A Dirty Job

De: Christopher Moore

Narrado por: Fisher Stevens

Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, sort of a hypochondriac. He's what's known as a Beta Male: the kind of fellow who makes his way through life by being careful and constant, you know, the one who's always there to pick up the pieces when the girl gets dumped by the bigger/taller/stronger Alpha Male.

But Charlie's been lucky. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a secondhand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child.

Yes, Charlie's doing okay for a Beta. That is, until the day his daughter, Sophie, is born. Just as Charlie, exhausted from the birth, turns to go home, he sees a strange man in mint-green golf wear at Rachel's hospital bedside, a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But see him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird.

People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yup, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death. It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's gotta do it.

©2006 Christopher Moore (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

• 2006 Quill Award Nominee

"Moore's enthusiasm and skill make it convincing, and his affection for the cast of weirdos gives the book an unexpected poignancy." (Publishers Weekly)

Too raunchy, ending was lame

Narrator was amazing! Story was great until it got unnecessarily raunchy. Ending felt like author didn’t know where to go and decided to just end it right there.

Black is not a foreign country

What did you like best about A Dirty Job? What did you like least?

The story was entertaining. I do not like it when non-black writers or narrators write or perform black characters as if all black people speak they way they see drug dealers and pimps speak on tv shows and movies. As if Black is a foregin country like Ireland and all black people speak with the same brogue or accent. It amazes me how non-black people seem to hear the same minstrel show cadence from black people no matter how they speak. Just like all people from California do not speak like stoned surfers, all black people do not speak like they are Huggie Bear, or gangsta rappers. STOP DOING THAT!!! Do all Jewish characters sound like Hasidic Jews from New York, or all blond characters sound like Marilyn Monroe? You can write that the character is black and say they are from a certain city and neghiborhood and give them the flavor of the people who live in that place, and that way be true to the character. Just refrain from tacking on stereotypical: Pimp voice for large black male, and Sassy Jive speak for sexy black woman. It's annoying.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

See the above on black character voices

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Only if it was an animation.

Any additional comments?

I will listen to the sequel and some of the other books by this author.

Hilarious!!

If you could sum up A Dirty Job in three words, what would they be?

quirky, dark and twisted

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Dirty Job?

When he realizes his new

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

He is the voice of Charlie, hence, he is Charlie

Who was the most memorable character of A Dirty Job and why?

Minty

Any additional comments?

If you have a twisted,dark, quirky sense of humour, then this is the book and the author for you!

Very Funny!

I have some advice to give to readers of Christopher Moore's books; make sure to pause whenever you drink something or you might find yourself spewing liquid out of your nose. I'm just saying. Trust me.
His books are so fun! I read his book, The Stupidest Angel, at Christmas every year as a tradition!

Yes!

Just a terrific story. Hilarious, Quirky and gripping. Great performance from the narrator as well!

great

all the reviews I read said this book was hilarious from beginning to end, and it is! funny, alternative view point on death and it's happenings with awesome characters

A must read

The narrator was amazing! The story left me enthralled and rolling on the floor laughing!

Entertaining and macabre

If you could sum up A Dirty Job in three words, what would they be?

Daddy, baby, Death

What did you like best about this story?

The equanimity with which the characters accept the fantastic things that happen. That, and Charlie hollering at the Morigan at sewer grates.

Which character – as performed by Fisher Stevens – was your favorite?

Oh, that's hard. I like Lily because she's such a good kid and wants not to be, so she's my favorite--today.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Sophie shows up to save Charlie in the battle under the city.

Any additional comments?

This is a fun and entertainig look at death and Death that lets you read for pure entertainment or delve for deeper meaning. I'm an entertainment girl myself.

Good, but...

Where does A Dirty Job rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A little below the middle. The story was good, Christopher Moore is always a riot, but the reader sounded so high energy through the whole performance that it seemed too homogeneous. A few slower scenes were read with the same inflection and tone as pitched fights and a car chase.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sophie, the Death Baby. Not usually a fan of child characters, but she was actually really well written, and the Hellhounds were great.

How could the performance have been better?

Slow down, take a few breaths, and read dialogue like people actually speak, not like a high-octane fight scene.

My First Review...

This is my first review of a book on Audible and I have to say I loved this book. It was funny and the main character is so likable. I could not stop laughing and I found myself wanting more at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. I will read it again. It was all-around great.