Ragtime

Too good for my words, anyway! I downloaded this because it was cheap and I was dimly aware that was supposed to be a good novel (but must confess that I am a Can Lit and Brit Lit fan and not so much interested in Americana - so I didn't approach the listen with great expectations.) I think it one of the most fascinating novels I've ever come across! I can't believe I was given a degree in literature and history without being advised to read this imaginative cross pollination somewhere along the way.

Doctorow begins by telling us that he is going to "say" us a novel. So -- he is not a professional narrator with stage voices- but in this case author narration works wonderfully. I felt like I was sitting at his feet listening as he invented the tale. I am going to buy a paper copy, and I know that I will listen to the audio again. Though it was written before folks began to think of how a book would "Play" in audio, it is one of the few novels that I will have enjoyed more in audio than paper format I think.

I am motivated to see Milos Foreman's film version, too, though that seems to represent only a small part of the novel as a whole from what I've read..

I liked this book much better than I ever thought I would when I started it. At first, I was really confused as to whether it was fiction or non-fiction because of the style E. L. Doctorow uses in his writing. I have never read or listened to anything quite like it. But I soon realized it was a combination of fact and fiction, pulled together in a way that was compelling and interesting from the outset. I found myself looking people up on Wikipedia to see if they were real, and what their real stories were. I learned a lot. Most of the characters with names were real people. Maybe some of the nameless characters were too, but I couldn't check them out. It is a rather dark story, but it does have its light and happy moments, and has a great ending. It is a great commentary on real life.

After a fiasco with a certain author's books (I bought five but I could not stand the first one so I never read the rest of them), I decided not to read more than one book per author unless the one I read was really life-changing, but in the end, I promised myself to try another E. L. Doctorow novel in the future. I would like to hear it read by someone besides the author, though, or just physically read it. Not that E. L. was bad, but it is a rare author who can really read like a professional narrator.

I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, especially early 20th century, or anyone who wants a well written, interesting, but definitely different kind of book.

I already love the musical so I had wanted to read the book for a while. As usual the book is even better. The perfect combination of history and fiction. I did not want to

I also just listened to Caleb's Crossing on Audible. Another good mix of fact and fiction.

Doctorow's reading is excellent. Fast-paced when the story needed, more tender when needed. Not all authors make good readers, but Doctorow was perfect.

Mother. She was a modern woman at the turn of the century, realizing her life did not have to depend on a man. And that her compassion for Sarah, Coalhouse, and the baby were what drove her decisions.

Some of the audio books I have purchased on Audible seem to have a very muffled audio quality, including Ragtime.

I think I would have liked this had I read it but, the narration wasn't that great in my opinion.

Great story wonderfully read

The story lines were slow and the narration was slower. Even the abridged version would have been too long.