• Cool Hand Luke

  • By: Donn Pearce
  • Narrated by: Mark Hammer
  • Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (172 ratings)

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Cool Hand Luke  By  cover art

Cool Hand Luke

By: Donn Pearce
Narrated by: Mark Hammer
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Publisher's summary

Based in part on Donn Pearce’s own experiences working on a Florida road gang, this classic story of Cool Hand Luke, the defiant survivor who refused to be defeated by the forces of corrupt authority, is earthy, sensitively written, and revealing.

©1965 Donn Pearce (P)1991 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about Cool Hand Luke

Average customer ratings
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Cool Hand Luke

This was one of my mother's favorite movies. we watched it together several times. The book was better than the movie.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Like the movie but not

If you decide to get the book please try to put the movie out of your mind. I was almost halfway thru when I decided to start from the beginning and just enjoy the story and the wonderful narrator. The performance is excellent. He gives each and every character a distinct voice full of personality and unique accents. The scene where George Kennedy has a fight with Luke just doesn't happen in the book. And I missed a third of this wonderful performance waiting and trying to match up the movie and book. That's when I started over and glad I did.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

incredible narration!

great book and even better narration. highly recommend this, a bit darker than the movie.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story and excellent narration

Quite surprised to find that one of my favorite movies started as a book. I love this book and I’m happy that the screenplay was faithful to the original. The narration is great and sometimes you actually feel like you’re amongst the members of the gang on their work detail.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic.

This is a great book and the narration is excellent. Adds great depth to the movie

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    5 out of 5 stars
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OMG better than movie

Yhe story, the language, the dialogue. alll simply stunning. i am gobsmacked. i had no idea that the origins of this classic movie deserves to be revered as a literary classic. The narration is no mere narration. It is a one-voice dramatic masterpiece.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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love the book, movie and narration

this is a great story. I know the movie from my childhood and was happy to listen. I really like this narrator too. he was great in the Forest Gump recording.

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My mind plays the video of Paul Newman

A great story, narrated well. One hopes that the prison system has moved on since this was written in the 60s. I remember seeing prisoners doing exactly this sort of work as a child in the deep south. This is one story behind one of those people.

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It’s was like I was there

Few stories paint such a vivid picture and put you is the story like this one. The book opens so many facets of the Luke character than I recall from the movie. Loved this.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Story, Amazing Narration

Don Pearce has created an American classic. and the narration brings the story to life. recommended read. couldn't put it down.

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