believing he is happy in spite of his father's abandonment and his mother's emotional neglect, Sutter is an authentic character, and his unsteady sense of himself, as well as his relationships with his friends, will strike a chord with teen readers." ( Booklist)

Spectacular!

This book was fantastic. The voice of the main character is so authentic, so strong, that I felt like I was right along with him for this whole crazy, and at times emotional ride. I didn’t know whether I wanted to be his best friend, hug him, or shake him. But I know I didn’t want to stop listening to his story. The narration was also outstanding—absolutely perfect for this character and the others in the book. Highly recommend.

Story not the most uplifting

MacLeod Andrews performs this novel quite well. My only issue is that I just could not get into the main character. Sutter Keely is a fun loving, crazy, self-centered, emotionally wounded, drunk--and all of that at age eighteen. This kid is in need of serious intervention. While the concept of the anti-hero became popular after "The Catcher in the Rye," this protagonist lacks depth. His characterization does not change throughout the book. Instead, the writing repeats strung together descriptions such that they become clique at the end of the novel.

In the end, Sutter does not change. The message is that some people will never get it. Not sure that is what Tim Tharp intended, but the effect of this story is tragic on the minds of young readers.

A big let down at the end.

Sutter is deep, shallow, and charming at the same.

Sutter is a high school senior who is wise beyond his years. He is heroic in many ways, but tragic in even more ways. His compulsion to pursue a good buzz and a good time prevents him from making the deep and lasting relationships that he yearns for. He knows that to love and be loved is what's really important in life but that would require him to have a sense of the future. The present is the only thing that has any real meaning for Sutter and he fears that he will never be worthy of the love he desperately seeks.

Great story and voice.

This had a great voice along with the story. High recommend this story to all.

the high-school party boy gets a book

phenomenally read, entertaining, and it shows a part of the high school gang often overlooked by the successful. but, at the end of the day the author has glorified the drunkards and never-will-amount-to-much party boys.

very interesting take on addiction.

it was great, Sutter is the guy everyone wants to be , except this story shows you what the cost of being the life of the party costs. I will recommend it to everyone.

True teen romances

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book.It's so true to teen romances because girls would often fall for these guys that don't know how good they have it and they throw it all away to protect girls or hurt them because there selfish life pursuit.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sitter in a way reflected me in away. Dating the quiet nerdy girl but longing to figure why his past is better without him.

Which scene was your favorite?

The part where Sutter is telling Aimee to swear to relieve stress and the weight of the world.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

In was like hearing my own life.

Almost a Coming of Age Story...

Sutter is a teenager that seems to help everyone move on but himself. Great story and loved the reading by MacLeod Andrews.

slice o' southern life

My son was assigned this book. The audio version breathed life into it and he really enjoyed it. The southern drawl of Andrews is perfectly paired with the text and subject. He is a delight to listen to. I loved the humorous and visual descriptions of people and life. The extra raw descriptions of teenage struggles was uncomfortably close to my own painful memories. I was crushed by the ending, but found it refreshing that it didn't end with a clear resolution. I mentally created my own final chapter so I could move on!

Really good

This book was well done, writing and
narration was great. The story did hurt my heart but that was probably the point.