A Confederacy of Dunces

By: John Kennedy Toole

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

“A masterwork . . . the novel astonishes with its inventiveness . . . it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue.”—The New York Times Book Review

A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs.

So enters one of the most memorable characters in recent American fiction.

The hero of John Kennedy Toole's incomparable, Pultizer Prize–winning comic classic is one Ignatius J. Reilly, an obese, self-absorbed, hapless Don Quixote of the French Quarter, whose half-hearted attempts at employment lead to a series of wacky adventures among the lower denizens of New Orleans. This book has become an American comic masterpiece.

©1980 Thelma D. Toole (P)1997 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Barrett Whitener strikes just the right note." (AudioFile)
"A Confederacy of Dunces has been reviewed almost everywhere, and every reviewer has loved it. For once, everyone is right." (Rolling Stone)
"What a delight, what a roaring, rollicking, footstomping wonder this book is! I laughed until my sides ached, and then I laughed on." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Best. Audio. Book. Ever.

This tragic comedy may be better heard than read. Boethius has never been so funny and Fortuna spins the wheel to make you laugh. Please read this book. It may not make you better, wiser or more successful, but you will be happier.

What a hoot

Fabulous and absurd - I wish the author had stuck around to make more. Wonderful funny

classic, plus

A classic of course, but made all the better with a dry-wit narration! A treat

One of my all-time favorites!!

This is a quirky story about a really eccentric man. I read this book several years ago and wanted to buy it on audio to listen on my drive to and from work. The narration is absolutely spot on and really brings out more in this book than just reading it. If you are familiar with New Orleans, then you will enjoy this book even more as the follies unfold all over town.

My father's favorite book

I tried to read this book many years ago and just couldn't get into it. Since it is my fathers favorite book, I thought I would try again listening to it and see if that worked... it did! It is absurd and obnoxious at times, and I couldn't see what the appeal was at first. Once I realized it was not like anything else I had ever read and stopped trying to figure it out, it came to me. My father feels it is one of the best books that describes New Orleans French Quarter in the 1960's. He also has a satirical sense of humor that is not everyones cup of tea.

Truly the pleasure is in both the writing and the narration. I even found myself replaying parts that were even funnier the 2nd time around. I was not a fan of the ending, but really the pleasure of this book is journey, not the arrival. Some books are not that different for me if I read them or listen to them. Listening to this one makes a world of difference. Barrett Whitener painted the accent and tone of each character that I never would have achieved by reading this book.

Different but very Enjoyable Read

It was a very Original story, and by the end of the story I had developed a very real affection for the Main Character (Ignatius), and I was very concerned with is well being..

Worth Reading!

Definitely worth reading. Very dry, very funny. Recommend! Made me want to lose weight and keep my opinions to myself, too :-)

Great story, ok storyteller.

If you could sum up A Confederacy of Dunces in three words, what would they be?

The book was great but the storyteller was subpar.

What did you like best about this story?

The taste and decency.

What three words best describe Barrett Whitener’s voice?

His voice is fine, his voice acting was irritating.

poor performance

While I love this book, I feel that the performance was lacking for a number of reasons. The reader failed to grasp the importance of the correct accents to the storyline and his mispronounciation of names, streets, and places was distracting. A little research would have improved the experience considerably.

brilliant!

What did you love best about A Confederacy of Dunces?

great story, but the performance of Barrett Whitener was the best! I laughed out loud so many times, the small town I live in is now confirmed in the theory that I am completely nuts!

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

Such a great story teller, he uses different voices thru out the book, so funny, I can still hear it in my head.... Oh My God! Ignatius said...It could not have been better. Thank you