Appointment in Samarra

Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition

By: John O'Hara, Charles McGrath - introduction

Narrated by: Christian Camargo

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the great novels of small-town American life, Appointment in Samarra is John O'Hara's crowning achievement.

In December 1930, just before Christmas, the Gibbsville, Pennsylvania, social circuit is electrified with parties and dances. At the center of the social elite stand Julian and Caroline English. But in one rash moment born inside a highball glass, Julian breaks with polite society and begins a rapid descent toward self-destruction.

Brimming with wealth and privilege, jealousy and infidelity, O'Hara's iconic first novel is an unflinching look at the dark side of the American dream - and a lasting testament to the keen social intelligence of a major American writer.

©2013 John O'Hara (P)2013 Penguin Audio

one of my favorite books from college

it's still a favorite. loved to listen to it, o'hara's ear into how people speak is such a pleasure to hear, Samarra lends itself well to reading aloud. and I loved this narrator, everything about his reading was just perfectly done. jazzy, yet not too much. Camarga is and will forever be Julian English.

Narrator is terrible

I guess I got so spoiled by (and/or used to) Scott Aiello's narration of O'Hara's 'Ten North Frederick' that when I listened to Camargo's hurried, uninterested narration of 'Appointment in Samarra' I couldn't stand in and didn't want to invest any time in it. He reads it too quickly, and sometimes slurs words together so that they are incomprehensible. I tried listening at a reduced speed on the Audible App but most the time I listen on PC, which doesn't offer reduced speeds. But the speed was not the only problem. The narrator also sounds uninterested in what's he reading so that not only does he want to finish as quickly as possible he shows no interest in what he's reading. I couldn't listen to much of this story: I have given the narrator a 1, the story a 4 (based on what I know of O'Hara from "Ten North" and "New York Stories'). I will limit myself to reading this work in print, where I can enjoy it.

Unexpected pleasure...

Reading 100 Modern Novels, so probably wouldn't have come across this otherwise...Although a dated setting, the characters pop off the page..Some storylines, especially Al Greco, were left hanging, but life doesn't always tie off neatly...

excellent & a bit existentialist & Hemingway-esque

very nice writing. nice period detail. a bit Gatsby-ish but written with Hemingway-esque tone, and with the "lost generation" themes running through it, some aimless, drunken living, frank detail and again i think very existentialist feeling.

Appointment in Samarra

Story: Not much of a story but it is interesting background and writing. It was slowed in the middle but then came to a quick ending.

Production: The reader was excellent and the effects were good.

Overall, I would recommend to buy but do not make it an urgent buy.

Quite good, but not a classic

O’Hara thought he was better than Hemingway…he wasn’t. Yet this novel has its points, examining the power of society and belief. I did not find this one of the best novels of the twentieth century, but it is more than respectable. The power of the story is the all too obvious inability of humans to be themselves. Hemingway liked this novel, which makes sense. Hemingway and O’Hara examined the same issue (society vs. individuality) from utterly different perspectives and both valued truth. Both perspectives are interesting making this, for me, a good read, if not a must read. I did not find this a downer as the point is to avoid reaching your end without ever being your true self.

The narration is good, but not great, occasionally losing intensity necessary to the story.

Not perfect, but very good

I suspect that this book is a wonderful read, but not as wonderful a listen

Not sure yet...

Just finished and I'm a little stunned. Felt like I was finally figuring it out and it ended. It starts with many character, introduced quickly, then narrows it down to a manageable few. Still, I wasn't prepared for the end at all.... Narration was excellent and the author captured the times and society so well, I always liked forward to my next listen.

Didn't think I'd like it

This was a surprise. Another one from the classic 100 a friend challenged me to read. It was fun to go back in this time and try to understand the hip lingo. More important though is the portryal of the wealthy, their vices, vanity, and shortcomings. Scary that I don't believe much has changed.

I adore John O Hara

Mr. O'Hate skewers all with his biting, funny, poignant, heartbreaking social observations
A-1 read. I am reading all of his writing. Brilliant