Manhattan Transfer

By: John Dos Passos

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Considered by many to be John Dos Passos' greatest work, Manhattan Transfer is an "expressionistic picture of New York" (New York Times) in the 1920s that reveals the lives of wealthy power brokers and struggling immigrants alike. From 14th Street to the Bowery, Delmonico's to the underbelly of the city waterfront, Dos Passos chronicles the lives of characters struggling to become a part of modernity before they are destroyed by it.  

More than 90 years after its first publication, Manhattan Transfer still stands as "a novel of the very first importance" (Sinclair Lewis). It is a masterpiece of modern fiction and a lasting tribute to the dual-edged nature of the American dream.

©1925 John Dos Passos; Copyright renewed 1953 by John Dos Passos (P)2019 Tantor

Cool structure

I really love the structure of this book which brings us in and out of different people's lives for different periods. I did not love all the characters. Not that you need to love the characters all the time, but I often didn't really understand them. I also did not love the occasional racial slur.

And I have a hard time with the narrator, because he often narrates a certain kind of American male author I find overrated so when I hear his voice I immediately think, "oh it's one of THOSE books." Fortunately, I enjoyed this novel much more than most of the others I've heard him narrate so I was mostly able to forget Owen Meany et al.

Essential American and New York stories from the Roaring Twenties

Firstly, Joe Barrett’s reading is itself a work of art. He juggles voices, shifts and perspective and characters with incredible deftness. it makes this rowdy and complicated world come to life. Dos Passos isn’t read as much as he should be these days, which seems a shame. This version would make everyone a fan of this book and his works. Doctorow must’ve looked at it as a model for what he wanted to do in Ragtime. No other book has made me feel that life of New York City in the way this version did. There’s a lot of story here and a lot of character, so dive in and experience the United States’ greatest city at the dawn of the 20th century.

Classic

The novel has a novel style for the time. It influenced writers of the twenties and ideals with subjects relevant to today.

Great performance

Superbly narrated of a dated book. I first read this fourth five years ago. Recommend.