By Nightfall

By: Michael Cunningham

Narrated by: Hugh Dancy

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Peter and Rebecca Harris: mid-forties denizens of Manhattan's SoHo, nearing the apogee of committed careers in the arts—he a dealer, she an editor. With a spacious loft, a college-age daughter in Boston, and lively friends, they are admirable, enviable contemporary urbanites with every reason, it seems, to be happy. Then Rebecca's much younger look-alike brother, Ethan (known in the family as Mizzy, "the mistake"), shows up for a visit. A beautiful, beguiling twenty-three-year-old with a history of drug problems, Mizzy is wayward, at loose ends, looking for direction. And in his presence, Peter finds himself questioning his artists, their work, his career—the entire world he has so carefully constructed.

Like his legendary, Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The Hours, Michael Cunningham's masterly new novel is a heartbreaking look at the way we live now. Full of shocks and aftershocks, it makes us think and feel deeply about the uses and meaning of beauty and the place of love in our lives.

©2010 Mare Vaporum Corp. (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“What is signaled in print through the use of design elements, narrator Hugh Dancy does through voice: A change in inflection, a slight questioning, a hesitation, or an increase in speed alerts the listener to a switch from stream of consciousness to public dialogue, from narrative description to personal conversation. Dancy's reading brings authenticity to Peter's emotional journey, saving it from self-indulgence.” —Audiofile

“Emmy Award nominee Hugh Dancy well captures Peter's melancholy…Cunningham's popularity generally and his exploration of universal middle-class dreams and fears make this a good choice for book clubs” —Library Journal

Here for Hugh, surprised by some of the depth

I have issues with it for sure, mainly the fact that the love interest is referred to as a shortened version of 'Mistake' the entire novel made it feel like a fake infatuation of it all. the age gap felt gross and I saw the ending miles away, and I did not sympathize with most of the characters' first-world problems. an amazing performance if not much else.

Beauty is truth? Is that all we need to know?

This beautifully-written story of an art dealer's mid-life, mid-career, mid-marriage crisis is, as we have come to expect in Michael Cunningham's fiction, rich in allusions, but, except for the big urn protagonist Peter Harris sells to his favorite client, I don't recall any mention of John Keats. But I kept thinking of the poet's tragic paradox by Peter's impossible attempt to find, in the ineffable beauty of sculpture and of a dangerous lover, an experience of the infinite he well knows is at odds with the temporary pleasures and pains of real life. Along the way, although far shorter than Jonathan Franzen's recent blockbuster, By Nightfall similarly makes us wonder if freedom is all it's cracked up to be.

Great Novel, Great Narration

Would you listen to By Nightfall again? Why?

I loved By Nightfall, and would absolutely read it again. The book captured me very quickly, and surprised me with its eloquence, I've set on to read other books by the author. Hugh Dancy narrates the book wonderfully and was an adage to the experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the main character, Peter, but more so was fascinated with the impressions left of his brother, Michael, whom, though long-passed, is a heavy presence in the novel.

Which character – as performed by Hugh Dancy – was your favorite?

Hugh Dancy's embodiment of Peter, the main character and narrator, brought the man into dimension alongside the writer's eloquent depiction. His narration made the character feel real and fluid.

Who was the most memorable character of By Nightfall and why?

Mizzy, the younger brother of Peter's wife, Rebbecca, is the main focus of Peter and by far the most memorable character in By Nightfall, if not the main character. His personality is presented to us flatly at the beginning of the novel, but blossoms throughout into our enchantment as well as Peter's, our obsessions with him growing alongside each other.

Enjoyed It

Definitely an adult read, but not in the sense that it’s R-Rated, it’s an adult read as both the main characters, the husband and wife are at a transition in their lives. Neither one fully satisfied with the life their leading and have used her younger brother as a crutch. If you enjoy this sort of thing, this is the read. Not at all smutty as Tumblr portrayed it.

Came for Hugh Dancy, stayed for the storyline

I found this book shortly after I watched a television show featuring Hugh Dancy and wanted to discover more of his content, but wow this book all by itself was fantastic. The ending is so frustrating, it’s an ending you will continue to think about even after you’ve moved on with your life. I was unable to resist listening to the book whenever I had the free time to do so. I had no idea what was going to happen and was constantly eager for the words to fall out of Hugh’s mouth. Truly a fantastic work.

Good narration, thin story

Great narrator. Story line was thin and predictable. Needed more backstory on the intimacy and aftermath

Literally the best book.

Michael Cunningham, call me. I just want to talk. I just want to know how you do it.

true to form

Astonishing.
Cunningham does it again. His vision for the tiny heartbreaking meaningful details of like is just astonishing. Just like The Hours I am sure I will listen to this over and over.

How to get exquisite poetry just by listening to prose

This is my third Cunningham and probably my least favorite of the 3; and.... I adored it. Which just tells you how fabulously much I liked the other two (the snow queen, the hours). Michael Cunningham is extraordinary and in my view, stands alone as a writer whose prose has the power to take your breath away in the same way that exquisite poetry does . His characters and stories are captivating. Sheer genius.

New Yorkers are weird

There were times when this book threatened to blossom into greatness but then the threat would harmlessly pass, and we were back to clueless characters with limited self-awareness who pointedly refused to ask obvious questions. This is absolutely maddening. It's forgivable if two characters are in the heat of the moment, but when the author takes pains to have them think about it in advance and then have them discuss it numerous times and never bother to voice something that is very clear to the reader is simply frustrating. It keeps the book from ever advancing past the introductory and superficial issues into something a bit more profound. And yet this book seems to have pretensions of profundity. I could never figure out if Cunningham thought he was truly being profound or if he simply isn't aware that he's only scratching the surface. Just as I could never figure out if the New Yorkers in this book truly believed they were more sophisticated than the rest of us, or if they simply aren't aware that they are merely deformed examples of arrested development.