This is one of those special books, a book rejected by dozens of publishers, a book that led its author to suicide, a book that might bring you to tears (of joy) in the end. It is a character study of an almost middle aged man, still living with his mother, who's just about ready to get a job in an elaborately quirky 1970's New Orleans, told with all the sophistication an over-educated author could muster. It's a really funny piece of fiction that just so happens to be intertwined with real life tragedy.

There are several different versions of this spoken book. None of them compares to the Barrett Whitener reading. Whitener interprets the sounds of the literal dialects seemingly with ease. And this makes the book a million times more enjoyable to listen to. Audible has taken some time to offer this particular reading on its website, several years in fact. But the quality of this recording makes the wait worth while.

My first reaction to this book was that I did not like it. The characters were unlovable and hard to get to know, and the narrator's style of reading somewhat annoyed me.
But that was only in the beginning.
About half an hour into the book I began to love each character's multiple flaws. From one catastrophe to the next, I grew to love everything about the characters and the precarious situations in which they were always a part. The narrator's voice also began to grow on me, as I relized that his voice, tone, and inflection were perfect for the development of the characters.
From Ignatius' "Oh my GOD!" to Jones' "Whoa!" to Ignatius' Mother's "He doesn't love me...", this fantastic tragicomedy is sure to get your attention and keep it.
Overall, I loved this book. If you aren't thrilled with it in the beginning, don't worry. Give it a chance and Mr. Toole's masterpiece will prove itself.
I will definitely be listening to this book again and again.

This book is truly recommended to all who are looking for a genuinely funny book (it won the Pulitzer price after the author had died).

some 30 yr old guy with personality disorders living with his mom just didn't seem funny. Sorry I wasted the book credit.

Make sure this is the type of comedy you enjoy before buying.

Who paid Barrett Whitener to read this book? Fool. John Kennedy Toole must be spinning in his grave.

How can I possibly rate the audiobook?

The book is a guilty pleasure with subtleties that some readers don't appear to appreciate, but Whitener's rendering keeps me wincing throughout. Too fast. Who talks that fast, certainly not the narrator. And where did the accents originate? Walker Percy gave the reader great direction, but Whitener ignored it altogether. I had misgivings after listening to the sample of Whitener reading, so more the fool am I.

I pray that a New Orleanian re-records this book before the City homogenizes into bland and the neighborhood accents blur.

It's probably one of the top "listens" you'll find. The language, characters, pace of the writing could very well make you want to read the book after you listen to it. It's pure genius. The narrator deserves an industry award for his performance. What can make this experience even better is finding someone else who has listened to the book so you can compare notes.

This is by far the best Narrated book that I have yet to hear (and I list to a lot). The Author portrays all the many colorful characters brilliantly .

The book itself is well written and funny, however I do find the 30 year old guy living with his mother a little pathetic.

Reading the reviews, it's obvious that not everyone gets satire. That's not a measure of intelligence, it's just like rolling your Rs--some people can, and some people can't.

This is satire. It's not funny like Jim Carey or Robin Williams or Howard Stern. It's funny like Stephen Colbert (without the political bent). You have to implicitly grasp that the characters, even the narrative, are saying one thing while meaning another.

The story is about a series of characters in New Orleans in the 60s, who are all affected by the main character, Ignatius J Reilly, and his ridiculous delusional arrogance. There seems to be little point or direction through most of the novel. Few if any of the characters are constantly endearing, and you find yourself wondering if they are aggressors, or victims, or ultimately whether there is any such thing as either. But down to the last line, the story has heart and meaning.

Throughout the main narrative you are constantly aware of minor themes accompanying the main story, some in rhythm, some following their own beat, but all connected. You will read one scene and understand, without the author mentioning it, how that scene affects everything else. It's a breathtaking example of novel writing.

And the narrator is perfect. He catches every nuance.

If you are looking for slapstick or straightforward humor, this book won't be for you. If you love satire, this is one of the best examples you'll find.

Tedious, I don't think it works well as an audiobook

I admit this book is not for everyone, but those who get it love it. I've read the book as well as listened to it and cannot get over the brilliance of the dialogue. I think we have all met at least one person like Ignatius in our lives. Pompus, self righteous, and completely clueless. The main character is someone only his mother could love and by the end of the book even that is in question. That's what makes this book so unique, we are not cheering for the main character. The narration was different than I had imagined in my reading, but enjoyable none the less. This is a book I buy copies of just to give to others. I love it. It is too bad it is all John Kennedy Toole left us with, but I am thankful that he did.