A Hologram for the King

By: Dave Eggers

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

In a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter’s college tuition, and finally do something great. In A Hologram for the King, Dave Eggers takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of the global economy’s gale-force winds.

This taut, richly layered, and elegiac novel is a powerful evocation of our contemporary moment - and a moving story of how we got here.

©2012 Dave Eggers (P)2012 Recorded Books

Fabulous performance!

I am not sure if it wasn't for the great performance by Dion Graham whether the story can stand by itself. However, I got to say that I was yearning to go back to hear the remainder of the story between intervals of work :) My problem with the story is that it is depiction of what is wrong with current day America with lots of symbols (specially when Allen was with Youssef trying to hunt a wolf!) but overall it lacked a catharsis.

Not Dave's best

Would you listen to A Hologram for the King again? Why?

Probably. It was somewhat informative and entertaining.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The Saudi Arabian setting was interesting. The main character...I can't even remember his name, was not.

Which scene was your favorite?

Cannot remember a particular one to choose. I listened to it a few weeks ago.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

I have really enjoyed some of Dave Eggers other novels but this one fell short of my expectations.

A Story for a Middle-Aged Man

I love Dave Eggars, but this book disappointed me. The main character is a sad, unfeeling middle-aged guy, who seems to relate to people inwardly but can't make connections. His work is essentially empty and meaningless, his personal and financial life is in a shambles, and he seems to fail at just about everything. So he finds himself, appropriately enough, in the middle of a desert, where nothing really ever happens. He gets momentarily exhilarated by things like strong liquor and guns, and has brief sensations of being alive when he looks at the sea or a woman's breasts, but it never goes anywhere from there. His only real lifeline seems to be to his daughter, whom he has let down. So all in all, the book is a downer. The narrator is very good, although he reads almost every sentence with the same inflection.

Mid life crisis...meh.

As an audiobook, a quick listen & easy to follow. Not a compelling story, wish there was more about the culture af that area. The cab driver and doctor are a start, but there should be more...

Terrible

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Billed as an international intrigue;but there was minimal intrigue - Very Boring

What was most disappointing about Dave Eggers’s story?

Not even suspenseful it was like ho hum

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Dion Graham?

I don't understand this question

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from A Hologram for the King?

I would cut the scenes where they sit around waiting for something to happen that never does

Huge disappointment

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It could have had a story, plot and other essentials of writing fiction

What was most disappointing about Dave Eggers’s story?

Overall, a terrible write

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Too histrionic about nothing

What character would you cut from A Hologram for the King?

Basically there were only 2 characters

Any additional comments?

It won the rating on my huge list to "absolute bottom".
Save your money

Boring

I'm half way through, 24 chapters and listening at 1.5x speed and I'm still struggling to get through it. It's just not that interesting. Fitting that it takes place in a hot, dry, tedious desert. I feel just as bored as the narrator, waiting for something, anything interesting to happen. It doesn't.

Depressing Story

Modern day version of "Death of a Salesman". Main character is his own worst enemy.

Disappointing and Plodding

I enjoyed Zeitoun and was anxious to have Eggars describe Saudi Arabia. However, I never developed any empathy for Alan or his team of three. His liaison with his doctor was contrived. The narrator's breathy voice had little variation. Who got the contract? - no surprise here either. But I didn't care.

Tortured

A slow and somewhat painful story of a depressed man who clings to the tiniest shred of hope to pull himself out of the mess he believes he has made of his life. He is tortured by his many perceived failures as a son, husband and father. He frequently ruminates on the banality of his existence. He pulls at any threads he believes might change his plight, but it continues to unravel...