So Much Blue

By: Percival Everett

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Kevin Pace is working on a painting that he won't allow anyone to see: not his children, not his best friend, Richard, not even his wife, Linda. The painting is a canvas of 12 feet by 21 feet (and three inches) that is covered entirely in shades of blue. It may be his masterpiece or it may not; he doesn't know or, more accurately, doesn't care.

What Kevin does care about are the events of the past. Ten years ago he had an affair with a young watercolorist in Paris. Kevin relates this event with a dispassionate air, even a bit of puzzlement. It's not clear to him why he had the affair, but he can't let it go. In the more distant past of the late '70s, Kevin and Richard traveled to El Salvador on the verge of war to retrieve Richard's drug-dealing brother, who had gone missing without explanation. As the events of the past intersect with the present, Kevin struggles to justify the sacrifices he's made for his art and the secrets he's kept from his wife.

So Much Blue features Percival Everett at his best, and his deadpan humor and insightful commentary about the artistic life culminate in a brilliant new novel.

©2017 Percival Everett (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

wonderful writing

A heartbreak in more ways than one. This novel is full of life, sentiment, adventure, humor, and art.

Awesome author, presentation and story!!!

This story told a tremendous story of a man, his life, and his quest to better understand himself!!! I definitely recommend!!!!

Well Woth the Wait

It is a good story once you figure out what is going on. So it takes some patience to get through the dry delivery and the shaping of the story. This title is very different than the only other two Everett titles I am familiar with.

The performer is very good but seems to be the wrong voice and inflection for this title. The innocent church-boy voice ditracts from the characters and their situation. I would listen to other titles read by this performer but it wasn't a good match for this title.

Like the other two Everett books I am familiar with, you will finish this title satisfied with your lack of satisfaction. If you can't handle that, skip this title; if you can, it is very much worth it. Tell a friend so you can argue for days.

It Could Have Been Stranger

The whole story was disconcerting. I didn’t like him much. He was so full of himself. He got by with so much for no reason. I’m glad his wife got recognition in the end.

A slow blossom, but worth the read

I was somewhat disengaged the first third of this book. The intertwined sub-stories seemed disjointed and somewhat superficial. But that changed slowly and beautifully. The writing is straightforward with poetic pops. Worth the read!

Was he Black?

Very weird main character and events even if he was an artist. Given the narration and dialog committed to this vague
character, the idea that he was a Black man was absurd.

Non linear

You will need to concentrate to follow this story. it switches abruptly from characters in three different countries. So it's easy to loose your sense of place/time. But when you're ready, there are a lot of interesting surprises in this story. I really like the ending

Make a better choice --- read something else

The 12 of us in my Book Club all panned this book. We disliked the main character, found the storyline vapid and implausible, and overall just couldn't find much (if anything) to like. It pains me to give a bad review of a book because I know it's an author's life on a page, but if someone had given me a heads up, I wouldn't have spent valuable time and money on this less-than-stellar selection. Take a pass and read something else.

Audio version is annoying

The audio version is maddening. I downloaded it for a long trip and could not finish it. The author seems to use the phrase, HE SAID, SHE SAID, I SAID, SAID, SAID, SAID, SAID. Never did a speaker reply, assert, question, yell, exclaim, or a million other verbs. The word SAID SAID SAID SAID was said so many times it drove me to distraction. You know, like when some one gives a speech and says the word UM a lot. After a while, you start focusing on how many times that distractor UM word; the word SAID became obnoxious. Perhaps in print, your eyes glance over the words HE SAID I SAID, but when listening to the audio version, you can't help but hear it. Painful to listen to. If you must read this book, READ It, don't listen to it.