White Noise

I bet this is a good read, but the narrator is so bored with the text that he ruins everything that is supposed to be quirky in this story. Don't bother with this one!

I picked up this book (on audio) because of the passage that B.R. Myers tore apart in "A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose".

There were some brilliant bits, and when something was actually happening, it was d@mn near riveting. The comments on society and consumerism were laugh out loud funny, and all of the female characters were surprisingly developed. Sadly, whenever the protagonist was talking with any of the other male characters, they droned on and on. (Think "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance")

Glad I read (listened) to it, probably wouldn't reread

I have really enjoyed this book. The narrator sounds, to me, exactly like Paul Harvey on NPR, which amuses me for some reason. Maybe an odd choice of narrator for an audiobook, but for the context of this book, I think he's great. His narration adds to the sense of impending doom that is such an important part of the book! (If you feel he's a bit flat, as some folks do, it helps to bump the speed up a notch if you are using an iPod).

I have read this book before, and love it, I find it hilarious! As I was about to start on a road trip (mostly night driving) I decided to get this audio version to keep me company and awake. BAD idea! This wonderful book has been turned boring by the bored sounded narrator, whose voice just drones on and on. Rather than having an inside-joker voice like the book seems to have, his is old and dry...

Definitely worth reading, but skip the audio version...

I wanted to like this, I really did. But the reader's monotone killed it. I've been listening to a lot of audio books and have often admired the many different intonations and even dialects that one reader can use to transform the characters. This book, not so much. I can't even get past that to understand what this book is even about. Sorry!

The narrator was spot on for the book. The characters were very well developed, believable and recognizable.

The angst of the father brings to mind some of John Irving's writing.

There were too many to pick one out. The father, our hero, had such a great voice every scene was well done.

Definitely, the father.

I plan to read more by Don DeLillo!!

Love the book, but the voice could have been a bit more "pleasant" to listen to.

The White Noise is that of our society, advertising, media, relationships that is eerily predictive of the societal noise surrounding us 25 years later. Do not expect realistic dialog (which is all so many recent novels promise) but instead expositions on daily life. The book can be challenging at times, annoying at times, perplexing at times. There is always a veneer of contrivance, but I never minded, due to the insights and compelling prose.

I have to read this book for a class that I am taking. The person that is doing the reading has such a horrible monotone, and reads so slow it just puts me to sleep! I just hope I can get my money back it is so bad! I have switched back to reading the book because it'll take less time, and I'll get more from it. What a shame.

White Noise is an awesome, scathing commentary on contemporary American mass culture. There's plenty of critical analysis on this topic with respect to the novel and Delillo, so I won't go into it for this review.

For the younger generation, Fight Club is a good comparison considering theme and subject matters.

Prichard has a decent voice, but he has a particular lack of style. He reads too slowly, unnaturally so. That, and he pauses way too long between sentences. Whatever tension might have been built into the narrative looses it's energy and impact as a result. Personally, I'm actually a pretty slow reader myself, reading at about the same pace that I can read aloud, so anything slower than that is difficult to manage, which if I had a hard time with it, I can see anyone else having a harder time with it.

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