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)

Moore always delivers; quirky characters in wild situations.

Mr. Moore has a wild imagination and it spills out so smoothly. You just accept these characters and the insanity that they’re embroiled in. A mild mannered beta male, Death, hellhounds and sewer harpies… this book delivers his classic macabre sense of humor and his endless creativity perfectly.

Truly funny

You wouldn't expect a book about death would be funny, but there are parts that made me laugh out loud as in spew my drink funny. Great story I'd listen to again. The only draw back was the crappy music between chapters.

fun from beginning to end

I did love it and it cost me a lot of sleep the narration was excellent.

Slogs a bit but good overall

The performance is very good although in a few conversational parts it was easy to confuse who was talking. The beginning of the book is very good. I felt it became repetitive about 6 or 7 hours in and almost gave up on it. I'm glad I didn't the final chapters were worth slogging through the middle for.

so offbeat but funny.

irreverent and funny. Fisher Stevens was a perfect narrator downloading the next book as we speak

Very enjoyable

Lighthearted fun. Not heavy, Its a good narrator, fun story, lots of interesting characters and intriguing situations, glad I bought it.

Enjoyable

What a fun romp! Innovative story, where enlightment isn't always fun, but can be very funny. Loved the characters, and Fisher Stevens as narrator can't be beat. Didn't really like ending of book, but somehow it worked with story. If you are looking for unconventional story, that will make you laugh, this is a great pick.

a diamond in the rough

Its hard to find a book that has so much humor and relai a meaningful message with lovable characters in a this story that is like no other

My first Christopher Moore Book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't know what to expect, and I generally read thrillers. This book was hilarious -- I laughed out loud during several passages, and almost always had a smile on my face when listening. The narrator was good (not great) and I didn't have any trouble distinguishing the characters. The ending was a little predictable, but all in all a great summer book.

A funny, funny story

Chris Moore's A Dirty Job had me laughing out loud. The characters are well developed and very interesting. Unlike others, I found Fisher Stevens' narration to be excellent.