Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections)

By: Edited by David Sedaris

Narrated by: David Sedaris, Mary-Louise Parker, Cherry Jones

Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules is a collection of short stories, some classic, others impending, selected and introduced by David Sedaris.

With this audiobook a careful listener can discover the truth about loneliness, betrayal, love, and hope.

"Where the Door is Always Open and the Welcome Mat is Out" by Patricia Highsmith, read by Cherry Jones

"Bullet In the Brain" by Tobias Wolff, read by Toby Wherry

"Gryphon" by Charles Baxter, read by David Sedaris

"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" by Amy Hempel,read by Mary-Louise Parker

"Cosmopolitan" by Akhil Sharma, read by the author

©2005 826 NYC (P)2005 Patricia Highsmith; 2005 Simon & Schuster, Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.
"Where the Door Is Always Open and the Welcome Mat is Out" ©

Beautiful Stories Great Voices

Would you consider the audio edition of Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections) to be better than the print version?

Little gems of well written short stories . Discovering new authors leads to more of what's featured here stacked high upon my reading pile. Thank you for the introduction David Sedaris.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Shorts with well defined characters, all of the selected pieces equally brilliant.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Just spend the ten bucks, you'll thank yourself for the experience.

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

Listening again and again to this well edited and voiced over body of work

Any additional comments?

Voice over artist that read the Tobias Wolff piece did a fantastic job bringing it to life. Solid talent all around.

Great stories but only 5 of 17 are included

I was excited to hear the stories that David Sedaris picks as his favorites. This version only gives you 5 of the 17 in his book. I should have read the description more carefully but only noticed the term I always look for: "unabridged". In this case, that means the stories selected to be on this version are in their entirety. Don't let it stop you from listening though.

#1. The Door Is Always Open by P. Highsmith

I should’ve liked the first story because I follow the writer, Patricia Highsmith and David Sedaris. Like the main character,“Mildred ” I too have a sister named Edith whom I refer to as “Sinisister.” and live also alone. But, as I listened I kept hoping something would strike me as a good story. Not so, as it drooled on, it kept getting more depressing. I hope the rest of the stories get better. So far #2 is depressing too. Ugh.

Disappointing

I am puzzled at the selections: two are good (but by far not the best from the authors) and the rest are mediocre. Overall, very disappointing.

Gambled and Won

Any additional comments?

Great introduction to a new collection of writers. I will definitely look for more stories from them. It was like getting a big gift with multiple gifts inside.

Don't let 'David Sedaris' fool you

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. I hastily bought the book because David Sedaris' name was on it, incorrectly assuming that he wrote at least one of the stories and chose authors with a similar sense of humor. Wrong on both counts. While they were quirky little stories, none delivered the laugh-out-loud good time that Mr. Sedaris does.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This was an anthology. Too many characters for any one to stand out.

Which scene was your favorite?

none.

Do you think Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections) needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not on my account.

Disappointed in length of book.

I was not happy with the length of this book and the fact that it was the price of a full title. Not crazy about the narration.

Incomplete When Compared to Print Book

I really enjoyed the stories, and I would give this 5 stars--except that many of the stories in the print version aren't included in the audiobook.

Different

This isn't a typical Sedaris book - it's a collection of stories. They are like his tour recommendations. Odd, short stories, that are thought provoking and interesting.

David Sedaris can do no wrong in my book

Every story is interesting, definately worth the little bit of David you get on here. I am an avid fan of David Sedaris audiobooks which is why I purchased this book with no hesitation. Finally a new book! Yay! Even the stories not narrated by David kept me interested.