Innocents and Others

A Novel

By: Dana Spiotta

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

From "a major, unnervingly intelligent writer" (Joy Williams), "rich, funny, learned, and tonally fresh" (Jeffrey Eugenides), comes a novel about aspiration, film, work, and love.

Dana Spiotta's new novel is about two women, best friends, who grow up in LA in the '80s and become filmmakers. Meadow and Carrie have everything in common - except their views on sex, power, moviemaking, and morality. Their lives collide with Jelly, a loner whose most intimate experience is on the phone. Jelly is older, erotic, and mysterious. She cold calls powerful men and seduces them not through sex but through listening. She invites them to reveal themselves, and they do.

Spiotta is "a wonderfully gifted writer with an uncanny feel for the absurdities and sadnesses of contemporary life, and an unerring ear for how people talk and try to cope today" (The New York Times). Innocents and Others is her greatest novel - wise, artful, and beautiful.

©2016 Dana Spiotta (P)2016 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Likable story and a wonderful reader

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

So far in life, I have not met in person any other Dana Spiotta fans though I know she has many. In the main, the people I know choose books with plots and aren't particularly charmed by Dana Spiotta type characters or obsessive film buffs.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Innocents and Others?

What was memorable to me was January LaVoy's read of it. Compared to her performance, the written text might have felt limp.

What does January LaVoy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her talent. Plus her voice is a lovely one.

Beautifully written profile of the artist's psyche

Any additional comments?

A beautifully written novel about art, friendship, feminism, love, and human nature. Dark, quirky and eccentric this story is an intricately interwoven tale of a unique cast of characters. A far cry from your typical pop fiction, an interesting and worthwhile listen.

Bored me to tears

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

I don't know why I didn't like this book I listened to maybe 3 hours on various car rides, then I had to stop. It was boring me to tears, and I listen to audiobooks to help me stay awake while driving.

What could Dana Spiotta have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I didn't see the purpose of the story.

What three words best describe January LaVoy’s performance?

Mildly annoying (sorry...that's only 2 words).

Any additional comments?

Some magazine (Marie Claire maybe?) gave it a good review, so I thought I'd give it a try. I should've waited for other Audible listeners to weigh in before purchasing the audiobook.

fully immersive once again!

I read this novel and listen to it :-) after having done the same with Wayward her previous novel these are wonders to me I am pulled into characters and people in a way that few authors can create atmospherics and want me want us to be a part of these worlds that all sounds terribly trite I wish I could better describe how much I love the world that's biota creates for us but they are wonderful and these characters that are such a mix of Good and Evil disinterest passion self-centeredness and just muddling through she was able to create a moral World from people that are stumbling through their morality none of it is preaching and yet they provide these characters are sermon upon sermon I really love these stories....