Drive

By: James Sallis

Narrated by: Paul Michael Garcia

Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

Drive is the story of a man who works as a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night. He drives, that's all - until he's double-crossed.

Powerful and stylistically brilliant, Drive has been hailed by critics as the "perfect piece of noir fiction" (New York Times Book Review) and an instant classic.

©2005 James Sallis (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic Reviews

" Drive is full of sly humor, poetic details and plenty of rude violence...a terrific ride." ( Los Angeles Times)
"One stark and stunning tale of murder, treachery, and deceit....[ Drive] packs a wallop." ( Boston Globe)
"Full throttle...Sallis's riveting novella reads the way a Tarantino or Soderbergh neo-noir plays... Drive is one lean, mean, masterful machine. Grade: A." ( Entertainment Weekly)

A little confusing but good

Any additional comments?

Short noirish novel about a movie stunt man who moonlights as a getaway driver for various heists. Well-written if occasionally confusing because the author has stripped the story so much to the bone that context is often missing from scenes. Still, enjoyed this one. Will probably read again.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

excellent, but non-linear

a very modern noir-ish tale about a stunt driver who also drives getaway. but be warned, you need to pay attention because it is told non-linearly and you can get lost easily if you're distracted, but it will be worth it if you stick it out. different, and for me much better than it's sequel.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Convoluted...

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

I saw the movie which was great then thought the audio book would be fantastic. Unfortunately for me, this was not the case; I found the audio version hard to follow and difficult to figure out what was going on for much of the time.

Would you recommend Drive to your friends? Why or why not?

No I wouldn't.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Paul Michael Garcia?

Yes, the narrator was good.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Movie Is Better Written

This is ok, and will prove entertaining if you loved the movie, but don’t get your hopes up.

It’s all rather sloppy and half-developed, like a quickly sketched out idea that wasn’t much revised. Details are inconsistent. The plot structure and timeline are needlessly haphazard. Etc.

The film offers much tighter and deeper characterization and plot.

The performance, unfortunately, is on par with the writing. His primary narrative voice is good, but his accents and other characters range from tolerable to quite bad. Accents are frequently inconsistent, and sometimes don’t match the character’s stated origins. (The Irish-sounding Mexican lady is a notably outlandish moment.)

On the whole, if you like pulpy crime fiction enough that you can put up with slapdash execution, then this isn’t all bad. It clearly has the seeds of a good idea, and some nice scenes and flourishes, which is what the movie took and grew into something much richer.

If you’re new to crime fiction and want something like this but much better, check out George V. Higgins instead.

If you love the movie you might not enjoy the book

Drive is my absolute favorite movie so of course I had to read (listen to) the book. Unfortunately I was kinda disappointed. The movie has a much more straightforward story line, and waaaaay less jumping back and forth between past and present narratives. In my opinion, even the character development in the movie is superior. Sure, you learn some of Driver's backstory, which isnt in the movie, but I thought part if the appeal of his character was that little air of mystery that we see in the movie, not knowing very much about him other than the fact that all he does is drive. The book felt almost too drawn out, and despite my love of the movie, I almost didnt finish the book because I started getting bored. Plus, isnt part of the appeal of the movie the aesthetic, with neon lights and a vaporwave feel to the sounds of Kavinsky? Bottom line is if you're a lover of the movie (like me), you might not like the book so much.

infinitely better than the movie<br />

I did not even know this was a book until my editor mentioned it. I write a lot of driving scenes, so I decided to listen to this and holy smokes... a fantastic, thoroughly flushed out anti hero. Cool noir piece written in modern prose, set against increasingly Hispanic Los Angeles.

Great main character, great book

I really liked it. In the realm between Chuck Hogan and Richard Stark. I've done way worse with 3 hours.

quick dirty authentic

being born in Tucson and raised in LA eye can say this tale is authentic and well written,

Great story.

The author has a great way of describing things. The narrative form makes for an introspective mood.

Great Series

What made the experience of listening to Drive the most enjoyable?

Sallis takes you into the world of man known only as Drive, A Hollywood stunt driver and a getaway driver. Now he must kill to survive. Drive moves through life blending into the environment, and neither the ones who want his life, nor the one who wants his heart know the real Driver. YET!

Any additional comments?

Look for Driven the second book of the series, literature meets crime drama.I already read the book, now I can't wait to listen on audio.