The Doldrums

By: Nicholas Gannon

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Archer B. Helmsley has grown up in a house full of oddities and treasures collected by his grandparents, the famous explorers. He knows every nook and cranny. He knows them all too well. After all, ever since his grandparents went missing on an iceberg, his mother barely lets him leave the house.

Archer B. Helmsley longs for adventure. Grand adventures, with parachutes and exotic sunsets and interesting characters. But how can he have an adventure when he can't leave his house?

It helps that he has friends like Adélaïde L. Belmont, who must have had many adventures since she ended up with a wooden leg. (Perhaps a crocodile ate it. Perhaps not.) And Oliver Glub. Oliver will worry about all the details (so that Archer doesn't have to).

And so Archer, Adélaïde, and Oliver make a plan. A plan to get out of the house, out of their town entirely. It's a good plan.

Well, it's not bad, anyway.

But nothing goes quite as they expect.

©2015 Nicholas Gannon (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

A master peace R:L:M

A master peace truly its exiting and very odd but in a genius way you really feel like your inside the book the best age groups is probably 9/14 but if you love story's so much just listen to it because it not bad it's just older kids might think it's to kiddish and younger kids will get Bored because it goes for hours but it should be read by any one who buys it so buy it and enjoy the story as I did.

One of the best kids books in a while!

Bronson Pinchot is a total gem. He completely brings this to life with his voice work here. So great. And the writing by Gannon is so good and funny. Just love what he has accomplished!

Bronson Pinchot's Voices and Accents: Marvelous!

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

I'm an adult, and I found The Doldrums to be a fun and exciting story. There is a strong, cohesive narrative, a good amount of humor, and an amazing blend of compelling, realistic characters with more than a touch of the absurd (which I love. I love me some absurd.) Yes, there are a few over-used tropes, the ending felt a bit abrupt, and a couple plot points do not get explained to my satisfaction. However, the story absolutely pulled me in, much like The Secret Benedict Society, another great book. It's the kind of book you can't help but fall into, if only to see what happens next.

Which character – as performed by Bronson Pinchot – was your favorite?

The absolute star of the show is Bronson Pinchot. Ever since we first saw Serge, Bronson's gift for creating characters has been known, and as much as I love Serge, Serge is nothing compared to the 20 or so voices Bronson created for this book. I am positive that, had I read the book first, my idea of these characters would pale in comparison to Bronson's creations. The only critique I could give him is that he has a tendency (in this book, anyway) to make the adults sound a bit older than they should be. That, and the main villain got a little too grating at times. But the quality and variety of his overall performance is so good, I'll happily overlook these two small flaws.

Any additional comments?

I hear that Bronson has done about 100 audiobooks(!), and I cannot wait to get my hands on another one and get plunged into another fantastic world full of crazy characters. I'm sure I'll find myself listening to The Doldrums again in the future, if only to hear Oliver's voice, which is my favorite. Bronson, you are amazing!:D

Bronson Pinchot is great.

I love the way he brings the characters to life. The adults in this book seem so terrible but that is because it's from the kids' point of view, and they don't understand what's going on. I hope. The kids are loveable, and the book is funny. It seems like real people with real issues, but not in a way that makes you go ugh. Very entertaining. Can't wait to read the next installment.