Tommy's Tale

A Novel

By: Alan Cumming

Narrated by: Alan Cumming

Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Tommy is 29, lives and loves in London, and has a morbid fear of the "C" word (commitment), the "B" word (boyfriend), and the "F" word (forgetting to call his drug dealer before the weekend). But when he begins to feel the urge to become a father, and the pressure from his boyfriend to make a real commitment to their relationship, Tommy starts to wonder if his chosen lifestyle can ever make him happy.

Faced with the choice between maintaining his hedonistic, drugged-out, and admittedly fabulous existence or chucking it all in favor of a far more sensitive, fulfilling, and - let's face it - slightly more staid lifestyle, Tommy finds himself in a true quandary. Through a series of adventures and misadventures that lead him from London nightspots to New York bedrooms and back, our boy Tommy manages to answer some of life's most pressing questions - even those he never thought to ask.

©2002 Alan Cumming (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

LOVE IT!!

Dear Alan Cummings,

Please write more novels! Write them, narrate them & keep them coming!

Sincerely,
Carla

Alan Cumming narrates a novel by Allan Cumming

I am a big fan of Alan Cumming the author, and I loved this audiobook where he narrates his own novel.

I liked the overall story but rated it down somewhat for the all the drug use. I know that people use drugs, but at times this story felt like that was was all that was going on.

I highly enjoyed the fact that this was a story where gay characters can have a happy ending.

weird, fun, but sort of messed up

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. Unfortunately, there's this weird element to it that makes it really uncomfortable- Tommy, the main character, is a man on a rampage, circling an emotional breakdown while doing all the drugs and having all the sex... and that's fine. Alan Cumming plays intelligently with the idea of debauchery and condemnation, presenting a character who does salacious and irresponsible things and doesn't ask for- no, outright mocks the idea that he could gain the audience's approval.

HOWEVER, what ends up happening, is the story takes a weird turn into really glorifying his (terrible! terrible!) choices. His 'you can't judge me, the messed up ones in this society are YOU for never having LIVED' attitude becomes... I'm struggling to put my finger on this, but becomes somehow validated by the text. The ending made me super uncomfortable.

So, on the one hand, I love this, because it's a warm, funny glimpse into a subculture that doesn't get a lot of attention, but on the other I was left with a bit of a knot in my stomach and wanting to shake the protagonist for being so bloody sanctimonious about it all. I'll still count this as a great book, but my enjoyment of the story over all was diminished by the intense feeling of wanting to slap poor Tommy.

An interesting life story.

I liked that this normalizes a gay mans approach to life. I don’t like how easily he got over the loss of his baby but I guess it would effect everyone differently. This book inspired me to share my story.

I could not stop laughing!!!!

Tommy is one of the most f''d up person in the world. That is why I loved this book so must. When I finished listening to this book I listened to it again. my favorite part was when he flew in first class for the first time in his life. I also liked Fin. Fin is the one person that made Tommy act like a man about to turn 30.

Alan Cumming - So good

This is a fun baudy coming of age at 29 tale . And listening to Alan Cumming narrate is a joy.

Tommy’s Tale(s)

I have to admit; I read this before I listened to it, and struggled a bit reading through it. Alan’s others books flew by, but this one…I’m chalking it up to not being in the right frame of mind. With that said, I LOVED THE AUDIOBOOK! Alan brought sweet Tommy to life. He admits that this is a thinly veiled account of a period in his life and all I can respond with is “Oh my!” It was difficult hearing Tommy struggling (all in the name of fun) with dangerous and self destructive behavior knowing that there are elements of this from Alan’s life. Yes! I’m a big sappy fan, so I took this book to heart. Tommy is a wonderful coming of age story, and it takes a load of frolicking angst getting there. It’s worth it though! If you haven’t yet listened to his two follow up books, do so. It’s an Illuminating and insightful look into an Uber talented man.

What fun.

I had so much fun listening to this book. The acting and chaos i. Tommy's life was entertaining to listen to.

Really enjoyed it.

Let me state this first: if you are put off by drug use and/or sex (both hetero and homo, both intimate and anonymous), you will not like this book. I am put off by neither, and I really enjoyed it.

As the summary says, the book follows a few months in the life of a 29 year-old self-proclaimed party boy in London. There are clubs, drugs, parties, and some seriously seedy behavior in the disabled loo. You'll learn about lampshade design, hangover avoidance, the power of baths, and the emotional blackmail of a particularly precocious child.

I think Alan Cumming is the best (or certainly one of the best) book readers out there, and if you enjoy him as an actor, performer, activist, and human, you will likely enjoy this book, too. I'll admit my bias here — I adore him — and I loved Tommy's Tale.

Great Listen!

I always love Alan Cumming, and this book made me feel no differently.I like how unabashedly written it is.